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October 2007 |
The Newcastle Eagles still top the BBL Championship table after their seventh consecutive win on Friday night, 81-78 over the BiG Storage Cheshire Jets. For the Jets, led by former Eagle TJ Walker, it was just their second defeat in October. A late 6-0 burst settled a close game, although the Jets' Jayson Obazuaye saw an effort to tie the game rim out on the buzzer.
Newcastle's only loss of the season came on the opening night, at the hands of the reigning champion Poujoulat Heat Guildford. The Heat also won at home on Friday, 96-91 over the PAWS London Capital, to keep up the pressure on the top, just one win behind the Eagles.
On the verge of the top four, the Marshall MK Lions put two defeats last weekend behind them as they notched victories on Friday and Sunday. The weekend started with an 82-86 road win over the Worcester Wolves. The Lions spread their scoring but it was Terrell Brown's 17 that paced the team, and it was he that kept his cool at the free-throw line to seal the victory.
The Lions followed that on Sunday with a significant victory over the Kularoos Plymouth Raiders - positional rivals in the Championship table. Both sides are on ten points in the league after the Lions survived a second-half comeback to win 81-78 at home.
The Raiders are still in the top four however, as they scored a significant 74-69 victory themselves on Saturday, over the SAMG Verve Scottish Rocks at the Plymouth Pavilions.
On Sunday the PAWS London Capital picked up two valuable BBL Championship points as they defeated the Worcester Wolves 89-61 behind 31 points from Wes Miller, and 21 from Sam Bradley.
PAWS London Capital 89 (19,45,63)
(Miller 31, Bradley 21, Fohler 10)
Worcester Wolves 61 (16,33,51) (Paez 18, Harker
14, Durant 14)
The PAWS London Capital snapped a three game losing streak with a resounding 89-61 win over the Worcester Wolves at the Capital City Academy. The Wolves, meanwhile, remain bottom of the table as this was their third consecutive defeat.
Wes Miller led the Capital with 31 points, including five three-pointers, and was backed up by 21 from Sam Bradley. It was those two that opened up a tight game as they each hit a pair of triples in the second quarter to extend what had been a 19-16 first quarter lead to 45-33 at the half.
The Wolves closed the gap at the start of the third stanza as Anthony Paez made 6 points in a 16-5 opening that made the score 49-50, but the Wolves couldn't edge in front. London closed the quarter with a 13-2 run that stretched the score back out to 63-51 and deflated the visitors.
The Wolves scored the opening basket of the fourth quarter, but the Capital went on a decisive 21-3 surge behind Miller, who had 5 of those, and Bradley, who sank a further pair of treys, to win the game.
Marshall MK Lions 81 (31,60,69) (Windless 18, Heizer 17, Jamison 12)
Kularoos Plymouth Raiders 78 (18,35,61) (Martin 21, Moore 16, Beasley 12)
The Marshall MK Lions became one of the trio of teams on ten BBL Championship points as they overcame the Kularoos Plymouth Raiders, who are just one place above them in the table, 81-78.
Tony Windless led the Lions with 18 points, just ahead of Peter Heizer's 17. Anthony Martin led all scorers with 21 points in vain for the Raiders.
The Lions, and particularly centre Shawn Jamison, came out strongly and soon led 11-2 after 8 points from the big American. They maintained their good start and led 31-18 after the first quarter.
It was much the same in the second as the Lions, led by Mike New and Heizer, won the quarter 29-17 to post 60 first-half points and a 60-35 lead.
However, the Raiders wouldn't lie down and came out fighting in the third stanza. They restricted the Lions to just 9 points and began to narrow the gap on the back of a 14-1 run, influenced by 4 each from DeAntoine Beasley and Gaylon Moore, to make it 69-59, which became 69-61 going into the decisive quarter.
Amazingly the Raiders completed their come back and took the lead late in the game. The Lions held out until there were just 4:00 left, when a long three-pointer from DeAntoine Beasley made the score 72-73. However, the veteran Lions maintained their poise and scores from Windless and Heizer made it 79-78 with 58 seconds left, and only Terrell Brown would score again as he settled the game from the charity stripe.
Marshall MK Lions fought back from a 13-point half time deficit at Worcester Wolves to move fifth in the BBL after a 82-86 win.
Kularoos Plymouth Raiders made it a long journey home for SAMG Verve Scottish Rocks with a 74-69 victory at the Pavilions to go joint third with Sheffield Sharks.
In the BBL Cup, Jelson Homes DMU Leicester Riders will play Poujoulat Heat Guildford in the last eight after a 79-73 home win against Team Birmingham Panthers.
Kularoos Plymouth Raiders
74 (25,32,56) (Lasker 16, Durham 14, Moore 14)
SAMG Verve Scottish Rocks 69 (20,40,53) (Hampton 15, Yanders 14, Wohlers 14)
Kularoos Plymouth Raiders kept up their solid start to the season to move into joint third position after beating SAMG Verve Scottish Rocks 74-69 at the Pavilions.
Despite turning a 25-20 first quarter deficit into a 32-40 half time advantage the Rocks couldn’t maintain their performance and a 17-9 burst to end the third period ensured Raiders were leading (56-53) heading into the final stanza.
Rocks levelled at 63-63 thanks to five points from Rob Yanders but from there the home team scored the crucial baskets to claim the win.
Worcester Wolves 82 (27,50,61) (Paez 32, Harker 20, Potts 10)
Marshall MK Lions 86 (20,37,67) (Brown 17, New 16, Williams 15)
Drew Lasker scored a game high 16-points for Plymouth with Maurice Hamilton’s 15 pacing the Rocks reply.
