The first team competing at next month’s BBL Cup Final at the Barclaycard Arena will be confirmed this weekend as the Semi-Finals take centre stage.
Leicester Riders take a 12-point lead into the second leg of their Semi-Final against London Lionstomorrow night after earning a 77-65 win in the capital last Thursday. Drew Sullivan was his influential best in the opening leg, and recently claimed the Molten BBL Player of the Month award for November.
Rob Paternostro’s Riders side then return to league action on Sunday as they head on the road to play Manchester Giants, who have one win from their last 11 games – a barren run which has seen them drop to the foot of the BBL Championship.
Meanwhile, Esh Group Eagles Newcastle face a trip to Ellesmere Port Sports Village on Sunday as they take on Cheshire Phoenix in the first leg of the second Semi-Final, having claimed an emphatic 118-80 victory when the two teams met at Sport Central, in October.
Before then, the Eagles go in search of 14 straight league victories this season when they visit Leeds Force tonight. The encounter completes the series head-to-head between the two teams, with Newcastle having recorded two convincing victories so far.
Elsewhere, Surrey Scorchers face a potentially important double-header this weekend as they aim to halt a three-game slide. The Scorchers have dropped to a 3-5 mark in recent weeks, and now sit just below the top eight.
And, Christian Behrens is hoping his side can return to winning ways as they host Bristol Flyers this evening before taking on Glasgow Rocks in Scotland, on Sunday.
“For us this weekend, we have two opportunities to get two wins so I am very excited to see all of us put together what we have been working on in practice,” he enthused.
“I expect people to see another side of the Surrey Scorchers. I feel like we have a lot to prove and we plan on doing that.
“As far as our last three defeats, I think it’s a matter of us struggling with being all on the same page mentally and physically.
“We have had quite a few injuries and that has shaken a few things up. We have been taking steps to improve being able to play together and we have made big strides in practice.
As for the Rocks, Croatian guard Armin Mazic is determined to ensure his side are victorious in front of their home fans at the Emirates Arena. Glasgow have not been as consistent as they would like at home so far this season, with three wins in six.
“Rule number one is to protect our home court,” Mazic insisted.
“You never want to lose any home games.
“Surrey are the only team we haven’t played yet, so we don’t know a lot about them. I know they’ve made a few changes since the beginning of the season, but the key is to focus on ourselves.
“Being such a young team with a lot of guys playing their first pro seasons is almost impossible to be consistent during the season.
“There are a lot of back-to-back games, which is something new to me, and not that easy, but finally getting used to it.
“The advantage of being young is that we are going to grow from game to game and hopefully this can help us win some trophies at the end of the season.”
