Everton Tigers 101 (21,45,72) (Midgley 24, Robertson 21, Davis 18)
Jelson Homes DMU Leicester Riders 99 (26,37,62) (Woodyard 23, McKnight 22, White 20)

The Everton Tigers continued their push towards the BBL Championship's top four as they overcame the Jelson Homes DMU Leicester Riders by 101-99 on Merseyside.

GB international Richard Midgley led the scoring with 24 points, whilst backcourt partner Tony Robertson added 21. For the Riders, Terrence Woodyard (23), Chad McKnight (22), and Carlo White (20) all had big scores.

The visiting Riders had the better of the early exchanges and led by 21-26 after the first ten minutes of the game.

The Tigers stepped up their defence in the second stanza and held their visitors to just 11 points, whilst a 10-2 burst helped them to a 45-37 lead at the end of the half.

The Riders came back into the game after the break as an 8-2 run helped them to narrow the deficit and they were within striking distance at 72-62 going into the fourth quarter.

The Tigers looked as though they had the game won after they went on a 12-4 run over the first 5:00 of the final period, making the score 84-66. However, behind Woodyard and McKnight, the Riders came surging back with a 24-6 push that made the score 95-90. The game was concluded with both teams shooting free-throws; Richard Midgley ensured that the Tigers couldn't be caught, as Mindaugas Janiska scored 2/2 from the line with 2 seconds remaining to make it 101-99.

Newcastle Eagles 87 (16,45,64) (Stewart 24, Babalola 22, Hyatt 18)
Marshall MK Lions 78 (16,30,53) (Youngblood 17, New 14, Williams 14)

The Newcastle Eagles made it a perfect 7-0 for February, whilst strengthening their place at the top of the BBL Championship and avenging January's BBL Cup Final defeat, as they beat the Marshall MK Lions 87-78 at the MetroRadio Arena.

Lynard Stewart led all scorers with 24 points, whilst Olu Babalola (22), and Jeremy Hyatt (18), will also take big scores into Sunday's BBL Trophy Final. Robert Youngblood continued to show good form as he made 17 points to lead the Lions.

A tight first quarter saw the Eagles edge ahead, before the Lions scored the last 5 points to tie the score at 16-16 after the first ten minutes.

The second quarter saw the league-leaders assert their authority as player/coach Fab Flournoy scored 4 points in a 9-0 tear that made the score 32-25. The Lions responded with the next 5 points until the Eagles broke the game open towards the end of the period. They held the Lions scoreless for the last 2:30 as Olu Babalola inspired them at the other end of the floor; the 6'6" Brit netted 7 points in a row during what became a 13-0 surge taking them up to the half-time break.

The teams traded baskets early in the third stanza with Mike New, who first came to the UK with the Eagles some twelve years ago, single-handedly keeping the Lions in touch as he made their first 6 points. Despite that, the hosts stretched the lead to its peak at 64-48 towards the end of the quarter, before the Lions ensured that they were still in the game in the decisive quarter as they netted the last 5 points of the third.

The closest that the visitors came in the final quarter was 77-69 after Fab Flournoy fouled out and Dru Spinks made an old-fashioned three-point play. Hyatt hit a three and Bridge added a basket as the Eagles pushed it back out to a double-digit lead at 82-69, and the Lions couldn't get much closer as they were condemned to back-to-back BBL Championship defeats for the first time since October.

Sheffield Sharks 89 (27,50,68) (Graham 23, Chaney 17, Whyte 16)
BiG Storage Cheshire Jets 81 (23,39,63) (Moore 22, Obazuaye 21, Otten/Hamilton 14)

The Sheffield Sharks have won the season series against the BiG Storage Cheshire Jets after they beat their playoff rivals 89-81 at the English Institute of Sport.

Justice Graham led the Sharks to their first back-to-back wins since October as he sank 23 points on the night; Shelby Chaney added 17 and James Whyte had 16. Trey Moore led the Jets with 22.

A tight first quarter was shaded by the Sharks, after their visitors had had much the better of it during the early exchanges. The Sharks finished with the last 7 points to lead at 27-23 at the end of the opening period.

