Sheffield Sharks sit proudly on the summit of the BBL Championship table following the second weekend of action. Sharks overcame Jelson Homes DMU Leicester Riders 69-67 after clawing back an astonishing 17 point final quarter deficit to maintain their 100% record after three outings.

Marshall MK Lions and defending Champions, Poujoulat Heat Guildford, head the chasing bunch. Lions 94-90 win over Worcester Wolves and Heat's nailbiting 78-75 win over Kularoos Plymouth Raiders maintained their respective 100% starts - both teams with a game in hand on Sharks.

The defeat for Raiders completed a mixed weekend for the south coast team. On Saturday they defeated the Worcester Wolves 85-79, which completed a disappointing weekend for a new look Wolves side.

Elsewhere, SAMG Verve Scottish Rocks and Newcastle Eagles recorded their first W's of the season and left their opposition still searching for their first BBL Championship points. Eagles defeated London Capital 107-84 on Friday night and Rocks comfortably saw off the challenge of the BiG Storage Cheshire Jets 102-64 on Sunday.

Kularoos Plymouth Raiders 75 (13,40,62) (Gall 17, Lasker 16, Beasley 11)
Poujoulat Heat Guildford     78 (17,41,63) (Aaron 21, Dorsey 15, Dux 14)

Poujoulat Heat Guildford took a share of second spot in the BBL Championship with a hard fought 78-75 success over the Kularoos Plymouth Raiders on the South coast on Sunday afternoon.

After a tense opening stanza the Heat led 17-13 and looked to have maintained their slender advantage throughout the second period before a late Alistair Gall three pointer trimmed their lead back to a single point at 40-41.

The near capacity home crowd were treated to an enthralling third quarter during which neither side could establish a significant advantage with Heat holding just a single point lead heading in to the final stanza. In the final stanza it was to be the visitors that broke clear, big man Carlton Aaron capping a burst against his former club to leave Heat 78-72 clear with 1m 43s remaining.

Raiders Alister Gall hit back straightaway with a three pointer to trim the lead to 78-75 with 92s remaining but in an extraordinary twist it was to be the final score of the game. Turnovers from Dux and Williams led only to missed three point attempts from Dru Lasker and Anthony Martin, the latter with just 2 seconds remaining.

 
SAMG Verve Scottish Rocks 102 (28,52,82) (Joseph 23, Yanders/Hampton 19)

BiG Storage Cheshire Jets      64 (10,25,39) (Obazuaye 20, Walker 13, Hamilton 9)

SAMG Verve Scottish Rocks notched up their first win of the BBL Championship campaign at the second time of asking with a comfortable 102-64 win over the BiG Storage Cheshire Jets.

The Rocks burst out of the blocks on their home court with a 15-0 tear to start the game as they held their visitors scoreless for the opening 6 minutes of the game. When the hosts posted a 8-0 start to the second stanza the Jets had a mountain to climb in arrears 37-12.

Despite the scoring of Jets' Jason Obazuaye, who netted 20 points, the Jets could not force their way back in to the game with the Rocks lead peaking at 86-42 early in the final quarter.

Englishman Julius Joseph led all scorers with 23 points

29-09-07

Sheffield Sharks maintained their 100 percent start to the season with a 69-67 win at Jelson Homes DMU Leicester Riders. The Sharks fought back from a 17- point third quarter deficit to clinch victory via a Shelby Chaney basket with ten-seconds remaining.

Kularoos Plymouth Raiders are also still perfect after holding off Worcester Wolves 85-79 in Worcester. 

Jelson Homes DMU Leicester Riders 67 (18,37,59) (Burns 11, Wellington 11, Mills 10)
Sheffield Sharks                                     69 (14,32,42) (Parillon 23, McKeithan 15, Chaney 10)

Sheffield Sharks unbeaten start to the season continues after an epic fightback to defeat Jelson Homes DMU Leicester Riders in the East Midlands.

Sheffield now stand alone at the top of the BBL with three wins from three matches, while the Riders slip back into a tie for fifth with Newcastle Eagles.

