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Results: Friday 30 October 2015

British_Basketball_League_(emblem)There was no revenge for Glasgow Rocks as Esh Group Eagles triumphed in their rematch of the 2015 BBL Cup Final at the Quarter-Final stage on Friday.

Rocks pushed the holders all the way, but the Fab Flouroy’s side came up with the key plays in the vital moments to prevail 83-78 and reach a sixth consecutive BBL Cup Semi-Final.

Leicester Riders took the opportunity to make up ground on Eagles in the BBL Championship, inflicting a 73-49 defeat on Plymouth Raiders.

And Sheffield Sharks saved their best for last as they finished strongly to outlast Cheshire Phoenix 97-86 and claim their second league success of the campaign.
BBL Cup, Quarter-Final
Esh Group Eagles Newcastle 83 (11, 40, 60) (Chapman 23, Smith 15, A Thomson 14)
Glasgow Rocks 78 (19, 39, 63) (Gillis 19, Achara 15, Grabau 14)
BBL Cup holders Esh Group Eagles Newcastle demonstrated their appetite for the key moments once again as they outlasted Glasgow Rocks 83-78 at Sport Central on Friday to reach the Semi-Finals.
In a captivating repeat of the 2015 BBL Cup Final, the two teams traded the lead time and again before entering the final 50 seconds tied at 78.
That is when Rahmon Fletcher picked the pocket of Jonny Bunyan and scored to give the hosts a two-point edge before they held their nerve to profit from Rocks’ mistakes and ice the victory from the free-throw line.
Joe Chapman was the high man for Newcastle, tallying 23 points and 10 rebounds, as well as converting two key foul shots in the closing moments.
The visitors were hampered by injury trouble for Kieron Achara, who still managed to contribute 15 points and eight boards while Warren Gillis (19 points, 12 rebounds) and Marcus Ware (13 points, 11 rebounds) added double-doubles.
Eagles have reached the BBL Cup Final in each of the past four seasons, and this will be their sixth consecutive Semi-Final appearance as their unbeaten start to the season reaches nine games.
BBL Championship
Plymouth Raiders 49 (10, 23, 35) (Wilcher 17, Corletto 10, Vigor 5)
Leicester Riders 73 (25, 46, 59) (Larkai 16, Wright 13, Sullivan 12)
Leicester Riders extended their perfect start to the BBL Championship season to six games with a dominant 73-49 victory at Plymouth Raiders on Friday.
The warning signs were there for winless Raiders early on as Rob Paternostro’s side opened the game on a 19-4 tear.
The hosts were limited to 23 points during the first half, their lowest first-half points tally of the season, coming off 23% field-goal shooting,
Riders, meanwhile, were in mid-season flow and maintained a 25-point lead for the majority of the third period behind a balanced offensive display and consistent, restrictive defence.
Dzaflo Larkai led Leicester in scoring with 16 points off 7-of-8 shooting with TrayVonn Wright and Andrew Sullivan adding 13 and 12, respectively.
This left the hosts with no way back as, despite 17 points from Josh Wilcher, they recorded their lowest ever score at home in the BBL.
The win means Riders closed the gap on reigning champions and league leaders Esh Group Eagles Newcastle, who are perfect through eight league games, while Raiders’ search for a first win extends to their sixth game, against Manchester Giants on Sunday.
BBL Championship
Sheffield Sharks 97 (17, 45, 68) (Robinson 28, Brooks 25, Tuck 20)
Cheshire Phoenix 86 (18, 44, 73) (Ellis 23, Rochford 20, Williams 17)
Sheffield Sharks finished with a flourish to overcome Cheshire Phoenix 97-86 at EIS Sheffield on Friday and make it back-to-back wins for the first time this season.
Atiba Lyons’ side ended their three-game wait for a first win of the season against Glasgow Rocks five days ago and closed on a 12-4 run to double their tally in this one, while inflicting a fourth straight defeat on Cheshire.
The hosts trailed by five points early in the final stanza before Mike Tuck and Antone Robinson, coming off his first BBL All-Star Five selection of the season, began to take control in the paint on both ends of the floor.
Phoenix’s cause was not helped by 16 turnovers, but Sharks connected on their final four field goals as they executed well in the key moments.
Robinson finished with a game-high 28 points and nine rebounds as Jerrold Brooks added 25 and Tuck had 20 points and 10 boards.
Cheshire triumphed when these teams met earlier this month, but could not recapture that success despite 23 points from Akeem Ellis.
Sharks are in action at home again on Sunday, when they host high-flying Worcester Wolves.
P   PL W L Pts
1 Esh Group Eagles Newcastle 8 8 0 16
2 Leicester Riders 6 6 0 12
3 Worcester Wolves 6 5 1 10
4 Surrey Scorchers 5 3 2 6
5 London Lions 6 3 3 6
6 Cheshire Phoenix 8 3 5 6
6 Manchester Giants 8 3 5 6
8 Sheffield Sharks 5 2 3 4
9 Glasgow Rocks 6 2 4 4
10 Bristol Flyers 7 2 5 4
11 Leeds Force 8 2 6 4
12 Plymouth University Raiders

By admin