Results: Friday 20 October 2017
Esh Group Eagles Newcastle and DBL Sharks Sheffield continued their winning runs int he BBL Championship, while Leicester Riders suffered a first defeat.
The Eagles moved to 5-0 with a 101-96 victory over Worcester Wolves with Jaysean Paige netting 37 points in the comeback win as the hosts overturned a 19-point deficit.
Sheffield pulled away for an 86-70 success against Bristol Flyers with Leicester’s unbeaten start ending at home with Jalen Billups’ 27 points helping Glasgow Rocks to an 82-84 road triumph.
BBL Championship
Esh Group Eagles Newcastle 101-96 Worcester Wolves (22-23, 42-51, 64-78)
Esh Group Eagles Newcastle have the last remaining unbeaten record after they came back from 19 points down to beat Worcester Wolves with a thrilling fourth-quarter effort.
Leading Scorers – Paige 37, Nimley 24, Defoe 22 (Eagles) – Navajas 20, Bachynski 18, Khan 16 (Wolves)
Turning Point – The Eagles were quick to settle with a 10-2 start, but Worcester soon took control and opened up a 19-point lead at 59-78. However, Newcastle rallied with a 13-0 run across quarters before a pivotal 9-0 burst capped by a Jaysean Paige triple proved decisive.
Key Stat – The fourth quarter points column. Worcester had led for the majority of the game, but a dominant 37-18 final period from the Eagles was the difference as they repeated last week’s resilient finish.
Game Hero(es) – Jaysean Paige fired in 37 points to help keep the Eagles unbeaten, while there was valuable scoring support from Saah Nimley and Darius Defoe combining for a further 46 points.
BBL Championship
Leicester Riders 82-84 Glasgow Rocks (21-16, 42-40, 61-61)
Glasgow Rocks inflicted a first loss on the defending league champions as they edged out Leicester Riders on the road for their second straight win.
Leading Scorers – Bernardini/Thomson 14, Holder 13 (Riders) – Billups 27, Murray 14, Achara 13 (Rocks)
Turning Point – Riders led 73-68 with less than six minutes remaining, but were unable to keep the Rocks at bay as Tony Garbelotto’s side put together a 9-0 run to take the lead before needing a decisive 7-2 run to take the win.
Key Stat – Riders made just nine of their 32 attempts from 3-point range, while they will be left to rue eight misses from the free throw line as their unbeaten record ends.
Game Hero – Jalen Billups had a huge game for the Rocks with a 27-point haul to lead all scorers, shooting over 65% from the field that included a big dunk in the opening quarter.
BBL Championship
DBL Sharks Sheffield 86-70 Bristol Flyers (14-15, 50-34, 67-52)
DBL Sharks Sheffield extended their win streak to four games as they defeated Bristol Flyers to continue their momentum.
Leading Scorers – Wroblicky 19, Alexander 18, Gachette 14 (Sharks) – Boggs 20, Edozie 15, Goodwin 10 (Flyers)
Turning Point – The Flyers made a bright start with a 7-0 opening, but the Sharks soon settled and came alive in the second quarter as they put up 36 points to open up a 16-point gap at the half.
Key Stat – Bristol struggled from 3-point range, going 2-of-21 in the contest, while Sheffield caught fire in the second quarter with six makes including four from Zach Gachette in a pivotal spell.
Game Hero(es) – Tony Wroblicky added another double-double with 19 points along with 12 rebounds as four starters hit double figures as well as Zach Gachette who played another key role off the bench with 14 points without a miss from downtown.
Results: Sunday 22 October 2017
Surrey Scorchers ensured they were the last team through to the BBL Cup Quarter-Finals with a tight 74-71 victory over Plymouth Raiders.
Alex Owumi’s late three-pointer proved pivotal as Surrey held their nerve to advance, much to the delight of the ecstatic home crowd. Gerald Robinson led the hosts in scoring with 18 points.
Elsewhere, in the Championship, Glasgow Rocks held court to defeat a battling Manchester Giants 118-62. The hosts utilised a dominant second quarter to keep the visitors at arms length for the remainder of the contest. All twelve Rocks players saw court time in what was a well rounded team display.
Finally, Cheshire Phoenix provided fireworks to conclude the weekend’s action with an improbable 78-71 comeback victory over London Lions. The home side were trailed by as many as 20 points, but found an extra gear to stun the visitors and claim the win. Malcom Riley led all scorers with 24 points.
Confirmed BBL Quarter-Finals
DBL Sharks Sheffield v Surrey Scorchers – 03/11/2017 @7.30pm
Leicester Riders v London Lions – 28/10/2017 @7.30pm
Esh Group Eagles Newcastle v Cheshire Phoenix – 03/11/2017 @7.30pm
Glasgow Rocks v Worcester Wolves – 05/11/2017 @5pm
Leicester Riders v London Lions – 28/10/2017 @7.30pm
Esh Group Eagles Newcastle v Cheshire Phoenix – 03/11/2017 @7.30pm
Glasgow Rocks v Worcester Wolves – 05/11/2017 @5pm
BBL Cup, First Round
Surrey Scorchers 74-71 Plymouth Raiders (17-20, 38-31, 57-55)
Surrey Scorchers booked their spot in the quarter-finals of the BBL Cup, holding their nerve to record a 74-71 victory over Plymouth Raiders in what was a thrilling contest.
