In the BBL Championship, London Lions went to overtime for the second time in as many games, but this time they were on the winning side, beating Sheffield Sharks 83-80.
Cheshire Phoenix recorded an important 89-75 win against Worcester Wolves to not only make up ground in the title race, but also secure the head-to-head tie-breaker with Paul James’ side.
Manchester Giants made it back-to-back wins over the course of the weekend, following up Saturday’s triumph against Bristol Flyers with a gutsy 72-61 defeat of Leeds Force.
| Friday 6 February 2015 | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| BBL Championship – Results | |||
| Newcastle Eagles | 104 – 81 | Leicester Riders | 19:30 |
| London Lions | 64 – 69 OT | Leeds Force | 19:30 |
| Worcester Wolves | 74 – 48 | Bristol Flyers | 19:30 |
| Saturday 7 February 2015 | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| BBL Trophy QF – Result | |||||
| Plymouth Raiders | 86 – 77 | Surrey United | 19:30 | ||
| BBL Championship – results | |||||
| Bristol Flyers | 76 – 81 | Manchester Giants | 19:30 | ||
| Leicester Riders | 98 – 85 | Sheffield Sharks | 19:30 | ||
| Sunday 8 February 2015 | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| BBL Championship – Results | |||
| Cheshire Phoenix | 89 – 75 | Worcester Wolves | 17:30 |
| Manchester Giants | 72 – 61 | Leeds Force | 18:00 |
| Sheffield Sharks | 80 – 83 OT | London Lions | 16:00 |
| BBL Trophy QF – Result | |||
| Glasgow Rocks | 70 – 88 | Newcastle Eagles | 17:00 |
| P | Team | PL | W | L | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Esh Group Eagles Newcastle | 22 | 20 | 2 | 40 |
| 2 | Worcester Wolves | 24 | 19 | 5 | 38 |
| 3 | Leicester Riders | 21 | 17 | 4 | 34 |
| 4 | Cheshire Phoenix | 22 | 16 | 6 | 32 |
| 5 | London Lions | 21 | 12 | 9 | 24 |
| 6 | Sheffield Sharks | 23 | 10 | 13 | 20 |
| 7 | Manchester Giants | 24 | 10 | 14 | 20 |
| 8 | Glasgow Rocks | 19 | 9 | 10 | 18 |
| 9 | Durham Wildcats | 22 | 8 | 14 | 16 |
| 10 | Bristol Flyers | 25 | 8 | 17 | 16 |
| 11 | Plymouth University Raiders | 20 | 6 | 14 | 12 |
| 12 | Leeds Force | 25 | 6 | 19 | 12 |
| 13 | Surrey United | 22 | 4 | 18 | 8 |
| 2014/15 League Table | |||||
Leeds Force with another tough road trip, Photo by Chris Midgley.
I think Zaire Taylor has been the real difference in both contests [between London Lions and Leeds Force], whenever they need a basket he was always there to provide it. I think a big key will be stopping him when the game is on the line.Force Forward Oliver Hylands
League leaders Newcastle Eagles made a real statement of intent on Friday, overpowering title rivals Leicester Riders 104-81 at Sport Central.
The result ended Riders’ eight-game winning streak and ensured Eagles remain on top, two points ahead of Worcester Wolves in second.
This was the first meeting between the reigning champions and Rob Paternostro’s third-placed Riders this term, following six games last season – with all three BBL Championship contests settled by two points or less.
The early stages of this encounter suggested a similar battle lay ahead, but a 7-0 spurt early in the second quarter, capped by Stuart Thomson’s three-pointer, set the tone for a 37-point period for Eagles, and they never looked back.
The lead continued to grow into the second half as Fab Flournoy’s men were sent to the line time and again, making their visitors pay.
The Leicester club made the hosts work for the win, but could never eat into the deficit with Darius Defoe dominating inside with 22 points and 11 rebounds, seven of his points coming from the free-throw line.
Andre Jones, Rahmon Fletcher, Charles Smith, Andrew Thomson and Stuart Thomson also scored in double figures with the game played at a high pace.
TrayVonn Wright led Riders with 18, but too many of his team-mates struggled to get going.
Worcester Wolves bounced back from their BBL Trophy exit with a comfortable 74-48 home win against Bristol Flyers in the BBL Championship on Friday.
Paul James’ side had seen their Trophy defence – and an eight-game winning streak – end against Leicester Riders last time out, but responded in fine style with a wire-to-wire triumph against Flyers.
Wolves emerged as 69-68 victors when these teams met last month but this contest was never going to be as close, and the hosts were able to remain within two points of league leaders Newcastle Eagles.
Wolves surged 21-7 in front in the first quarter behind a 13-0 run, which included three-pointers from Alex Owumi and Paul Guede.
James had highlighted the need for his side to rebound the ball better than they did in the teams’ previous meeting and his team clearly heeded that advice.
