Riders refuse to give up on title chances

There was a dramatic finish on Tuesday night in Loughborough after Leicester Riders claimed a nerve-tingling 66-63 success against Worcester Wolves to extend the title race for at least another 24 hours.

In a roller-coaster contest, Tyler Bernardini finally settled the duel with a killer score from downtown during the closing moments, prior to Pavol Losonsky showing he has nerves of steel with two from the line in the last couple of seconds.

Defeat would have handed the BBL Championship to Esh Group Eagles Newcastle, but Leicester showed real guts as they held their nerve down the stretch, having not only lost the influential Neil Watson to injury, but also TrayVonn Wright to foul trouble for long periods.

Having only just shaded the first-half of action, Riders had been rocked onto the back foot when Paul Guede started the third quarter with back-to-back triples for the visitors.

Both sides then had shares of the lead and it set up a dramatic conclusion, but the defence of Riders came up trumps as well as the shooting of Bernardini.

The hosts restricted the Wolves to just one basket in the last 3 minutes and 40 seconds of the game, which gave them the platform to sneak a priceless victory.

Losonsky recorded a near double-double of 15 points and nine rebounds, while Bernardini finished with 22 points and an unwanted double-double of 10 turnovers – but none of that mattered when he hit what proved to the game-winning shot.

Wolves’ centre Robert Thurman had 11 points and 12 boards.

Riders must now wait to see if Esh Group Eagles Newcastle clinch the title on Wednesday night when the defending champions face Manchester Giants at Sport Central.

Quote of the Week

Armand Anebo in action

We need to keep them off the boards therefore not allowing them second-chance opportunities and also remain focused defensively for the whole duration of the game. This will enable us to be in the game. Force Forward, Armand Anebo

Results

Riders keeping the dream alive

BBL Championship
Leicester Riders 109 (29, 57, 80) (Wright 21, Hassan 19, Gamble 13)
Plymouth University Raiders 75 (23, 35, 54) (Mockford 20, Wilcher 14, Hopkins 12)

Leicester Riders are still in with a shout of landing the BBL Championship title after they stormed to a 109-75 success against Plymouth University Raiders at Loughborough.

The success keeps the pressure on injury-hit leaders Esh Group Eagles Newcastle, while in stark contrast Raiders are now staring down the barrel of missing out on the Play-Offs.

Riders found their range from all over the floor and especially behind the three-point line, which combined with their superior depth, meant they were far too strong for the visitors.

Raiders had started reasonably well and thanks to 10 first quarter points from Josh Wilcher, managed to just about keep pace with Riders in the opening period.

However Riders managed to move 29-23 in front and rocked Raiders onto the ropes when Tyler Bernardini dropped successive three-pointers to start the second quarter and put Leicester in front by double-digits.

By the time Rashad Hassan scored in the paint to put Riders 49-29 ahead, Plymouth were on the canvas and never looked like they would recover.

By half-time, Riders were 57-35 to the good, with Bernardini and Neil Watson going six of seven from outside.

When the teams re-emerged for the second half, Riders continued their dominance and while Raiders subsequently posted an 11-2 start to the final quarter, it was a case of too little, too late to claw back the sizeable defict.

TrayVonn Wright starred for Riders with 21 points from a brilliant nine of eleven shooting display.

Force push the Eagles to OT before succumbing

BBL Championship (OT)
Newcastle Eagles 98 (31, 42, 60, 81) (Smith 29, Martin 21, Fletcher 19)
Leeds Force 91 (25, 49, 58, 81) (McCann 22, Hall 19, Anebo 18)

Newcastle Eagles demonstrated their championship quality once more with a battling 98-91 overtime triumph against Leeds Force on Friday to close within one win of the title.

Fab Flournoy returned to the bench for the first time since tearing his achilles in the BBL Trophy Final for his 600th game in charge.

He was still unable to play, however, and was also without Andre Jones, Darius Defoe and Drew Lasker.

The short-handed Eagles slipped 10 points behind in the third quarter when Branimir Mikulic connected on a three-pointer.

They battled back but went into the final 14 seconds three points down following a Dwayne Camille triple and two foul shots from James McCann.

But Scott Martin responded with two made free throws of his own. This gave Rahmon Fletcher the chance to win it at the line in the final five seconds, but the point guard split the pair and the game went to overtime.