An excellent second half performance by Marshall MK Lions at Worcester Wolves ensured they climbed into the top half of the table and their opponents remain at the bottom.
Worcester had actually started the better of the teams as a 7-0 opening to the match proved to be the difference at the end of the first quarter (27-20). More was to come from the hosts before half time with a 39-25 advantage midway through the second quarter forming the backbone of a 50-37 interval lead.
Lions needed something special and they found it at the 7.22 mark in the third. Trailing by a game high 57-42 they went on a 21-2 run to turn the match around. Key to the Lions success was Michael New, who scored 14 of his 16 points during the second half. By the end of the third quarter Lions were in front 67-61.
Wolves refused to give in though and after falling behind 68-77 they got back within two (82-84) with 40 second left thanks to two three-points shots from player/coach Skouson Harker.
However, the home side couldn’t score the vital bucket and Terrell Brown sealed the match from the free throw line.
Wolves’ Anthony Paez led all scorers with 32-points.
Newcastle Eagles remained at the top of the BBL Championship table after picking up a hard-fought 81- 78 victory over the BiG Storage Cheshire Jets at the Metro Radio Arena on Friday night. Andrew Bridge was the star, netting 17 points, and scoring the all- important free-throw with 4.6 seconds remaining to give the home side the victory.
Poujoulat Heat Guildford remained just two points back of the Eagles after securing a 96-91 victory over the PAWS London Capital at the Spectrum on Friday night.
Poujoulat Heat Guildford 96
(28,45,76) (Gilbert 26, Dorsey 18, Dux/Williams 15)
PAWS London Capital 91 (26,43,64) (Bradley
24, Gariba 17, Miller 11)
Poujoulat Heat Guildford kept up the pressure on the Newcastle Eagles at the top of the BBL Championship table thanks to a 96-91 victory over PAWS London Capital at the Spectrum on Friday evening.
A close opening to the game saw the lead change hands many times throughout the first half with neither side able to take control. Eight consecutive points from Daniel Gilbert midway through the second period saw the home side take the score out to 41-35, but the visitors responded to trim the deficit to just two points at 45-43 going into half time.
The second half saw the Heat begin to assert themselves on the game, and a 19-8 tear towards the end of the third period took the score out to 70-56 with 2.46 left in the period. The Heat held a twelve-point advantage at 76-64 going into the final stanza. The final quarter saw the visitors fight back, and tie the game at 79-79 with 5.26 left in the game off the back of a 15-3 burst. The Heat responded instantly, and five points from Michael Martin helped the home side enjoy a 7-0 tear to lead 86-79 with 3.59 left.
The Capital got to within three points at 91-88 with 1.21 remaining, but could get no closer as the Heat saw out the game from the free-throw line.
Gilbert led all scorers in the game netting 26 points for the Heat, while Shawn
Bradley led the Capital scorers with 24 points personal.
Newcastle Eagles
81 (28,46,60) (Smith/Bridge 17, Midgley/Flournoy 13)
BiG Storage Cheshire Jets 78 (15,36,60) (Myers 24, Obazuaye 22, Costantiello 13)
Newcastle Eagles remained two points ahead of the nearest challengers at the summit of the BBL Championship table thanks to a hard-fought 81-78 victory over the BiG Storage Cheshire Jets at the Metro Radio Arena on Friday night.
The Eagles started the stronger, and opened up an commanding early lead at 28-14 off the back of a 9-0 run to close out the first quarter. The Jets managed to trim the deficit slightly in the second quarter, but still trailed by ten points at 46-36 going in at the half.
The second half saw the Jets take the lead early on at 50-48 off the back of a 14-2 run to open the third period. The Eagles bounced back immediately, and an 11-2 burst saw them retake the lead at 59-52, but the Jets were not going to lie down, as an 8-1 tear to close the quarter saw the teams tied at 60-60 going into the final stanza.
In the final period, the Jets held a slender two-point advantage at 74-72 with less than three minutes remaining, but a 6-0 burst from the Eagles took the home side into a 78-74 lead with less than two minutes left.
The sides traded baskets in the final moments, before the Jets fouled Andrew Bridge to send him to the foul line with 4.6 seconds remaining. Bridge made 1 of his 2 free-throws to make the score 81-78.
The Jets had a chance to take the game into overtime, but Jason Obazuaye's three-pointer attempt as time expired rimmed out handing the Eagles the all-important victory.
Bridge and Charles Smith were joint top-scorers for the Eagles with 17 points each, but it was veteran Shawn Myers who led all scorers netting 24 points for the Jets.
Poujoulat Heat Guildford bounced back from a shock 91-80 defeat to Everton Tigers on Friday night to pick up a comfortable 95-79 victory over the Marshall MK Lions at the Guildford Spectrum on Sunday afternoon. Michael Martin led the Heat to victory with 24 points. The Heat moved level with the Sheffield Sharks in second place in the table.
Newcastle Eagles finished the weekend at the top of the table thanks to victories over the Everton Tigers (104-79) at the Metro Radio Arena on Tuesday evening and a 72-61 victory over the Sheffield Sharks at the EIS, Sheffield on Friday evening.
BiG Storage Cheshire Jets leapt into fifth place in the table off the back of two victories over the weekend. An 85-82 victory over the Marshall MK Lions at the Bletchley Leisure Centre on Friday evening was followed up by a comfortable 89-67 victory over PAWS London Capital at the Northgate Arena on Sunday evening.
The SAMG Verve Scottish Rocks moved level with the Lions in seventh place after mixed fortunes this week. A 74-69 defeat at the hands of the Jelson Homes DMU Leicester Riders at the Braehead Arena on Wednesday evening was followed up by an 80-74 overtime victory over the Everton Tigers on Sunday evening.