Anthony Virgil was influential for the Sharks in the second period as they stretched the lead out to 50-39 by the half, courtesy of some accurate long-range shooting and three decisive shots from beyond the arc.

The Jets got themselves back into the game after the break as an 11-2 burst narrowed the gap to two points at 56-54 3:00 into the third quarter, and it remained close at 68-63 going into the decisive stanza.

In the fourth, the game was still tight with 5:00 remaining with the Sharks in front 78-75 after withstanding an 8-0 burst from the Jets. That run was broken by a Justice Graham triple, before the Sharks held their nerve from the free-throw line to close the game out.

23-02-08

Birmingham Panthers 83 (18,41,58) (L Williams 23, Popoola 21, Sandell 19)
Kularoos Plymouth Raiders 92 (24,50,69) (Lasker 19, Beasley 13, Martin 13)
The Kularoos Plymouth Raiders moved up to second in the BBL Championship table with an 83-92 defeat of the Birmingham Panthers in the first meeting between the clubs this season.
The Raiders had six players who scored in double figures, led by Drew Lasker's 19 and 13 each from Anthony Martin and DeAntoine Beasley. The Panthers were led by LaTaryl Williams's 23 points.

The Raiders edged a tight opening to the game and moved into an 18-24 lead that they would not relinquish despite some spirited efforts from the hosts.

A 7-3 burst to open the second period pushed the lead out to double digits at 21-31, but the Panthers responded a little later in the period as they went on a 12-2 surge to narrow the gap to one at 39-40. However, the Raiders kept their cool and scored 10 of the next 12 points, with Gaylon Moore netting 6, to lead by 41-50 at the half.

Daniel Sandell opened the third quarter scoring before the Raiders rattled off the next 9 points to take their largest lead at 43-59.

The Panthers stayed in the game and chipped away at the deficit that they faced. With just 1:30 left in the game they threatened the visitors after scoring 6 consecutive points to get it back to 83-88, but the Raiders saw the game out from the charity stripe as they made 4/4 free-throws.

Jelson Homes DMU Leicester Riders 61 (19,29,47) (McKnight 10, Jordan 9, White 9)
Marshall MK Lions 74 (13,36,56) (Windless 17, Williams 15, Spinks 10)
The Marshall MK Lions forced themselves back into the top four, whilst avenging a defeat in the East Midlands that effectively knocked them out of the BBL Trophy competition last month, as they beat the Jelson Homes DMU Leicester Riders by 61-74.

Tony Windless scored 17 points, whilst former Rider Yorick Williams had 15, and Dru Spinks added 10 points and 11 rebounds. The Riders could not rely on anyone for a big score as Chad McKnight was the only player to score in double figures with 10 points.

Windless opened the game with the first 5 points, before the Riders hit back-to-back buckets and the teams remained close. That was broken by a McKnight triple that made the score 13-9, before the hosts finished with a 6-2 run for a 19-13 first quarter lead.

However, the Riders scored just 2 points in the first 7:00 of the second period in what was a 21-2 burst; Windless added a further 7 points during that period. Leicester found their range late in the quarter as McKnight and Joel Burns made a three-pointer each, but they found themselves trailing by 29-36.

A pair of triples from Kevin Griffin contributed towards a 15-2 push in the third quarter as the Lions stretched the lead out to 31-51. The Riders would not lie down as they rattled off 11 consecutive points late in the quarter, and soon afterwards Burns hit a triple on the buzzer to give his team a chance at 47-56 going into the fourth.

Further long-range shooting sealed it for the Lions as Yorick Williams connected twice from beyond the arc early in the fourth quarter, and with the lead at 52-64, the Riders never threatened down the stretch.

PAWS London Capital 73 (29,51,60) (Bradley 18, Ogedengbe 16, Mbeye 15)
Newcastle Eagles 80 (25,39,61) (Stewart 25, Defoe 17, Babalola/Bridge 12)
The league-leading Newcastle Eagles survived a scare before emerging victorious at the eleventh-placed PAWS London Capital: recording a 73-80 win which was their second of the weekend.