After a tight first half that Leicester shaded 37-32 the match burst into life in the third quarter. Some superb offence by the Riders saw them open up what appeared to be an unassailable lead at 59-42 heading into the final stanza.

However, Sharks’ Ray McKeithan notched 10-points in a frantic fourth quarter as Leicester’s advantage was cut into. Level at 67-67 with 10 seconds remaining a Shelby Chaney hook shot handed the victory to the visitors.

Sheffield’s Steve Parillon was once again in fine form as he led all scorers with 23. Joel Burns was Riders’ leader with 11 against his former club. His effort was matched by team-mate Rod Wellington. 

Worcester Wolves                 79 (25,38,58) (Paez 22, Durant 19, Evans 14)
Kularoos Plymouth Raiders 85 (18,47,58) (Beasley 17, Gall 14, Bishop/Moore 13)

Kularoos Plymouth Raiders fought off a spirited Worcester Wolves side to maintain their unbeaten start to the season with 85-79 victory.

Despite trailing 25-18 at the end of the first quarter the Raiders showed their class in the second period as they racked up an 18-2 run before half time to lead 38-47 at the interval.

Worcester fought hard in the third quarter as they combined stern defence with some quality shooting.

Heading into the final stanza the sides were locked together at 58-58.

Raiders edged in front early in the fourth quarter and were handed a gift when Wolves coach Skouson Harker was called for a technical foul. From the resulting free throws Alistair Gall made both and then sank a three-pointer from the ensuing possession as Plymouth opened up a 66-75 lead.

Wolves got it back to 72-75 but Raiders maintained their composure from the charity stripe to seal the win.

The Lions trailed by 5 points at 84-89 with a minute to go as Robert Youngblood entered the fray after three Lions fouled out.  He subsequently scored a three-pointer to narrow the deficit, which was matched by Kevin Griffin with 33 seconds to go to tie the game, after Chuck Evans had made 1/2 at the line for the Wolves.  The Lions stole the ball on the inbounds, which allowed Peter Heizer a lay-up, and coming out of a time-out the Wolves fouled Dru Spinks, who iced the game with 2/2 from the charity stripe.

Earlier in the match, the Wolves had taken an 8-14 lead in the first stanza before a pair of Yorick Williams threes tied it up, he then shot 4/4 free-throws towards the end of the quarter that saw the Lions lead at 30-28.

The Wolves turned it back around in the second period as back-to-back baskets gave them a 44-49 edge, although that had vanished by the halfway point as Griffin made a triple and Heizer a pair of free-throws to knot the teams at 49.

Despite missing five free-throws, the Lions moved out to a 56-53 lead in the third before Anthony Paez triggered an 11-0 burst for the Wolves.  A further three-pointer from Williams helped to drag that back before the Lions went back in front at 72-70 early in the fourth.  Michael Gayle came off the bench for the Wolves to sink a trio of threes that made the score 75-80 and set up the exciting finale.

The Newcastle Eagles picked up their first win, whilst condemning the PAWS London Capital to their second consecutive defeat, with a 107-84 victory at the MetroRadio Arena on Friday night.

GB star Richard Midgley led the victors with 26 points, supported by 17 from Lynard Stewart and 15 from captain Andrew Bridge.  Capital's point guard Anthony Anderson led all scorers with 32 points.

After a tight first quarter, the Eagles broke the game open late in the second as they closed it with a 14-2 surge.  The run was inspired by Midgley who had 8 points including a three-pointer and 3/4 from the free-throw line, as the Eagles led 56-41 at the half.

Capital ate into the lead in the third stanza as they narrowed the gap to 75-64, but Midgley was the spark once more as the home side settled the game early in the fourth quarter.  The point guard scored 5 of a 9-2 burst, including another triple, that took the score out to what proved to be an insurmountable 88-70 before the Eagles cruised home.

23-09-07

The Sheffield Sharks are atop the BBL Championship table after a pair of wins on the opening weekend of the season. On Sunday Alto Virgil returned to haunt the BiG Storage Cheshire Jets as he scored 21 points and led his new team, the Sharks, to a 68-74 victory. That was preceded by the Sharks edging the SAMG Verve Scottish Rocks 85-82 at the EIS on Friday.