The Worcester Wolves also had mixed fortunes, as a 92-85 victory over the Riders at Worcester University was followed by a 98-86 defeat at the hands of Team Birmingham Panthers at the University of Wolverhampton, Walsall Campus on Sunday afternoon.
The Kularoos Plymouth Raiders picked up a 79-62 victory over London at the Capital City Academy on Saturday evening.
Team Birmingham Panthers 98
(28,46,79) (Sandell 38. Paternostro 20, Williams 16)
Worcester Wolves
86 (28,51,63) (Paez 32, Hallgrimson 16, Harker 11)
Team Birmingham Panthers picked up their first win of the 2007-8 BBL Championship campaign thanks to an impressive 98-86 victory over their Midlands rivals, the Worcester Wolves at the University of Wolverhampton, Walsall Campus.
After a tight opening period, which saw the teams locked together at 28-28, it was the Wolves who started the stronger in the second period with a 15-4 burst to take the score out to 43-32. The Wolves maintained a slender advantage throughout the second quarter to lead 51-46 at the half.
The second half saw the Panthers storm out of the blocks, and a 13-1 start to the third period took the score out to 59-52, and then a further 13-1 tear midway through the quarter, including eleven points from Cameron Wright, took the score out to 76-61.
The fourth quarter saw the Panthers increase their lead to 86-65 off the back of a 7-2 start to the period. The Wolves attempted to get back into the game, and got to within eight points at 92-84 with 1.05 remaining, but the Panthers saw out the game from the foul line.
Daniel Sandell led all scorers with 38 points for the Panthers, while Anthony Paez led the Wolves' scoring with 32.
BiG Storage Cheshire Jets
89 (16,45,66) (Myers 28, Obazuaye 17, Duppa 12)
PAWS London Capital 67
(21,32,49) (Miller 14, Gariba 13, Henry-Fontaine 12)
BiG Storage Cheshire Jets moved up into fifth place in the Championship table thanks to a comfortable 89-67 victory over the PAWS London Capital at the Northgate Arena on Sunday evening.
The visitors started the stronger, and leapt out to a 10-3 lead. The Jets came back strongly, and a 15-0 tear across the first quarter break gave the home side a lead that they were never to relinquish at 26-21 at the start of the second quarter.
Further runs from the Jets saw them take a 45-32 lead into the second half.
The second half saw the home side continue to dominate the game, and enjoyed a twenty-one point lead at 82-61 with three minutes remaining.
Shawn Myers led all scorers in the game with 28 points for the Jets, while Wes Miller led the London scorers with 14.
Poujoulat Heat Guildford
95 (19,41,66) (Martin 24, Dux 17, Aaron 15)
Marshall MK Lions
79 (14,32,60) (New 21, Windless 14, Jamison/Griffin 12)
Poujoulat Heat Guildford moved into joint second place with the Sheffield Sharks in the BBL Championship table after a convincing 95-79 victory over the Marshall MK Lions at the Guildford Spectrum on Sunday afternoon.
The Heat started strongly, and an 11-4 run towards the end of the opening period took the score out to 15-10. The Lions came back in the second quarter, and took the lead at 19-20 off the back of a 6-0 burst to opening the period, however the Heat came back strongly, and a 13-4 tear enabled them to retake the lead at 37-30.
The second half saw the visitors close the gap once again, and got to within a single point at 48-47 off the back of a 13-3 run. The Heat broke the game open with a 24-6 tear across the third and fourth quarter break to take the score out to 78-64 with 5.23 remaining.
The Heat secured the victory with a 7-0 run to increase their lead to nineteen points at 87-68.
Mike Martin led all scorers with 24 points for the Heat. Brian Dux also netted 17 points for the Heat on his return. Michael New led the Lions scoring with 21.
SAMG Verve Scottish Rocks
80 (23,39,55,70) (Hampton 22, Davis 19, Yanders 14)
Everton Tigers
74 (14,27,53,70) (Robertson 24, Haslam 21, Herriman 12)
SAMG Verve Scottish Rocks moved into joint seventh place with the Marshall MK Lions after an 80-74 overtiime victory over the Everton Tigers at the Braehead Arena on Sunday evening.
The lead changed hands five times in the final quarter, and Sterling Davis put the Rocks 70-68 in front with 34 seconds remaining, but it was Anthony Robertson who levelled the game for Everton with 12 seconds remaining, and send the game into overtime.
In the extra period, the Rocks' Maurice Hampton took control netting six points in a 9-2 run to give the Rocks the victory.
Earlier on, the Rocks had stormed out to a 39-23 lead in the second quarter off the back of an 11-1 tear.
The second half saw the visitors come back into the game, and tied it up at 53-53 off the back of a 17-4 burst towards the end of the third period before all the fireworks happened in the closing stages of the final stanza.
Hampton led the Rocks' scoring with 22 points, while Robertson led all scorers with 24 points for the Tigers.
PAWS
London Capital
62 (16,40,49) (Miller 24, Fohler 12, Ataha 9)
Kularoos Plymouth Raiders 79 (22,38,57) (Lasker 27, Moore 16, Martin 10)
Kularoos Plymouth Raiders moved into a tie for third place after a hard-working victory at PAWS London Capital.
The Raiders eventually came through 62-79 but trailed at half time and needed a 16-2 run during the third quarter to break open the match in their favour.
Plymouth began the match with a 16-4 burst but the hosts gradually chipped away at their lead to trail 16-22 at the end of the first quarter. London dominated the second period and a 9-5 run helped them claim the half time lead at 40-38.