Having led by as many as 10 points, the home team withstood an 0-8 run, either side of halftime, to regain their composure and maintain their cool down the stretch. Gerald Robinson led the team in scoring with 18 points, one of four players in double-figures for Surrey.
Leading Scorers – Robinson 18, Hicks 14, Ogedengbe 14 (Scorchers); Rochford 20, Watson 12 (Raiders)
Turning Point – Alex Owumi’s three-pointer with just 1:17 left in the game proved to be a vital blow, extending Surrey’s advantage to 6 points – a gap from which Plymouth were unable to recover.
Key Stat – Surrey’s efficiency proved the difference as the hosts outshot the visitors: recording better percentages from the field (45% – 35%), beyond the arc (37% – 24%) and free throw line (90% – 64%).
Game Hero– Tony Hicks did a bit of everything, recording an impressive 14 points, 7 rebounds and 7 assists – on an impressive 5-8 shooting night.
BBL Championship
Cheshire Phoenix 78-71 London Lions (17-22, 29-41, 46-58)
Cheshire Phoenix delighted fans at Cheshire Oaks Arena with an incredible 78-71 comeback victory to overcome London Lions.
Trailing for the majority of the contest, Cheshire found an extra gear in the final period; opening the fourth quarter with a sensational 20-6 run. The home side had been down by as many as 20 points but rallied late to seal an improbable victory. Malcolm Riley top scored for Cheshire with 24 points, while C.J. Gettys and Orlando Jackman contributed important double-doubles.
Leading Scorers – Riley 24, Gettys 20, Jackman 15 (Phoenix); Robinson 20, Flannigan 16, Latinovic 12 (Lions)
Turning Point – Seemingly out of the contest, Cheshire turned the game on its head in the fourth quarter. Phoenix exploded out of the gates to start the final period, seizing all the momentum, outscoring the visitors 32-13 over the final 10 minutes.
Key Stat – The home side only managed to net 46 points in the first three quarters combined, but Cheshire found their rhythm to pour in 32 points in the final period.
Game Hero(es) – C.J. Gettys’ 20 point, 12 rebound double-double provided the backbone to Phoenix’s victory. The centre scored his points efficiently, connecting on 9 of his 13 shots.
BBL Championship
Glasgow Rocks 118-62 Manchester Giants (20-18, 54-36, 83-54)
Glasgow Rocks continued their fine run of form with a comprehensive 118-62 win over Manchester Giants. Jalen Billups set the tone early, netting 17 points in just 15 minutes of action – Head Coach Tony Garbelotto taking the opportunity to share playing time. Rocks duo Kofi Josephs and Ali Fraser each added 18 points in what was a dominant display.
Leading Scorers – Josephs 18, Fraser 18, Billups 17, Brown 15 (Rocks); Okoro 18, Jones 16, Kadiri 14 (Giants)
Turning Point – Glasgow all but won the contest in the second quarter, ripping off a devastating 16-0 run to start the period. A stunning stretch of basketball from which the Giants were never able to come back from.
Key Stat – Glasgow showed their strength in depth as the bench combined for 60 points, just 2 shy of Manchester’s total. The Rocks’ ability to find scoring from multiple sources was highlighted when the team went on a 22 point scoring run.
Game Hero(es)– All twelve players were active for Glasgow, with no player earning more than 28 minutes of playing time. Although Kofi Josephs and Ali Fraser led the team in scoring with 18 points each, it was very much a team performance from the Rocks.
| Pos | PL | W | L | Pts | |
| 1 | Esh Group Eagles Newcastle | 5 | 5 | 0 | 10 |
| 2 | DBL Sharks Sheffield | 5 | 4 | 1 | 8 |
| 3 | Leicester Riders | 4 | 3 | 1 | 6 |
| 4 | Glasgow Rocks | 5 | 3 | 2 | 6 |
| 4 | London Lions | 5 | 3 | 2 | 6 |
| 4 | Surrey Scorchers | 5 | 3 | 2 | 6 |
| 7 | Cheshire Phoenix | 3 | 2 | 1 | 4 |
| 8 | Bristol Flyers | 3 | 1 | 2 | 2 |
| 9 | Plymouth Raiders | 4 | 1 | 3 | 2 |
| 10 | Worcester Wolves | 3 | 0 | 3 | 0 |
| 11 | Leeds Force | 4 | 0 | 4 | 0 |
| 11 | Manchester Giants | 4 | 0 | 4 | 0 |