Another of Friday's curtain-raisers, between the reigning BBL champions and three-peat playoff winners, saw the Poujoulat Heat Guildford overcome the Newcastle Eagles by 83-90 at the MetroRadio Arena. Six points late on from Danny Gilbert sealed the win for the Heat in a game between the two pre-season favourites for the BBL Championship title.

Elsewhere, there were a number of outstanding individual performances over the weekend:

Drew Lasker led the Kularoos Plymouth Raiders to an 89-74 win over the BiG Storage Cheshire Jets and netted 36 points on the night; yet, that was bettered by the Jets' shooting guard Jayson Obazuaye who scored 37 on his BBL debut.

Another BBL debutant, North Carolina graduate Wes Miller, scored a massive 49 points in vain as the PAWS London Capital fell to a defeat in their BBL inception at the hands of the Marshall MK Lions, who left London with a 94-115 victory on Saturday night. The Lions spread the scoring and were led by 19 points from Yorick Williams.

Meanwhile, also on Saturday, the Jelson Homes DMU Leicester Riders snapped a torrid run of opening night defeats as they won their first opening fixture since 1995. They emerged from an ill-tempered Midlands derby with a 101-79 victory over the Team Birmingham Panthers, led by terrier-like Lithuanian point guard Mindaugas Janiska's 25 points.

BiG Storage Cheshire Jets   68 (19,38,51) (Obazuaye 26, Pratt 12, Brown 10)

Sheffield Sharks                     74 (21,38,56) (Virgil 21, Parillon 17, Graham 13)

The Sheffield Sharks overcame perennial rivals BiG Storage Cheshire Jets 68-74 on Sunday to conclude a hugely successful opening weekend for Peter Scantlebury's team.

The win follows their opening night defeat of the SAMG Verve Scottish Rocks and sees the Sharks as early pace-setters in the BBL Championship.

In a cruel twist of fate, former Jet Alto Virgil, whom they fought so hard to keep over the Summer, did most of the damage for the Sharks as he led their scoring with 21 points.  Forward Steve Parillon and guard Justice Graham added 17 and 13 respectively.  Jayson Obazuaye paced the home side with 26 points.

A tight game throughout was decided within the last two minutes as Virgil made a three-pointer and a field goal in consecutive plays to give the Sharks a decisive 64-72 lead that proved too much for the Jets to come back from in the latter stages.

The Jets had a poor shooting display to blame for the defeat, they made one solitary three-pointer all night, from Chris Brown in the fourth quarter, and shot a poultry 2/11 from the free-throw line.  In contrast, the Sharks were accurate from long range as Virgil and Graham had three triples each and Raymond McKeithan added a pair of treys.

Earlier in the game, the Sharks had edged a tight first-quarter to lead 19-21, and the teams were knotted at 38 by the half.  After the Jets had scored the opening bucket of the third, the Sharks hit back with the next 5 points and maintained their lead from that point.

22-09-07

The Jelson Homes DMU Leicester Riders and Marshall MK Lions secured victories in their opening games in their respective 2007/8 BBL Championship campaigns on Saturday evening.

The Riders enjoyed a 101-79 home success over their Midlands rivals, and BBL newcomers, Team Birmingham Panthers at the John Sanford Centre. This was also the first time Leicester have won their opening fixture since 1995.

Jelson Homes DMU Leicester Riders 101 (30,49,69) (Janiska 25, Wellington 18, McKnight 17)
Team Birmingham Panthers                   79 (14,42,60) (Popoola 15, A Williams 14, Wright/Sandel 12)

The Jelson Homes DMU Leicester Riders got off to a winning start for the first time since 1995 with a 101- 79 victory over their Midlands rivals, Team Birmingham Panthers at the John Sanford Centre on Saturday evening.

An explosive start from the home side saw them stretch out to an early lead off the back of a 15-2 run to open the game. They continued to extend their lead throughout the second quarter, but the visitors were not to be outdone as a 16-0 run midway through the period bought the score back to 39-36, but the Riders replied with a 10-2 burst of their own to take the score out to 49-38.