Again the Raiders came out of the locker room the stronger. This time it was that 16-2 tear which took the score to 42-54 and an eventual 49-57 end of quarter score.
Further runs of 11-3 and 8-3 by Plymouth during the final stanza sealed the
match. Andrew Lasker scored a game-high 27 for the Raiders.
Worcester Wolves
92 (32,50,67) (Paez 36, Durant 15, Harker 11)
Jelson Homes DMU Leicester Riders 85 (24,43,63) (Wellington 17, Woodyard 16,
Lamble 13)
Worcester Wolves are off the mark for the season after a 92-85 home win against Jelson Homes DMU Leicester Riders.
Anthony Paez was the star of the show for Worcester sinking a game high 36-points to lead his team off the bottom of the BBL table.
Paez was hot from the start as he hit a three-point shot to open the scoring. Leads of 12-7 and 22-15 were consolidated to 32-24 by the end of the first quarter.
After a steady second period where the teams sparred for position it was Paez who was the standout player scoring 23-points in the half as Worcester went in at the interval 50-43 in front.
Riders rallied during the third quarter. A 12-0 burst saw them take the lead at 54-59 before Wolves hit back with a 9-0 tear of the own to finish the stanza 67-63 up.
In a tense final quarter both sides lost key players due to foul trouble and Leicester closed an 85-76 lead to 86-81 leaving the result in doubt. However, Chuck Evans kept his nerve from the charity stripe to nail six free throws to take the Wolves to victory.
Everton
Tigers
91 (23,45,64) (Haslam 25, Robertson 20, Davis 17)
Poujoulat Heat Guildford 80 (17,38,65) (Gilbert 17, Dorsey 16, Jones 14)
The Everton Tigers scored their first ever BBL win by taking the huge scalp of the reigning BBL Champions, the Poujoulat Heat Guildford, with a 91-80 victory at the Greenbank Academy.
The Tigers won the game behind 25 points from GB international centre Chris Haslam and led for much of the first half. They were 23-17 up at the end of the first ten minutes and maintained that at 45-38 by the half.
The Heat struck back in the third stanza with important scores from Mike Martin, who picked up a knock in the quarter, and edged in front as James Jones hit a triple that put them up 64-65 at the end of the third stanza.
With 3:00 to go in the game the Tigers had snatched back the lead after a John Simpson steal and lay-up that capped an 8-0 burst for a 75-68 lead. Everton iced the game with a further 11-4 burst to close the game, including 4 points from Tony Robertson, as that first win lifted them from the bottom of the table.
Robertson added 20 points on the night, with former All-Star Calvin Davis making 17. Danny Gilbert (17) and Tony Dorsey (16) led the visitors.
Marshall MK
Lions
82 (18,46,64) (New 20, Williams 19, Griffin 17)
BiG Storage Cheshire Jets 85 (22,47,68) (Hamilton 22, Obazuaye 19, Myers 18)
The BiG Storage Cheshire Jets made it three wins in four games as they won on the road at the Marshall MK Lions by 82-85.
Veteran forward James Hamilton notched 22 points on the night, backed up by 19 points from Jayson Obazuaye. Mike New led the home side with 20 points.
The Lions took an early advantage as two triples from Kevin Griffin saw the score at 14-9 five minutes in. However, Myers and Obazuaye sparked a 9-0 response for the Jets as the Lions relied on Shawn Jamison to keep them close with two late scores as the first quarter ended 18-22.
Yorick Williams came out with all guns blazing in the second and made four three-pointers in the first four minutes to give the Lions a 39-33 lead. It didn't last long as Hamilton and TJ Walker made 4 points each in a 12-7 close to the half that saw the Jets sneak a 46-47 lead.
The Jets edged further ahead in the third stanza and led by 58-66 on a Hamilton three-pointer. The Lions again looked to Jamison to keep them in the game as he had 4 further points and they were just 64-68 down going into the fourth.
The game remained on a knife-edge with lead changes in the opening five minutes before a Shawn Myers triple gave the Jets the lead for good at 72-74. They pulled away to 79-85 before the hosts made one last stand. Griffin hit a three and with 3 seconds left Terrell Brown had a chance to tie the game, only for his effort to come back off the rim.
Sheffield
Sharks 61 (19,32,40) (McKeithan 18, Griffin 11, Parillon 10)
Newcastle Eagles 72 (18,39,51) (Midgley 25, Flournoy 15, Babalola/Stewart 10)
The Newcastle Eagles took sole possession of top spot in the BBL Championship table as they won their sixth consecutive game in beating the Sheffield Sharks, early pace-setters in the league, by 61-72 at the English Institute of Sport.
Richard Midgley was influential once more with 25 points, including some decisive scores. Player/coach Fab Flournoy had 15 points for the Eagles, whilst former Shark Lynard Stewart added 10. Raymond McKeithan led Sheffield with 18.
A flurry of three-pointers opened the game as the Eagles led 6-3 on Charles Smith and Flournoy scores. Soon afterwards, a trio of free-throws from Justice Graham capped a 10-4 burst for the Sharks as they led 17-12, only for Midgley to hit all 6 points in a 6-2 finish to the first that brought the Eagles back to within one.
Stewart matched that as they came out from the break with 6 points of his own and a 21-24 lead that the Eagles wouldn't relinquish. Jeremy Hyatt added 7 points before the half was out to give the visitors a 32-39 advantage.
The Sharks came out strongly in the third stanza and immediately closed the gap to 38-39 on an Anthony Virgil basket, but would only score 2 points in the remainder of the quarter as the Eagles closed it out with a decisive 12-2 surge, including 4 further points from Midgley.
