Cheshire Phoenix defeat London Lions

Manchester Giants took a big step towards the BBL Play-offs with victory in one of three BBL Championship games on Sunday.

Giants overcame Durham Wildcats 80-69 to leapfrog their opponents into the Play-off positions, but more importantly secure the head-to-head tie-breaker, having now won two of the teams’ three league meetings this season.

Cheshire Phoenix were another big winner on Sunday, beating London Lions 84-75 to extend their winning run to eight games and move level on points with second-placed Worcester Wolves.

Earlier, Plymouth Raiders secured a much-needed 100-88 success against Surrey United.

Raiders handed debuts to new signings Ben Mockford and Jordan Clarke and both logged solid debuts, but Josh Wilcher stole the show with an incredible 17 assists to go with 20 points and seven rebounds.

Quote of the week

I’m expecting another tough game and the league is very tough. There are a lot of teams in the top echelon that are making it very difficult for each other, apart from Newcastle, who are putting some daylight between them and everyone else. Rob Thurman has proved himself to be a strong BBL player and Alex Owumi at home in the backcourt is exceptionally good for Worcester.Vince Macaulay, Lions’ Head Coach

Manchester Giants move into Play-Off places

Manchester Giants leapfrogged Durham Wildcats into the BBL Play-off positions with a vital 80-69 success at home on Sunday.

Jeff Jones’ men moved to 7-10 to climb above Wildcats and take the crucial season head-to-head tie breaker, after the teams split their opening two meetings of the campaign.

Ben Eaves was instrumental for Manchester, scoring 20 points and collecting eight rebounds as the hosts improved after half-time, having slipped behind in a one-sided second quarter.

Lee Davie’s side were limited to just 21 second-half points as Giants began to find their range, David Watts connecting on three triples.

The hosts won key battles all over the floor to maintain a manageable advantage throughout the fourth quarter.

Callum Jones tallied 10 rebounds and Mike Bernard added 17 points in 27 minutes of action.

Fran Urli led Wildcats with 15 points, but David Buchberger was his only team-mate to break double figures as Durham suffered a third straight defeat.

Cheshire Phoenix get their biggest scalp yet

Cheshire Phoenix avenged their last BBL Championship defeat with an 84-75 triumph against London Lions on Sunday, stretching their winning streak to eight games.

John Coffino’s side had been faultless since an 87-71 loss at the Copper Box at the beginning of November and continued their fantastic form with a come-from-behind win against the improving Lions.

Vince Macaulay’s men had lost just once in their previous five outings and held a 62-61 edge heading into the final 10 minutes.

But Phoenix found another gear and capitalised on foul trouble for Makal Stibbins and Ian Salter to move level on points with second-placed Worcester Wolves.

Demond Watt led all scorers with 25 points, and had 12 rebounds, as Taylor King added 24 and Mike DiNunno chipped in with 10.

Zaire Taylor paced Lions with 22 points and Drew Sullivan and Lovell Cook scored 15 each.

Benson & Wilcher star as Raiders defeat United

Plymouth Raiders’ reinforcements helped them to an important 100-88 victory at home against Surrey United on Sunday.

Prompted by a run of just one win in six games, Raiders coach Jay Marriott drafted in Ben Mockford and Jordan Clarke ahead of this game, in order to ease the load on Brent Benson and Josh Wilcher.

The plan appeared to work as Mockford and Clarke enjoyed solid debuts, the latter registering a 14-point, 14-rebound double-double.

This in turn allowed Wilcher and Benson to flourish, as Wilcher finished with 20 points, 17 assists and seven rebounds and Benson scored a team-high 18 points.

Benson’s eight triples were key as United, themselves having made changes in recent weeks, got 30 points from Kramer Knutson and 22 from recent signing Anthony Downing.

But, in the end, the Plymouth club’s new-found depth proved the difference as they cruised to a victory, which improves their league record to 5-10, while Surrey slip to 4-11.