Neither side shot the ball well meaning the battle of the boards was key, and Wolves won it 51-39, steadily building their advantage.
Owumi was the top scorer on the night with 20 points off 5-of-9 shooting from long range while Chavis Holmes added 12 and Paul Guede had 10.
Alif Bland was once again Flyers’ most influential performer, scoring 12 points, as did Bree Perine – but 29% shooting was never going to be enough for the visitors to avoid a third straight defeat.
Leeds Force boosted their hopes of securing a BBL Play-off place with a dramatic 69-64 overtime victory against London Lions at the Copper Box on Friday.
Matt Newby’s men had trailed by as many as 14 points in the second half but rallied to tie the game late in regulation before holding their nerve in the added period.
A big block by Makal Stibbins with London leading by two points inside the final minute appeared to have ended Force’s hopes.
But Sam Attah drove to score at the rim before a fantastic defensive stand on the final possession forced overtime.
After a tense opening to the extra five minutes, the visitors displayed the great composure in the key moments down the stretch with James McCann and Branimir Mikulic able to apply the vital scores when it matters.
Mikulic led all scorers with 16 points and McCann had 13 as Leeds recorded their sixth league win to move within four points of the top eight.
For Lions, who were paced by Drew Sullivan’s 15 points, their mini-revival was curtailed as they squandered a healthy lead to slip to 11-9.
Plymouth University Raiders have reached the BBL Trophy semi-finals after beating Surrey United 86-77 at Plymouth Pavilions, making it seven straight wins against United dating back to April 2013. It’s the furthest that the Raiders have been in this competition – that they won in 2007 for their only piece of BBL silverware – in the last three years.
The teams could barely be separated through the early exchanges – tied at 18 after ten minutes – until Raiders opened the second stanza with a 13-4 surge when Pierre Hampton and Ben Mockford hit three-pointers for a 31-22 lead.
That lead was in double-figures soon after when Joshua Wilcher added a triple of his own and that’s where it stayed, at 40-29 going into the break, after DeAndre Medlock’s dunk late in the period. United had committed 15 first half turnovers and hit just 1/8 three-pointers.
But that changed immediately after the half time break. United stormed back to level the game at 47 on Anthony Downing’s triple to cap nine unanswered points. But that was as good as it would get for the visitors, when Raiders responded 9-2, Wilcher adding another triple, to take a 56-51 lead into the fourth.
Surrey did threaten once more, with a 10-2 run early in the fourth, to get back to 71-67. But Gareth Murray – who led their scoring on the night with 18 points – kept them at arm’s length, hitting a three-pointer immediately after. And the game was settled soon after when Mockford hit a pair of triples in quick succession, and the lead was back out to 83-72 late on.
Giants action. Library photo. Photo by Jack Hinds Photography.
Manchester Giants secured a crucial win in the race for the BBL Championship Playoffs as they overcame Bristol Flyers 76-81 in the South West, led by 19 points from Latvian forward Ingus Bankevics.
It snaps a four game losing streak for the Giants, and is their first win on the road since November. Flyers, however, have now lost their last four and are winless at home in the same period. This win sees Giants take outright possession of the final playoff spot, with Bristol staying in tenth.
It was a sell out crowd at the WISE Basketball Arena, and they were not disappointed in the early stages of the game, as their team snatched a 20-18 lead at the end of the first period on Bree Perine’s three-pointer. And he struck again for a 29-22 lead in the second stanza, which they carried through to 40-38 at the half time break.
But that was as good as it would get for the hosts. Giants started the third with the first ten points, led by Stefan Gill, to take a 40-48 lead. Flyers hit the next eight, levelling on Greg Streete’s three-pointer, and the teams went into the fourth quarter still tied at 57.
The decisive run came when Giants hit eleven in a row early in the fourth to lead 59-72 with Ben Eaves hitting four, Gill adding a triple and Callum Jones capping the run with an ‘and-one’ play.
With little over five minutes to play Giants had done enough to win the game, but Flyers had one last effort to recover it, Streete hitting a three-pointer to get them back to 76-81, but it was too late. Bristol’s consolation is that they already have the head-to-head over Manchester, which could prove crucial as they seek a post-season berth.
Leicester Riders bounced back from their first defeat in nine games in 2015 as they beat Sheffield Sharks 98-85 on Saturday night, inspired by 25 points from marksman Tyler Bernardini. The third-placed Riders have now taken the head-to-head against the Sharks, and have a 14-2 record against them since 2011.
The first half was typically tight between these teams, who went to overtime the last time that they met in January, although they exchanged first half runs. Riders led early on as Bernardini hit seven points and his triple made it 15-8. But Sharks fought back, led by Mike Tuck, with a 10-3 run that helped them tie the game at 22 after the first ten minutes.