The hosts worked to get back into the game in the fourth and a Shelby Chaney put-back concluded a run of 6 straight points that made it 54-59. However, Midgley was there again and his three-pointer with 3.12 left made the score 54-62 and the Sharks could get no closer.
SAMG Verve Scottish Rocks
69 (19,31,48) (Davis 15, Wohlers 14, Clarance 14)
Jelson Homes DMU Leicester Riders 74 (15,26,52) (Wellington 20, Woodyard 20,
McKnight 10)
Jelson Homes DMU Leicester Riders solid start to the season continued north of the border with a 69-74 win at SAMG Verve Scottish Rocks.
The Riders move into a tie for fourth position alongside Marshall MK Lions and Kularoos Plymouth Raiders, while Rocks slip a place to joint eighth with BiG Storage Cheshire Jets.
After a tight, scrappy first quarter, which the home side shaded 19-15, defence ruled once again up to half time. Riders had reduced a 25-17 deficit to just one point with eight seconds left before Rocks scored the final five points of the half.
This included the referees summoning Rocks point-guard Rob Yanders from the locker room to take two free throws during the interval which put his team 31-26 in front.
Riders showed signs of an improvement on offence during the third quarter taking the lead at 37-38 with 6.30 left in the period. This advantage was stretched to 48-52 heading into the final stanza.
An exciting fourth quarter saw Rocks fight back from 58-63 down to 69-68 up in the final minute thanks to three three-pointers from Bilal Clarance and a two from Sterling Davis.
However, the Riders wouldn’t be denied and after Chad McKnight tied the score at 69-69 with a free throw, Terrance Woodyard nailed a three with six seconds left to put the visitors in front. Darren Mills iced the game with a last second two.
Newcastle Eagles 104 (26,54,81) (Bridge 24, Midgley 15, Hyatt 14)
Everton Tigers 79 (10,29,53) (Aliu
25, Robertson 23, Haslam 11)
The Newcastle Eagles took a share of top spot in the BBL Championship table, whilst leaving the Everton Tigers at the bottom of the pile, as they beat their Merseyside rivals 104-79 at the MetroRadio Arena on Tuesday night.
The Eagles were fast out of the blocks and soon led 16-2 after Andrew Bridge netted 5 points in a 13-0 burst and the Eagles never looked back. Bridge, the Eagles' captain, went on to lead his side with 24 points, whilst Richard Midgley had 15 in support.
The Eagles closed the fist stanza with the last 6 points to lead 26-10. In the second period the visiting Tigers had 6 consecutive points as the teams traded runs. The Eagles stamped their continued authority on the game however, as a 10-0 surge put them 51-26 up, which became 54-29 at the interval.
The hosts sealed the game in the third quarter as three consecutive three-pointers from Fab Flournoy, Jeremy Hyatt, and Charles Smith put the score beyond the Tigers at 79-50 with 3:00 to go in the period.
Newcastle cruised home in the fourth as Aaron Nielosn came off the bench to
hit 8 points. The Tigers were paced by 25 points from David Aliu and 23 from
Tony Robertson.
The Newcastle Eagles capped off a perfect three victories from three games on the road over the past week in the BBL Championship with a 76-69 victory over the Kularoos Plymouth Raiders at the Plymouth Pavilions on Sunday evening. That victory coupled with a 117-110 double-overtime victory over the SAMG Verve Scottish Rocks on Wednesday evening, and a 99-80 defeat of the Jelson Homes DMU Leicester Riders at the John Sanford Leisure Centre on Saturday evening moves the Eagles to within two points of the early pacesetters Sheffield Sharks.
The Sharks themselves picked up a hard-fought 87- 83 victory over the Marshall MK Lions at the EIS, Sheffield on Friday evening to maintain their slender advantage at the summit of the BBL Championship table.
Poujoulat Heat Guildford kept up the pressure on the Sharks thanks to a hard-fought 98-89 victory over the BiG Storage Cheshire Jets at the Northgate Arena on Sunday evening.
The Lions bounced back from that defeat with a 97-94 victory over the Scottish Rocks at the Bletchley Leisure Centre on Sunday evening.
It was a disappointing weekend for the three teams at the foot of the table as none of the teams could pick up their first victories of the season. The Everton Tigers went down 69-58 at home to the PAWS London Capital on Friday evening, while Worcester Wolves went down to the Rocks 112-71 at Worcester University, and Team Birmingham Panthers lost out to the Cheshire Jets by a score of 89-76 at the University of Wolverhampton, Walsall Campus both on Saturday night.
BiG Storage Cheshire Jets 89
(25,54,65) (Myers 25, Obazuaye 22, Pratt 15)
Poujoulat Heat Guildford 98 (14,44,74) (Gilbert 26, Aaron 20, Jones
12)
Poujoulat Heat Guildford maintained the pressure on early pacesetters Sheffield Sharks thanks to a hard-fought 98-89 victory over the BiG Storage Cheshire Jets at the Northgate Arena on Sunday evening.
The Jets started the stronger, and Shawn Myers led the way with seven points in the opening minutes to help the home side to a 25-14 lead after the opening quarter. The second quarter saw the Heat begin to close the gap thanks to the outside shooting from James Jones in particular as the visitors closed the gap to ten points at 54-44 at the half.
In the second half, it was the Heat who exploded out of the blocks, and a 14-5 start to the third period closed the deficit to a single point at 59-58. The Heat continued their domination of the period, restricting the Jets to eleven points total, and bagging another sixteen points of their own in the quarter to lead 74-65 going into the final stanza.
The final quarter saw the Jets valiantly attempt to reduce the deficit, and got to within eight points at 91-83 off the back of a 12-3 run with four minutes remaining.