They were led by their big men as Lynard Stewart had 25 points, Darius Defoe had 17, and Olu Babalola added 12. Sam Bradley led the hosts with 18 points.

It was the Londoners that came out quickest as they edged a 29-25 lead in the first quarter. Amazingly they extended that lead in the second stanza as they posted a 7-2 burst in the seventh minute for a 51-37 lead. Neither side scored in the last 2:00 as the Capital went into the locker room leading 51-39.

However, it did not last for long as the Eagles showed their title credentials in the third quarter. Darius Defoe scored 6 points, and Andrew Bridge added 5, as they went on a 12-3 surge to tie the game at 57. They took the lead before the end of the period at 60-61 and did not look back.

They kept it up in the decisive stanza and extended the lead to its peak at 67-80, before Pierre Henry-Fontaine scored the last 6 points of the game for the Capital.

Worcester Wolves 117 (30,59,88) (Paez 32, Life 30, Evans 22)
BiG Storage Cheshire Jets 107 (32,71,81) (Obazuaye 37, Moore 32, Otten 17)
In a fascinating game in the Midlands, the Worcester Wolves scored a massive victory in the race for the BBL Championship Playoffs as they beat the BiG Storage Cheshire Jets by 117-107, winning the head-to-head series in the process.

The win strengthened the Wolves' place in eighth and saw the Jets remain in ninth place in the table. Anthony Paez (32) and James Life (30) combined to inspire the Wolves to the win, whilst Shaun Durant had a double-double of 12 points and 18 rebounds. Jayson Obazuaye (37) and Trey Moore (32) completed a night of awesome individual performances.

Obazuaye opened the scoring before Paez responded by getting onto the end of an 'alley-oop' to set the tone for the first quarter as the teams traded their way to a 30-32 lead for the visitors.

Jayson Obazuaye had a further 5 points as the Jets recorded an early 10-4 burst for a 34-42 lead in the second stanza. Michael Gayle then came into the game for the Wolves and hit a three-pointer, before being tripped and sparking an outburst from James Hamilton that led to a technical foul for the Cheshire player. Shortly afterwards Hamilton was called for his second technical foul and after two free-throws for Durant and one for Life, the score was 48-57. A high-scoring quarter ended with the Jet leading 59-71.

There was a huge nineteen-point swing in the third period as, by contrast to what had gone before, the Wolves restricted the Jets to just 10 points in the quarter. It started with Paez scoring 5 in an 11-2 run and after 6:00 the Wolves were down just 75-77. James Life hit back-to-back triples in the ninth minute, and a pair of Paez free-throws capped a 10-0 burst at the end of the quarter as the Wolves had the lead at 88-81.

Life found Paez on the end of an 'alley-oop' once more in the fourth quarter and after 6:00 Skouson Harker sank a pair of free-throws that saw the Wolves through the one hundred mark at 101-95. In the ensuing two minutes, Life (Wolves) and Gianni Costantiello (Jets) fouled out, and heading into the last minute the Wolves had a strong 106-99 lead. Harker fouled out also, but that didn't stop the Wolves stretching the lead to double-digits and seeing out the game.

Newcastle Eagles 97 (20,49,71) (Flournoy 22, Stewart 18, Leven/Smith 16)
Everton Tigers     85 (22,39,58) (Midgley 21, Robertson 16, Davis/Aliu 14)

Newcastle Eagles maintained their stranglehold at the summit of the BBL Championship thanks to a 97- 85 victory over the Everton Tigers at the Metro Radio Arena on Friday evening.

In a tight opening period, the Tigers held a slender lead at 20-22 going into the second quarter.

The Eagles broke the game open midway through the period with a 15-0 tear, including six points from Charles Smith to take the score out to 41-30, and the home side held on for a 49-39 lead going in at the half.

The second half saw the Eagles continue to open up a commanding lead, and a 6-0 burst in the third period took the score out to 68-44.