Charles Smith scored the first four points of the extra session to set the tone and Force eventually ran out of steam despite 22 points from McCann.

Smith finished with 29 points while there were double-doubles for Martin and Andrew Thomson. Eagles now require just one more win, or one loss by Leicester, to retain the BBL Championship.

Fab still growling. Photo by Dave Moore.

Riders still too much for Giants

BBL Championship
Manchester Giants 87 (25, 46, 71) (Jones 20, Marsden 18, Bankevics 13)
Leicester Riders 104 (24, 57, 85) (Watson 23, Hassan 20, Bernardini 19)

Leicester Riders kept the BBL Championship title race alive with a 104-87 away win at Manchester Giants on Friday.

Defeat for Riders, coupled with victory for leaders Newcastle Eagles, would have seen the north east club claim the league crown.

But Rob Paternsotro’s side live to fight another day after securing a sixth consecutive win behind 23 points from Neil Watson, who hit seven triples.

Giants on the other hand slip to a sixth straight reverse, losing ground to Bristol Flyers and Plymouth Raiders in the battle for the eighth and final place in the BBL Play-offs.

Jeff Jones’ side had started the game well, but could not compete with Riders’ strength in depth.
Paternostro’s men got 24 of their points from their bench – 12 of them from Conner Washington – while connecting on 15 of 26 three-point attempts as a team as they hit triple figures for the fourth game in a row.

Giants, who were led by 20 points from Callum Jones, must recover in time for a crucial meeting with Raiders on Sunday.

Riders travel to Sheffield Sharks on Sunday before back-to-back meetings with fellow title contenders Worcester Wolves.

Sharks bring down the Lions to keep their run going

BBL Championship
London Lions 71 (13, 36, 58) (Cook 20, Stibbins 15, Taylor 14)
Sheffield Sharks 73 (25, 38, 56) (Barber 16, Tuck 14, Holmes 14)

Sheffield Sharks strengthened their claim for the fifth seed in the BBL Play-offs with a 73-71 success at London Lions on Friday.

Atiba Lyons’ side led for much of the contest but had to come from behind to reclaim the lead in the closing stages before producing a series of defensive stands to secure victory.

The result sees Sharks move level on points with fifth-placed Lions, and two ahead of Glasgow Rocks, while also holding the head-to-head tie-breaker against both of their rivals, with just a week of the season remaining.

It had looked like being a comfortable evening for the Sheffield club, who collected an eighth straight win, as they jumped out to a 10-2 start, before leading by 12 after 10 minutes.

But Vince Macualay’s men improved immeasurably and following a second-quarter surge, Lovell Cook connected on a triple to give them the lead early in the second half.

It was a back-and-forth battle after that. But Sharks stole ahead inside the final two minutes off a Zach Gachette jumper and survived several attempts at the win from Drew Sullivan and Zaire Taylor.

Cook paced London with 20 points while 16 points from John Barber lifted Sharks, who were without the influential Mike Cook.

Rocks unable to live with rampant Wolves

BBL Championship
Worcester Wolves 92 (23, 47, 72) (Holmes 22, Owumi 19, Bitinas 13)
Glasgow Rocks 80 (18, 36, 53) (Davis 17, Huffor 14, Egwuonwu 10)

Worcester Wolves improved their chances of finishing in the top two of the BBL Championship with a 92-80 home success against Glasgow Rocks on Friday.

Paul James’ side had lost each of their previous two meetings with the Scottish club this term, but avenged those results as Chavis Holmes led by example with 22 points off 9-of-13 shooting.

As he had done during last week’s defeat of league leaders Newcastle Eagles, Alex Owumi shot the ball well from deep as well as orchestrating the offence to add 19 points.

The win sets Wolves up for back-to-back games against Leicester Riders, who they battle for second spot.

Rocks’ meanwhile left the door open for Sheffield Sharks and London Lions to move in front in the race for the fifth Play-off seed.

Wolves were without star centre Robert Thurman once again, although his team-mates collectively filled the void by asserting their dominance early, building a 15-point lead in the first half.

The hosts’ 54 per cent shooting from the floor made it difficult for Sterling Davis’ side to reduce the deficit and, despite 17 points from the player-coach, they fell to a fourth defeat in six games.