The Heat maintained their advantage in the last two minutes, and were able to secure the all-important victory.
Danny Gilbert led all scorers in the game with 26 points for the Heat, including 16 points in the final quarter alone, while Myers led the Jets scoring with 25 points personal.
Kularoos Plymouth Raiders
69 (18,27,49) (Gall 21, Lasker 18, Beasley 11)
Newcastle Eagles
76 (18,38,54) (Midgley 22, Smith 18, Flournoy/Hyatt 11)
The Newcastle Eagles capped off the perfect week with a 76-69 victory over the Kularoos Plymouth Raiders at the Plymouth Pavilions on Sunday afternoon.
After a tight opening first quarter where the scores were tied at 18-18, it was the Eagles who took the advantage in the second quarter with a 13-2 tear to open the period and take the score out to 31-20. The Eagles defence also stepped up in this quarter, restricting the Raiders to just nine points, and take a 38-27 lead into the locker rooms at the half.
The second half saw the Raiders trim the deficit to eight points at 40-48 off the back of a 12-2 burst towards the end of the third period, but back-to-back three-pointers from Eagles' Richard Midgley saw the visitors go into the final stanza 54-49 ahead.
In the fourth quarter, the Raiders continued to close the deficit, but could not get close enough to overturn their opponents as the Eagles held on for the all important victory.
Midgley led all scorers in the game with 22 points for Newcastle, while Alistar Gall led the Raiders scoring with 21.
Marshall MK Lions
97 (26,46,71) (New/Williams 18, Griffin 15)
SAMG Verve Scottish Rocks 94 (26,46,75) (Yanders 30, Wohlers 19, Hampton 18)
Marshall MK Lions leapfrogged over the Jelson Homes DMU Leicester Riders into fifth place in the table after a thrilling 97-94 victory over the SAMG Verve Scottish Rocks at the Bletchley Leisure Centre on Sunday evening.
A tight first half saw both sides trading baskets throughout, with the teams tied at 46-46 going into the locker rooms at half-time.
The second half saw the Rocks start the faster, especially Moritz Wohlers netting five points in an 11-5 start to the quarter giving the Rocks a 51-57 lead. The Lions got themselves back into the game with some accurate outside shooting from Yorrick Williams to close the deficit to four points at 71-75 going into the final stanza.
In the final quarter, Rob Yanders got the Rocks off and running with the first five points to take the score out to 73-80. It was the Lions who broke the game open following that with a 17-4 burst, including six points from Michael New, to take the score out 90-84.
The Rocks valiantly attempted to come back into the game, but it was Dru Spinks who secured the victory for the Lions from the foul-line.
New led the Lions scoring with 18 points personal, but it was Yanders who led
all scorers with 30 points for the Rocks.
Team Birmingham Panthers 76
(23,42,57) (Williams 24, Feggins 14, Paternostro 12)
BiG Storage Cheshire Jets 89 (24,43,61) (Obazuaye 30, Myers
21, Walker 17)
BiG Storage Cheshire Jets ensured Team Birmingham Panthers remained winless with a 76-89 win on the road.
The result was overshadowed somewhat by a serious arm injury to Panthers’ Christopher Michaelides at the end of the first quarter.
After a lengthy delay to the match the Jets maintained their one point lead (23-24) until half time (42-43) and the squeezed a few more points in front by the end of the third quarter (57-61).
Jets broke the game open in the final period with a 9-0 run which took the score out to 70-82. From there the Panthers worked hard but couldn’t close the gap.
Jayson Obazuaye led all scorers with 30-points while Adam Williams’ 24 paced the Panthers line-up.
Jelson Homes DMU Leicester Riders 80 (21,40,60) (Wellington 17, McKnight 10, Mills/Lamble/Woodyard 9)
Newcastle Eagles 99 (28,48,85) (Midgley 28, Stewart 15, Smith 13)
Newcastle Eagles leap-frogged over Jelson Homes DMU Leicester Riders in the league table with an 80-90 win in the East Midlands.
Two Jeremy Hyatt three-pointers formed the basis of a 10-0 run which put the Eagles 5-14 in front. Riders hit back with an 11-2 burst of their own to tie the match at 21-21 before Newcastle went away to 21-28 at the end of the first quarter.
Eagles again were in command in the second period leading 30-41 before Riders narrowed the gap to 38-41. Newcastle finished the half with a 7-2 run to go into the interval 40-48 in front.
The match was settled in the third quarter as Eagles took a 45-53 lead out to 49-73 with contributions from the entire line-up. Riders fought hard in the final stanza but couldn’t get close enough to concern Newcastle.
Worcester Wolves 71 (22,40,58) (Harker 23, Paez 16, Durant 12)
SAMG Verve Scottish Rocks 112 (33,63,84) (Hampton 26, Wohlers 23, Joseph 19)
SAMG Verve Scottish Rocks turned in a superb performance at Worcester Wolves on Saturday night to cruise to a 71-112 victory.
The result moves the Rocks into fifth position while the Wolves are still searching for their first win of the season.
After Chuck Evans put Wolves 15-14 in front runs of 10-0 and 5-0 by Rocks handed control for the visitors. A 22-33 first quarter advantage was turned into a 40-63 half time lead to put the match beyond Worcester.
Wolves coach Skouson Harker tried to rally his team with the first basket of the third quarter but once Rocks went 51-78 up midway through the period there was no way back.
Maurice Hampton led all scorers with 26-points.
Sheffield Sharks
(18,47,65) (McKeithan 30, Graham 27, Virgil/Parillon 8)Marshall MK Lions (
20,46,68) (Windless 17, Heizer 16, Griffin 15)The Sheffield Sharks scored a crucial 87-83 victory over the Marshall MK Lions at the top of the BBL Championship on Friday. The win ensures that the Sharks remain atop the league with a 5-1 record.