The Tigers tried desperately to get themselves back into the game, and a 6-0 run of their own in the final stanza got them to within seven points at 76-69, but an Eagles immediately responded with an 8-3 tear to lead 84-72, and were able to hold on for the victory.

Eagles player-coach Fab Flournoy led all scorers with 22 points for the home side, while ex-Eagle Richard Midgley led the Tigers scorers with 21.

Sheffield Sharks    83 (25,50,64) (Paez 33, Harper/Durrant 19)
Worcester Wolves 97 (28,51,76) (Chaney 21, Virgil 19, Graham/Lyons/Niesler 12)

The Worcester Wolves moved themselves into the play-off positions thanks to an 83-97 road victory over fellow play-off contenders Sheffield Sharks at the EIS, Sheffield on Friday evening.

Both sides traded Baskets throughout the opening two quarters, and it was the Wolves who edged the score at 50-51 going in at the half.

The second half saw the visitors begin to assert their authority on the game with a 7-0 burst midway through the third period to take the score out to 54-62. The Wolves continued to dominate the Sharks, and led 64-76 going into the final stanza.

In the final quarter, the home side tried desperately to claw their way back into the game, and a 10-0 burst for the Sharks got the score back to 83-94 within the final minute, but the Wolves held on in the closing stages to secure the all-important victory from the foul- line.

Antony Paez led all scorers in the game with 33 points for the Wolves, while Shelby Chaney led the Sharks scoring with 21 points personal.  

Guildford Heat 110 (26,60,88) (Dorsey 26, Martin 23, Harrison 20)
Jelson Homes DMU Leicester Riders 97 (16,34,71) (Vear 19, Burns 17, Wellington/Woodyard 16)

The Guildford Heat strengthened their position in second place in the BBL Championship, whilst extending their winning run to four games in the league, as they beat the Jelson Homes DMU Leicester Riders 110-97 at The Spectrum.

Tony Dorsey had another big game with 26 points and 12 rebounds, whilst fellow forward Mike Martin added 23 and EJ Harrison scored 20. Steve Vear posted his highest-scoring game in the BBL with 19 points for the Riders.

After the home side opened the game with the first 5 points, the Riders hit back to take their only lead of the game at 9-7 after 4 points from Terrence Woodyard. It didn't last long as the reigning league champions responded with a 15-2 burst, including 5 for Dorsey, to take a commanding first quarter lead.

That was extended in the second stanza as the Heat notched a further 17-5 run and went into the locker rooms 60-34 to the good.

The teams traded baskets in a high-scoring and high-tempo third quarter. Then, with 2.00 remaining, the Riders scored 11 unanswered points, 5 from former Heat player Rod Wellington on his way to 13 in the quarter and two three-pointers from Vear, as they narrowed the gap to 85-71.

The visitors followed that up with an 8-2 tear to open the fourth period that was capped by a further Vear triple, to make the score 90-79. However, EJ Harrison scored 6 points as the Heat settled the game with a 12-3 surge to stretch the lead to 102-82. The Riders finished strongly behind 6 points from Carlos White, but could get no closer than 11 before Mike Martin put the icing on the cake with a thunderous dunk with 12 seconds remaining.

Kularoos Plymouth Raiders 83 (25,43,61) (Beasley 24, Moore 19, Lasker 14)
SAMG Verve Scottish Rocks 79 (23,38,53) (Davis 23, Hampton 15, Joseph 15)

The Kularoos Plymouth Raiders broke the tie for third place in the BBL Championship table as they beat the SAMG Verve Scottish Rocks 83-79 at the Plymouth Pavilions. It was a huge win for the Raiders as it means that they have won the head-to-head series with their fellow title contenders.

It was a tight game throughout as the teams traded baskets in the first quarter, with the Raiders edging ahead at 25-23.

The Rocks edged in front at the start of the second stanza before the Raiders posted a 10-2 burst, comprising back-to-back three-pointers from Allister Gall and 4 points from Gaylon Moore, to lead 37-30. The Rocks came back with a pair of triples of their own, but Moore scored twice more and Drew Lasker added the last basket of the half to keep the Raiders in front at 43-38.