The second half saw both sides trading baskets in a tight third period, which saw the Riders maintain a slender nine-point advantage at 69-60 going into the final stanza. In the final quarter, the Riders broke the game open with a 17-5 burst midway through the quarter, including 5 three-pointers to take the score out to 90-69, and the Riders held on for the comfortable victory.

PAWS London Capital 94 (13,43,64) (Miller 49, Cadogan 16, Anderson 11)
Marshall MK Lions    115 (30,65,92) (Willams 19. Windless 18, New 17)

The Marshall MK Lions got their 2007/8 BBL Championship campaign off to a winning start with a comfortable 115-94 victory over the PAWS London Capital at the Capital City Academy on Saturday evening.

The Lions exploded out of the blocks, and an early 8-0 burst in the opening period saw them take a 25-12 lead. The second quarter continued in much the same vein as the first, with the Lions continuing to extend their lead over their hosts, and held a commanding 65-43 lead at the half.

The third quarter saw the Lions continue to dominate, and a 15-2 burst took the score out to 92-54 towards the end of the period. The Lions enjoyed their biggest lead of the game in the final period at 103- 68.

Yorrick Williams led the Lions scoring with 19 points, while Wes Miller stole the show, netting an amazing 49 points on his debut for the home side.

21-09-07

The opening night of the 2007/08 BBL Championship season saw wins for the Poujoulat Heat Guildford, the Kularoos Plymouth Raiders, and the Sheffield Sharks.

The reigning league champions, Guildford, won on the road against the Newcastle Eagles by 83-90.

The Raiders, led by 36 points from Drew Lasker, downed the BiG Storage Cheshire Jets 89-74 at the Plymouth Pavilions.

The Sheffield Sharks had big nights from three of their new stars in beating the SAMG Verve Scottish Rocks 85-82 at the EIS.

Newcastle Eagles              83 (22,39,65) (Bridge 17, Stewart 13, Flournoy 11)
Poujoulat Heat Guildford 90 (21,39,59) (Gilbert 22, Dorsey 12, Williams 12)

The Poujoulat Heat Guildford have started the 2007/08 BBL Championship season where they finished the last one, atop the BBL Championship table, after a massive 83-90 victory on the road at the Newcastle Eagles.

Danny Gilbert led the scoring with 22 points, supported by 12 from former Eagle Tony Dorsey and the same from Dean Williams.  The Eagles' new captain, Andrew Bridge, led them with 17 points.

The teams exchanged scores in the first period as the home side were 22-21 up after ten minutes.  The Eagles opened the second with two baskets before the Heat made 5 consecutive points to keep the teams knotted at 26.  With 4:00 left in the half the Eagles rattled off 8 in a row to lead 34-29 but a strong finish from the visitors saw the game tied again at 39 going into the locker rooms at the half.

The Eagles twice had double-digit leads in the third stanza.  They opened with the first 10 points to go up 49-39 until that run was snapped by a James Jones triple.  The Heat got back into it with another 8-0 burst to make the score 57-55, but the Eagles responded soon afterwards with 6 of their own to stretch the lead back out to 65-55.

Guildford had two crucial runs in the decisive stanza: the first was a 9-2 burst that saw them lead for the first time since the second quarter at 67-68.  Then with two minutes remaining Danny Gilbert fired 6 points of a 7-0 surge that settled the game as they went up 74-85 and weren't threatened again.

Kularoos Plymouth Raiders 89 (25,46,62) (Lasker 36, Noel 13, Beasley 12)
BiG Storage Cheshire Jets   74 (22,41,58) (Obazuaye 37, Brown 16, Pratt 9)

The Kularoos Plymouth Raiders opened their BBL Championship campaign with a home win after defeating the BiG Storage Cheshire Jets 89-74 at the Plymouth Pavilions.

It was a showdown between shooting guards Drew Lasker (Raiders - pictured) and Jayson Obazuaye (Jets).  The former scored 36 points and the latter netted 37 in vain on the night.