Ray McKeithan led the way as he scored 7 of his team’s last 9 points in the crucial run that decided the game on his way to 30 points for the night; Justice Graham added 27 for the victors. Veteran Tony Windless led the Lions with 17 points.
The Sharks struggled to get going in the first half and soon found themselves 11-18 down before a 7-2 burst closed the first quarter and kept them in touch. After the Sharks had a 5-0 start to the second stanza to take the lead, the visitors hit back with a 21-6 surge, on the back of Windless and Yorick Williams, for a 29-41 lead. The Sharks caught fire at the end of the half as they had the last 9 points and on a Justice Graham triple they snatched back the lead at 47-46.
Back-to-back threes from Peter Heizer opened the third quarter for a 47-52 advantage for the Lions. In a quarter of runs, Graham netted 5 points to tie the game before the Lions responded with the next 8 points. Sharks got back to within one at 65-66 before a pair of Kevin Griffin free-throws made it 65-68 going into the decisive stanza.
A Ray McKeithan dunk lifted the Sharks at the start of the fourth and they soon led 69-68. After the Lions had re-captured the lead, baskets from McKeithan, Graham, and Anthony Virgil put the Sharks back in front at 78-73. Terrell Brown hit back with two three-pointers as the Lions led for the last time at 78-80 with 3:30 remaining.
From that point McKeithan took over with 5 straight points, the Lions responded but it was all in vain as McKeithan sealed it with a basket with 8 seconds remaining.
Everton Tigers
(9,25,32) 58 (Haslam 21, Aliu 15, Robertson 14)PAWS London Capital (20,35,50) 69 (Miller 23, Ogedengbe 14, Gariba 10)
Steve Bucknall finally got what he had been asking for from his PAWS London Capital team as they turned in one of the best defensive performances of the season so far in beating the Everton Tigers 58-69.
The win was the second of the season for the Capital, whilst the Tigers slipped to 0-2. Wes Miller netted 23 points, and was supported by 14 from Tayo Ogedengbe and 10 from Ibrahim Gariba. GB international Chris Haslam led the home side with 21 points.
The Capital stormed out to a 20-9 first quarter lead and, after a tight second quarter, they restricted Everton to just 7 points in the third stanza. The visitors took a 32-50 advantage into the decisive period.
Everton came out fighting in the fourth and looked to get back into the game; they narrowed the gap to six points at 52-58 with 1.42 left before the league's leading scorer, Wes Miller, decided the game. The 5'11" guard netted two consecutive three-pointers to end the Tigers' resistance.
SAMG Verve Scottish Rocks 110 (22,48,72,95,102) (Yanders 23, Hampton 22,
Joseph/Wohlers 21)
Newcastle Eagles
117 (19,50,76,95,102) (Midgley 34, Hyatt 26, Bridge 14)
(After 2 Overtime Periods)
The first 'Battle of the Border' lived up to its billing as big rivals the SAMG Verve Scottish Rocks and the Newcastle Eagles fought out an epic 110-117 double overtime game, from which the Eagles prevailed at the Braehead Arena.
It was GB international Richard Midgley who won the game for the Eagles as, with the teams tied at 110, he netted the last 7 points of the game to clinch it.
It was Great Britain's point guard who led the scoring with 34 points, he also had 9 rebounds, and was supported by 26 points from Jeremy Hyatt. The Rocks were led by 23 from Rob Yanders.
Prior to Midgley's heroics, the teams had scrapped their way to 48-50 at the end of the second quarter. Neither side could establish a lead as the Rocks led by 6 at 29-23 before the Eagles turned the game on its head and took a 39-44 advantage.
The Eagles pushed it out to 58-65 midway through the third stanza, but a 7-2 start to the fourth saw the Rocks regain the lead at 79-78. The Eagles responded with a 10-4 surge to go up 83-88 and stayed in front until the final seconds. With 2.3 seconds left on the clock, Maurice Hampton made the three-pointer that tied the game at 95 and forced the first overtime period.
The Rocks thought they had won it after Rob Yanders made a triple and Julius Joseph made two free-throws to give them a 102-99 lead with 6 seconds remaining. However, veteran shooting guard Jeremy Hyatt emulated Hampton's efforts by netting a crucial triple on the buzzer to knot the teams at 102 and send the game into a second overtime.
The teams traded baskets up to 110-110 before Midgley took control.
The Sheffield Sharks went back to the top of the BBL Championship table after inflicting the first defeat of the season on the Poujoulat Heat Guildford by a score of 82-77 on Saturday evening. A 21-6 tear to close out the third period broke the game open for the Sharks, and despite a Heat fightback in the fourth, the visitors were able to hold on for the victory.
In other BBL Championship action on Saturday evening, the Jelson Homes DMU Leicester Riders defeated Team Birmingham Panthers 82-70. The BiG Storage Cheshire Jets picked up their first win of the season as they overturned the PAWS London Capital 76-69, and the Kularoos Plymouth Raiders picked up an 82-73 victory over BBL newcomers, the Everton Tigers.
Team Birmingham Panthers
70 (12,36,52) (Feggins 16, Willams 14, Omope 10)
Jelson Homes DMU Leicester Riders 84 (19,34,57) (McKnight 21, Burns 14, Lamble
11)
Jelson Homes DMU Leicester Riders secured their second victory over their Midlands rivals, Team Birmingham Panthers, with an 84-70 victory at the University of Wolverhampton on Saturday evening.
The game was tight throughout the first half, with the home side entering the locker room with a slender two-point advantage at 36-34.