They initially carried that momentum into the second stanza, and Nick Lewis hit a three-pointer for a lead of 26-31 three minutes in. But Riders then took their turn to respond emphatically, with a 13-4 push sparked by Neil Watson’s three-pointer before Rashad Hassan hit four in a row and Barry Lamble came from the bench to score four, Riders pushing a lead out to 42-36. The hosts took a 44-43 edge into the break, pegged back by Zach Gachette’s late score.
And Sharks opened the third with the first eight points to take a lead at 44-51, as they sought to prevent back-to-back defeats. But they were instantly halted by Watson’s triple, and that proved crucial as they were soon back in front when Jamell Anderson matched that.
But the crucial run was all about the night’s star man, as Riders went 8-0 to lead 60-53 with Bernardini scoring all of those points including two triples. He was the only Rider to score in a four minute spell, and when he hit another three-pointer early in the fourth quarter, and Pavel Losonsky added to that, Riders had a double-digit lead to defend heading into the final five minutes.
And there was no way back for the visitors as Leicester hit 14/17 free-throws in the last four minutes.
A clean sweep of BBL silverware is still possible for Newcastle Eagles after they defeated Glasgow Rocks 88-70 on the road on Sunday to reach the semi-finals of the BBL Trophy.
Fab Flournoy’s side have now beaten the Scottish club in each of their past 12 meetings, one of those being January’s BBL Cup Final.
Sterling Davis’ men must now focus all their energy on securing a place in the BBL Play-offs, having missed out on the chance to play in the final on their home floor.
It all started so well for the hosts, bursting into a 7-0 start. But that proved to be nothing but a false dawn, as Eagles responded with an 8-0 spurt of their own to move in front.
As had been the case in previous meetings this season, Rahmon Fletcher caused real problems for Rocks, which were doubled by Andre Jones, who finished with a game-high 20 points.
Eagles eased to victory in the end, despite a 19-point, 10-rebound double-double from Davis, with another double-double for Darius Defoe, who had 10 points and 13 rebounds.
Lovell Cook scored 34 points as London Lions triumphed 83-80 against Sheffield Sharks as their second successive game went to overtime.
Lions came into the game having squandered a 14-point second-half lead to lose to Leeds Force after an added period on Friday.
Vince Macaulay’s men fell behind early in this one too, against a Sheffield side who had been beaten by Leicester Riders the previous night.
But a strong start to the second half, as Cook began to heat up, saw Lions claw their way back into the contest.
The game grew into a back-and-forth battle but Sharks led with 23 seconds to play, only for Makal Stibbins to grab an offensive rebound off the Drew Sullivan miss, and put back to level.
Zaire Taylor had a shot at the win but could not connect as time expired.
Cook then hit back-to-back triples to open overtime and from then on Sharks were chasing the game, forcing Lions to win it at the line.
The results sees Lions open up a four-point gap between themselves and Sharks in the BBL Championship standings.
Atiba Lyons’ men were paced by 23 points from BJ Holmes and 20 from John Barber – as Stibbins added 21 to Cook’s 34-point, 10-rebound double-double.
Cheshire Phoenix made up vital ground in the BBL Championship title race with an 89-75 home win against Worcester Wolves on Sunday.
Phoenix, in fourth position, triumphed over second-placed Wolves behind some accurate shooting from the field to move within two points of Leicester Riders in third.
Not only that, John Coffino’s men claimed the all-important head-to-head tie-breaker by virtue of this second defeat of Wolves, meaning they will have the edge if the teams finish the season on the same record.
After an even opening to the game, the home side jumped out either side of half-time, shooting the ball well to finish with a 53% field-goal percentage.
Wolves had no such luck from the floor, although Robert Thurman and Jamal Williams both finished with 14 points.
It was not enough however, as Phoenix continued their recovery from two dropped games in recent weeks.
Demond Watt was one of their headline performers once more tallying 25 points, as Dustin Salisbery and Taylor King – who also had 10 boards – added 23 and 22 respectively.
Giants v Force Action. Photo by Jack Hinds Photography.
Devin Grimes shone on his home debut to help Manchester Giants record back-to-back wins following Sunday’s 72-61 success against Leeds Force.
Photo by Jack Hinds Photography.
Jeff Jones’ side had lost their previous five games heading into the weekend but beat Bristol Flyers on Saturday before holding off a strong effort from Force to climb to seventh in the BBL Championship.
Grimes led his new team with 20 points in his first game at the Luzocade Sportsdome as Giants held the upper hand for much of the game before pulling away late on.
The home side never trailed by more than four points and clung on to triumph against Leeds for the first time, despite being without the influential David Watts, and using just seven players.
Giants’ domination of the battle on the boards was also central to this success with Grimes hauling in 11 rebounds to go with his game-high points tally.
Ben Eaves was another effective weapon in the frontcourt, going for 12 points and eight rebounds.
Sam Attah and Branimir Mikulic scored 15 points each for Force, but they could not build on Friday’s overtime success against London Lions and remain six points off the Play-off positions.
Be the first to write a comment.
Your feedback