The teams could barely be separated in the early exchanges, although the hosts did not take their first lead until seven minutes in at 17-15.  The Jets edged in front again before a three-pointer with the last play of an offence-focused first quarter saw the Raiders go in 25-22 in front.

The visitors rattled off the opening 6 points of the second stanza and extended that to a 10-2 run and a 27-32 lead.  The lead was still five points before the Raiders closed the half with a 12-2 surge that gave them a 46-41 edge going into the interval.

The teams traded runs early in the third.  Plymouth scored 4 in a row, the Jets responded with 5, before the home team nailed 9 without reply to stretch the lead into double-digits at 62-52.  However, the Jets finished with a 6-0 burst to go into the decisive period just 62-58 down.

The Raiders maintained a four-point lead up to 74-70 before making the decisive move.  They closed the game with a 15-4 run which included 9 points from Lasker and 4 from DeAntoine Beasley, the knockout blow was a Lasker triple that made it 79-70 with 2:49 left, from where there was no way back for T.J. Walker's team.

Sheffield Sharks                     85 (23,45,66) (Graham 21, Chaney 20, Virgil 16)

SAMG Verve Scottish Rocks 82 (28,45,68) (Yanders 21, Joseph 18, Wohlers 13)

The Sheffield Sharks opened the 2007/08 BBL Championship season with an 85-82 victory after coming from behind against the SAMG Verve Scottish Rocks in the fourth quarter of Friday’s game at the EIS, Sheffield.

With just five minutes to go the Sharks had slipped to a 72-77 deficit after a three-pointer from Moritz Wohlers and a lay-up from Maurice Hamtpon.  The backcourt pairing of Justice Graham and Alto Virgil combined to tie the game at 77, including a triple from the former, only for Wohlers to score from beyond the arc again to put the Rocks back in front.

From that point the Sharks made the decisive run: Raymond McKeithan made a strong move to the basket, followed by an old-fashioned three-point play from Graham, and a huge Locker Okorie score with 2:49 remaining to cap a 7-0 burst and give the Sharks an 84-80 lead that they wouldn't relinquish.  Former Shark Rob Yanders took it upon himself to get the Rocks back in it; he scored with 1:38 left but on his next attempt he was blocked by Virgil.

Graham completed the scoring with a free-throw with 20 seconds remaining and when the Rocks came out of a time out they had two attempts to tie the game through Rob Yanders and Sterling Davis, both of whom used to play for Sheffield, but neither could connect.

Three new players shone for the home side as Justice Graham led the scoring with 21 points, big-man Shelby Chaney added 20, and new point guard Alto Virgil made 16.  Yanders scored 21 points for the Rocks.

15-09-07

Poujoulat Heat Guildford     93 (25,47,61) (Gilbert 20, Martin 19, Dorsey 16)
Kularoos Plymouth Raiders 91 (20,41,61) (Lasker 21, Durham 19, Moore 17)

Poujoulat Heat Guildford have won the inaugural BBL Cup Winners Cup with a 93-91 2nd Leg victory giving them a 176-168 aggregate win over the Kularoos Plymouth Raiders.

Leading by 6 from the away leg the Heat came up against a battling Raiders side who stated their intentions early with Drew Lasker's 4 threes helping them to a 14-4 opening quarter burst to lead 16-8. However, the hosts bounced back straight away with a 17-4 run of their own to close out the quarter 25-20 to the good.

Heat's Brian Dux rattled off four free throws to keep his side in control at 47-41 at the half but it was all to play for heading in to the final quarter after a Raiders 9-0 burst levelled the scoreline at 61-61 at the end of quarter three.

Once in the final stanza the deficit from the 1st leg proved too much of a hurdle for the Raiders as they slipped behind 73-66 after Danny Gilbert had scored 7 in a 12-3 tear to start the quarter. Raiders managed a late 6-0 to trim the deficit on the night to 3 but they couldn't get close enough to pressure the Heat in the closing stages.

Heat's Mike Martin (pictured) posted an impressive double double with 19 points and 12 rebounds, whilst Gaylon Moore managed the same feat for the visitors with 17 points and 13 rebounds.

09-09-07