Cheshire Phoenix became the final team to book their Semi-Final spot in the BBL Cup, while Esh Group Eagles Newcastle and Glasgow Rocks picked up victories in the BBL Championship.
Cheshire set up a last four clash with Newcastle after beating Bristol Flyers 72-60 in their Quarter-Final, which also ended their wait for a home win this season.
Meanwhile, the Eagles won their tenth consecutive league game after earning a comprehensive 119-81 victory away at Manchester Giants as Stuart Thomson led six other players in double figures with a 21-point haul from the bench.
Finally, Glasgow Rocks claimed their fourth league win as they held off London Lions to win 87-80 behind 18 points apiece from Kieron Achara and Warren Gillis.
BBL Championship
Glasgow Rocks 87 (20,42,68) (Achara/Gillis 18, Grabau 17)
London Lions 80 (15,37,61) (K Williams 27, Lewis 16, Oyedeji 13)
Glasgow Rocks bounced back from Friday’s loss to defeat London Lions 87-80 at the Emirates Arena, on Sunday.
Five players hit double figures in a balanced scoring effort, led by 18 points apiece from Kieron Achara and Warren Gillis. There was a further 17 points from Riley Grabau, while Will Hall recorded a double-double of 13 points and 15 rebounds.
The Rocks scored six quick points before Kai Williams netted back-to-back triples as the Lions gradually moved ahead at 13-15. However, the home side moved back ahead and would never trail again as they went on an 11-0 run across quarters.
London closed to within three points nearing half-time, but A Mazic’s basket put the home side up by five heading into the break. In the third, the Rocks went on a 13-5 run to open up a double-digit lead for the first time.
The Lions closed the third period with a 7-2 run to close the gap once more and they were only down by four points with four minutes remaining in the final quarter.
Grabau netted a dagger three to help the Rocks go back up by 10 and they were able to hold on for the victory with Marcus Ware sealing the win with a fast-break dunk.
Kai Williams had all of his 27 points in the first three quarters after netting five 3-pointers. London now drop to 4-4 in the BBL Championship, while Glasgow improve to 4-6 and join Cheshire Phoenix in joint sixth.
BBL Cup Quarter-Final
Cheshire Phoenix 72 (19,42,58) (Rochford 16, Ellis 15, Huffor/Williams 12)
Bristol Flyers 60 (17,34,47) (Lee 23, Streete 12, Edozie 10)
Cheshire Phoenix reached the Semi-Finals of the BBL Cup after beating Bristol Flyers 72-60 for their first home win of the season.
John Lavery’s side ended their run of home defeats to set up a last four clash with Esh Group Eagles Newcastle. Kinu Rochford led the way with 16 points, while Akeem Ellis added 15 to follow up his hot-shooting night in Friday’s win at Worcester Wolves.
After an even start, Ellis hit a three to put the home side up by six, but the Flyers would take the lead on an 8-0 run across the first quarter break. However, Cheshire responded well and took control with a 19-4 spell that established a 13-point advantage.
Bristol had a run of seven straight points to reduce their arrears before half-time, but when play resumed in the third quarter, Cheshire took their lead up to 15 points on a Jeff Dirkin triple.
The home side managed to maintain their stronghold on the game, and their advantage grew to as many as 16 in the final quarter as they closed on the win. Bristol did close to within 10 inside the final two minutes, but the damage had been done as Cheshire secured their progression in the Cup.
The Flyers, still without Cardell McFarland, struggled to find their range from downtown as they finished 3-of-23. Tyrone Lee led the visitors with 23 points and 13 rebounds, while Daniel Edozie also added a double-double of 10 points and 13 rebounds.
BBL Championship
Manchester Giants 81 (23,39,60) (Bankevics 21, Jones 18, Williams 14)
Esh Group Eagles Newcastle 119 (24,60,88) (S Thomson 21, A Thomson 19, Chapman 18)
Esh Group Eagles Newcastle made it ten straight victories in the BBL Championship after recording a convincing 119-81 victory away at Manchester Giants.
Stuart Thomson top scored for the Eagles with 21 points as seven players hit double figures with a total of 51 points coming from the bench. Andy Thomson weighed in with 19 points and Joe Chapman added 18.
The Eagles made a fast start with the opening six points, but Ingus Bankevics netted twice from deep to put his side 8-6 ahead early on. The lead was exchanged a few more times in a high-scoring quarter with Yorick Williams cutting the gap to one with a 3-pointer before the buzzer.
Newcastle began to pull away at the start of the second with a 13-2 run before a further 13-1 burst later in the quarter took the lead beyond 20 points. Chapman scored nine in the period as the Eagles racked up 60 in the first half.
The Giants continued to battle in the third quarter and managed to cut the gap with a 7-0 run, but the visitors closed the period with a 13-3 run to lead by 28 heading into the final quarter.
There was no let up in the fourth from the league leaders and the Thomson brothers scored their team’s final 10 points with the final margin of victory at 38 points as Reiss Haggith ended the game with a three for the Giants.
Bankevics led the Giants with 21 points, but it was a second league defeat for the weekend as they drop to a 3-8 record.
| P | PL | W | L | Pts | |
| 1 | Esh Group Eagles Newcastle | 10 | 10 | 0 | 20 |
| 2 | Leicester Riders | 7 | 7 | 0 | 14 |
| 3 | Worcester Wolves | 9 | 7 | 2 | 14 |
| 4 | Leeds Force | 11 | 5 | 6 | 10 |
| 5 | London Lions | 8 | 4 | 4 | 8 |
| 6 | Cheshire Phoenix | 10 | 4 | 6 | 8 |
| 6 | Glasgow Rocks | 10 | 4 | 6 | 8 |
| 8 | Surrey Scorchers | 7 | 3 | 4 | 6 |
| 9 | Sheffield Sharks | 8 | 3 | 5 | 6 |
| 10 | Bristol Flyers | 9 | 3 | 6 | 6 |
| 11 | Manchester Giants | 11 | 3 | 8 | 6 |
| 12 | Plymouth University Raiders | 8 | 1 | 7 | 2 |