Surrey United push London Lions all the way

BBL Championship
Surrey United 83 (15,31,51) (Coleman 26, Downing 17, Knutson 16)
London Lions 89 (29,50,70) (Ikhinmwin 21, Oyedeji 15, Stibbins 15)

London Lions put Friday’s loss to Sheffield Sharks behind them, register an 89-83victory against bottom-of-the-table Surrey United on the second night of a back-to-back in the BBL Championship on Saturday evening.

The visitors took Surrey Sports Park by storm from the very first moments, shooting ahead to a double-digit lead in the opening quarter for a 29-15 advantage. Joseph Ikhinmwin paced Lions with 16 points in the first half, with the guests going on increase the gap to 19 points at the halftime break.

United saw their deficit grow to as many as 30 points in the third quarter at 69-39, but a 12-1 run to finish the period allowed Jack Majewski’s side to narrow it down to 70-51 before heading into the final frame.

With Lions’ bench unit on the court, the deficit continued to shrink in the fourth quarter. After shaving off 10 more points, United got within single digits at 81-72. Dominique Coleman had made it a five-point game with 22 seconds remaining, but Lions converted from the line and sealed the win.

Joseph Ikhinmwin had a team-high 21 points for the winners in just under 25 minutes, while Olumide Oyedeji and Makal Stibbins chipped in with 15 points apiece.

Meanwhile, Dominique Coleman had a game-best 26 points and eight rebounds for United, with Anthony Downing and Kramer Knutson adding 17 and 16 points respectively.

Rocks defeat Flyers to split the road trip

BBL Championship
Bristol Flyers 91 (9,47,71) (Lautier-Ogunleye 19, Perine 18, MchLaughin-Williams 14, Bland 14)
Glasgow Rocks 97 (14,38,64) (Ogedengbe 23, Middleton 22, Freeman 22)

Bristol Flyers could not hold on to their fourth quarter lead, as Glasgow Rocks stormed from behind to snatch a 97-91 victory on the road at the WISE Basketball Arena on Saturday in the BBL Championship.

While Flyers took a step backward in the Play-Off race against Manchester Giants and Plymouth University Raiders, Rocks came up with a big win in the three-way battle for fifth place in the standings.

After getting off the mark slowly with nine points in the opening quarter, Flyers blew the visitors away with a 38-point second quarter, turning a five-point deficit into a 47-38 lead at the halftime break.

The hosts enjoyed a double-digit advantage for much of the third period, but Rocks trimmed the gap to 71-64 before the start of the final quarter.

With just under four minutes remaining, Rocks battled back and edged in front 82-80 after Reggie Middleton’s basket. However, Roy Owen answered with a three-pointer and Flyers regained the advantage.

Flyers were still up 88-87 with a minute and a half left on the clock, but it was Rocks who had the final say, with Thomas Freeman burying two huge long-range shots to push the visitors ahead into what proved to be the decisive lead.

Omatoyo Ogedengbe had a game-high 23 points for Rocks, while Reggie Middleton added 22 points, 10 rebounds and six assist in the win. Freeman also scored 22 points, including the two clutch triples.

For Flyers, Dwayne Lautier-Ogunleye had a team-best 19 points off the bench. Bryquis Perine chipped in with 18 points and five assists.

Now Giants keep Play-Off dreams alive

BBL Championship
Plymouth Raiders 90 (22, 51, 63) (Hampton 31, Wilcher 19, Mockford 11)
Manchester Giants 93 (25, 49, 69) (Bankevics 24, Gill 20, Eaves 19)

Manchester Giants improved their chances of reaching the BBL Play-offs and eliminated Plymouth Raiders with a 93-90 away win on Sunday, which owed much to a 20-0 second-half surge.

Jay Marriott’s men knew going into the game they needed to win all three remaining fixtures to have a chance of extending their season.

This appeared to be at the front of their minds as the home side led at half-time.

But Jeff Jones’ men, themselves the front-runners in the race for the final post-season place, slowly found their rhythm and seized control behind a 20-0 run.

The decisive sequence began in the third period and stretched well into the final 10 minutes.

Raiders responded, Pierre Hampton making his presence felt inside on his way to a game-high 31 points, and the visitors pulled within two points, but Giants, paced by 24 from Ingus Bankevics held on for a vital win.

The Manchester club move level on points with eighth-placed Flyers, with two games in hand, ahead of travelling to champions elect Newcastle Eagles on Wednesday in the first of three games during the final week of the season.