The second half saw the visitors break the game open with a 9-0 burst to take the score out to 57-46 towards the end of the third period. In the final quarter, the Panthers got back into the game, and closed to within two points at 59-61, but an 8-0 tear from the Riders took the score out to 69-59, and they were able to hold on for the victory.
Chad McKnight led all scorers netting 21 points for the Riders, while Bryant Feggins led the Panthers scoring with 16.
Poujoulat Heat Guildford 77 (21,43,54) (Aaron 18, Gilbert, Karlikanovas 11)
Sheffield Sharks 82 (19,41,63) (Gilbert 19, Virgil 15, Parillon 14)
Sheffield Sharks inflicted the first defeat of the 2007/8 BBL Championship campaign upon the Poujoulat Heat Guildford with a 82-77 victory at the Guildford Spectrum on Saturday evening.
In a close game throughout, both teams traded baskets, but the Heat held a slim advantage at 43-41 going into the locker rooms at the half.
In the second half, the Heat started strongly, and an 8-1 run took the score out to 51-42, but the Sharks broke the game open with a 21-3 burst to close out the third period with the score at 63-54. In the final stanza, the Heat got the score level at 69-69, but a succession of three-pointers from Justice Graham (2) and Perry Lawson (1) saw the Sharks home for the all-important victory.
Graham led all scorers with 19 points for the Sharks, while Carlton Aaron led the Heat scoring with 18.
PAWS London Capital 69 (10,29,51) (Miller 25, Fohler 14, Gariba 13)
BiG Storage Cheshire Jets 76 (27,47,61) (Obazuaye 25, Walker 17, Pratt 15)
BiG Storage Cheshire Jets picked up their first victory of the season with a 76-69 victory over the PAWS London Capital at the Capital City Academy on Saturday evening.
The Jets broke the game open early on with a 21-2 tear to close the first period out at 27-10. Cheshire maintained their advantage throughout the second period, and ended the half leading 47-29.
The third period saw the home side start strongly with a 13-2 tear to trim the deficit back to seven points at 49-42, and a 7-2 tear in the final period got the Capital even closer at 63-58, but they could not close the gap any further as the Jets held on for their opening victory.
Wes Miller led the London scorers with 25 points, while Jayson Obazuaye led the Jets scoring, also with 25 points.
Kularoos Plymouth Raiders 82 (18,32,56) (Beasley 25, Lasker 23, Noel 12)
Everton Tigers 73 (21,30,50) (Robertson/Haslam 21, Aliu 13)
Kularoos Plymouth Raiders continued their strong start to the season thanks to an 82-73 victory over BBL newcomers, the Everton Tigers at the Plymouth Pavilions on Saturday evening.
The opening stages saw both teams trading baskets, and it was the home side who gained the advantage with an 11-0 burst in the second period to take the score out to 29-23, and held the lead at 32-30 going in at the half.
The second half saw both sides continue to trade baskets, but the Raiders continued to extend their lead, and were able to hold on for the victory despite a valiant effort from the Tigers.
DeAntoine Beasley led the Raiders scoring with 25 points, while the Tigers scoring was led by Tony Robertson, also with 25 points.
Sheffield Sharks 84 (20, 44, 63, 74) (Parillon 40, Graham 13, Virgil 13)
PAWS London Capital 85 (18, 32, 47, 74) (Gariba 23, Ataha 18, Miller 17)
Sheffield Sharks lost their unbeaten record this season with a hard fought 84-85 overtime defeat against BBL new boys PAWS London Capital at the EISS.
Sheffield let slip a 16-point fourth quarter lead to allow Capital back into the match. Overtime then belonged to London as the Sharks struggled through the extra five minutes of action allowing the visitors to steal the points with a Wes Miller three-pointer 12 seconds from the end being the decisive blow.
After a tight opening quarter, which the Sharks shaded 20-18, the home team began to exert their authority during the second period.
Defensively Sheffield have been outstanding all season and it showed again as they limited Capital to just 14 points while scoring 24 of their own to lead 44-32 heading into half time.
After the break Sheffield once more stifled the London offence to hold a 63-47 advantage with ten minutes remaining. London stormed back during the final stanza though to tie the match at 74-74 and shock the home fans in overtime.
Marshall MK Lions
100 (28, 52, 81) (Griffin 19, Williams 17, Windless 16)
Poujoulat Heat Guildford 106 (26, 50, 81) (Aaron 20, Martin 20, Dux 16)
In the meeting of two unbeaten teams it was reigning BBL champions Poujoulat Heat Guildford that ended up coming out on top in a pulsating encounter in Milton Keynes.
The Heat move to the top of the table while Lions slip back to fourth just two-points behind.
It was a tight match throughout with Marshall MK Lions’ 20-13 first quarter lead being whittled away to 28-26 by the end of the opening ten minutes. The sides traded baskets during the second period until Kevin Griffin put the hosts in front with a three 52-50 at half time.
Nothing could separate the teams during the third quarter. Peter Heizer and Tony Windless combined to put Lions 62-57 in front before Heat’s Daniel Gilbert connected with two threes to help Guildford move to 62-65. The score was locked at 81-81 thanks to a Yorick Williams trey to end the stanza for the Lions.
Lions held the lead for much of the fourth quarter until a Mike Martin three with 1.30 on the clock gave the advantage to Heat (96-98). And when Milton Keynes were called for an unsportsmanlike foul, last season’s league co-MVP Brian Dux calmly sank four free throws to seal the win.
Carlton Aaron and Mike Martin were joint leading scorers for Heat with 20 while Kevin Griffin’s 19 paced Lions’ offence.