Sharks, Eagles And Giants Secure Home Wins

Elsewhere, the Sharks made it three wins in a row, while condemning the Glasgow Rocks to their third straight defeat as they beat their Scottish rivals 83-74 in Yorkshire. Micah Williams led the Sharks with 23 points, while Mike Tuck added 16. The visitors were led by Gareth Murray’s 16 points and 9 rebounds.

The Sharks used a flurry of third quarter three-pointers to win the game, after trailing for most of the first half. With 3.30 to play in the third, trailing 45-54, Micah Williams scored back-to-back three-pointers for the hosts to narrow the gap to 51-54, and when Lewis added another a minute later the game was level, and it stayed that way heading into the fourth quarter at 58-58.

The Sharks established a decisive lead when they scored the first 8 points of the fourth quarter, including 6 for Babalola, and they maintained a cushion through to the end.

The Eagles have given themselves a cushion in second place in the BBL Championship table after beating the third-placed Surrey Heat 89-80 in the northeast. The Eagles have won five of their last six games, while it was the Heat’s first loss on the road since October. Damon Huffman led the Eagles with 26 points, including six three-pointers, while Darius Defoe had a double-double of 21 points and 13 rebounds; the Eagles were missing Charles Smith.

After establishing an 11-2 lead straight out of the blocks, the Eagles led throughout the game although they were pushed late on. The Heat tied the game at 54 when Frank and Travis Holmes scored consecutive baskets, but the Eagles were settled by Huffman and Fab Flournoy, and Huffman made two three-pointers inside the last two minutes to maintain their edge at 64-60 going into the fourth quarter.

The Eagles built on that foundation and saw the game out as a 6-0 burst, sparked by Anthony Martin, gave them a double-digit cushion at 72-62 and that was maintained heading into the last five minutes as Martin scored twice more. The Heat did threaten again, using an 8-0 run to get within one possession at 76-73 with four minutes to play, and they still had a chance with 1.13 remaining at 82-79 after Margai scored again. But the Eagles held their nerve as, surprisingly, Defoe made his first three-pointer of the season and Martin scored 4/4 from the line down the stretch.

Finally, the Manchester Giants made it two wins in a row, after a previous run of seven straight defeats, after edging out Northwest rivals the Cheshire Phoenix by 85-83, meaning that the Phoenix have lost six of their seven road games this season.

The Giants were led by a double-double of 20 points and 15 rebounds from Ben Eaves, ably supported by 19 points from David Watts. Gabriele Haskins led all scorers, in vain for the visitors, scoring 31 points.

The Giants led for all of the first three quarters and 30-21 after a free-scoring first period, establishing an 18-8 lead after just five minutes courtesy of a 10-2 surge as Watts and Eaves each scored 6 early points. But thereafter the Phoenix chipped away at their hosts’ lead.

Their persistence paid off in the fourth quarter as an 8-3 opening gave them their first lead of the game at 68-69 after Haskins made 4/4 from the line following a foul and Mike Bernard technical foul, and then the same player scored again as the Phoenix got the ball back, meaning Haskins scored 6 points in 20 seconds. But their lead would not last long, as, fittingly, Ben Eaves’ three-pointer put the hosts back up 73-71, with 6.30 to play.

The teams were never separated by more than one possession all the way to the end, and they were tied at 83 inside the final minute. It was down to Eaves to settle the game after Stefan Gill stole the ball and set him up for a dunk with 20 seconds left; there was time for the Phoenix to tie the game, but Gumbs missed his shot before Eaves emerged with the rebound as the clock ran down.

Story – BBL

Photos – MPhotography