Riders defeat Sharks to keep slender hopes alive

BBL Championship
Sheffield Sharks 72 (27, 47, 60) (Tuck 19, Cook 17, Holmes 11)
Leicester Riders 80 (19, 39, 58) (Bernardini 21, Watson 18, Hassan 12)

Library photo by MPhotography

The battle for the BBL Championship title will go to the final week of the season after Leicester Riders came from behind to beat Sheffield Sharks 80-72 at EIS Sheffield on Sunday.

Defeat for Rob Paternostro’s side would have meant Eagles retained their league crown.

But, despite falling 11 points behind as Sharks racked up seven first-half steals, the visitors claimed their first lead with 6:32 remaining, closing on a 16-8 run to make it seven wins in a row.

Atiba Lyons’ side had won eight straight games themselves and were full of confidence, flying out of the blocks and getting out in transition.

But the visitors’ high-pressure defence, allied with 50 per cent shooting allowed them to overcome their 16 turnovers and triumph.

Tyler Bernardini hit the go-ahead three-pointer to break the tie at 64 and went on to finish with a game-high 21 points.

Mike Tuck continued his impressive form with 19 points in a losing effort, although Sharks still lead the race for fifth.

Riders must beat Worcester Wolves on Tuesday to necessitate an Eagles victory over Manchester Giants the following night to secure the title.

Still flying Phoenix crush Wildcats

BBL Championship
Cheshire Phoenix 91 (21, 44, 70) (Watt 18, Aliu 17, King 16)
Durham Wildcats 58 (9, 25, 55) (Mayindombe 12, Jones 11, Bucci 8)

Cheshire Phoenix limited Durham Wildcats to single-digit scoring in the first and fourth quarter to record an impressive 91-58 BBL Championship victory on Sunday.

John Coffino’s side bounced back from defeat to Leicester Riders last time out with a dominant 21-9 opening period.

Wildcats were already trailing by 15 when they were restricted to just three points in the final stanza as they slipped to a 12the consecutive defeat.

Phoenix are locked into fourth position while the free-falling Wildcats look set to finish in 12, having reached the Play-offs last term.

David Aliu and Adrien Sturt tallied double-doubles in this one as Demond Watt led all scorers with 18 points and Taylor King added 16.

Lee Davie’s side were paced by 12 points from Panos Mayindombe off the bench, but were simply overpowered inside as the hosts scored 46 of their points in the painted area.

Phoenix controlled the game in all the key areas as their visitors connected on just 32 per cent of their shots.

Riders defeat Wolves in another stunning encounter

BBL Championship
Leicester Riders 66 (20,38,46) (Bernardini 22,Losonsky 15 Hassan 11)
Worcester Wolves 63 (21,35,49) (Williams 14,Thurman 11,Holmes 10, Irving 10)

There was a dramatic finish on Tuesday night in Loughborough after Leicester Riders claimed a nerve-tingling 66-63 success against Worcester Wolves to extend the title race for at least another 24 hours.

In a roller-coaster contest, Tyler Bernardini finally settled the duel with a killer score from downtown during the closing moments, prior to Pavol Losonsky showing he has nerves of steel with two from the line in the last couple of seconds.

Defeat would have handed the BBL Championship to Esh Group Eagles Newcastle, but Leicester showed real guts as they held their nerve down the stretch, having not only lost the influential Neil Watson to injury, but also TrayVonn Wright to foul trouble for long periods.

Having only just shaded the first-half of action, Riders had been rocked onto the back foot when Paul Guede started the third quarter with back-to-back triples for the visitors.

Both sides then had shares of the lead and it set up a dramatic conclusion, but the defence of Riders came up trumps as well as the shooting of Bernardini.

The hosts restricted the Wolves to just one basket in the last 3 minutes and 40 seconds of the game, which gave them the platform to sneak a priceless victory.

Losonsky recorded a near double-double of 15 points and nine rebounds, while Bernardini finished with 22 points and an unwanted double-double of 10 turnovers – but none of that mattered when he hit what proved to the game-winning shot.

Wolves’ centre Robert Thurman had 11 points and 12 boards.

Riders must now wait to see if Esh Group Eagles Newcastle clinch the title on Wednesday night when the defending champions face Manchester Giants at Sport Central.