The visitors started the third quarter strongly and soon drew level at 50-50. The home side responded well with an 8-1 push, capped by James Noel and another basket from Moore. Anthony Martin made the last score of the third quarter to see the Raiders go into the decisive period with a 61-53 lead.

A fascinating fourth quarter ensued as the Raiders took control early on when DeAntoine Beasley (7) and Anthony Martin (2) combined to score the first 9 points of the quarter. The lead peaked at 74-56 before the Rocks hit back. They scored the next 5 points and between the eighth and ninth minutes they scored 10 consecutive points, including 6 for Sterling Davis, to close the gap to 78-71. The Raiders were continually being sent to the line and it nearly cost them as they shot just 5/12 down the stretch. Davis added a three-pointer and Bilal Clarance matched that as the Rocks got close at the end, but the Raiders held on.

17-02-08

After a busy week in the BBL Championship, the Newcastle Eagles maintained a four-point advantage at the top of the table thanks to a convincing 59-104 victory over the Team Birmingham Panthers at the Sport TCAT Arena, Telford on Sunday afternoon. Charles Smith was the star man netting 23 points for the visitors.

The chasing pack is now being led by Poujoulat Heat Guildford as they moved into second place with victories over the Marshall MK Lions by a score of 81- 87 on Friday evening, and followed it up with a 111-91 success over the BiG Storage Cheshire Jets the following night.

The Kularoos Plymouth Raiders kept the Championship aspirations alive as they maintained third place. They bounced back from an 84-74 reverse at the hands of the Everton Tigers on Friday night to pick up an 85-73 victory over the Sheffield Sharks on Saturday evening.

In other BBL Championship action, the Worcester Wolves defeated the Jelson Homes DMU Leicester Riders by a scoreline of 67-66, and the PAWS London Capital suffered defeats at the hands of the Panthers by a score of 60-64 on Saturday night, and then a 77- 57 reverse to the SAMG Verve Scottish Rocks on Sunday evening.

Team Birmingham Panthers 59 (10,19,36) (Sandell 13, L Williams 12, Popola 10)
Newcastle Eagles 104 (23,50,78) (Smith 23, Defoe/Leven 19)

Newcastle Eagles re-established their four-point advantage over the Poujoulat Heat Guildford at the top of the BBL Championship thanks to a comfortable 59- 104 victory over the Team Birmingham Panthers at the Sport TCAT Arena, Telford on Sunday afternoon.

16-02-08

Everton Tigers                      84 (20,40,60) (Aliu 24, Robertson 21, Davis 19)
Kularoos Plymouth Raiders 74 (18,42,59) (Moore 23, Lasker 18, Durham/Love 6)

Everton Tigers kept up their play-off aspirations thanks to an 84-74 victory over the Kularoos Plymouth Raiders at the Greenbank Academy on Friday night. 

In a close game throughout, the Tigers led 60-59 going into the final stanza. 

10 points from David Aliu at the start of the final quarter instigated a 16-2 Tigers burst to take the score out to 76-51. 

The Raiders tried desperately to claw their way back into the game, and got to within four points at 78-74 off the back of a 6-0 tear with 1:20 remaining. 

Despite this, the Tigers were able to hold off their visitors, and secure the victory from the foul-line. 

Aliu led all scorers in the game with 24 points, while Gaylon Moore led the Raiders scoring with 23.

Marshall MK Lions            81 (23,42,61) (New 23, Brown/Williams 15)
Poujoulat Heat Guildford 87 (19,37,59) (Dorsey 28, Harrison 17, Martin 15)

Poujoulat Heat Guildford leapfrogged themselves into second place in the BBL Championship table thanks to a hard-fought 81-87 victory over the Marshall MK Lions at the Bletchley Leisure Centre on Friday evening. 

The Lions started the stronger with a 10-0 run to start the game, before the Heat responded with an 8-0 burst of their own to level the game at 10-10.  The Lions began to stamp their authority on the game thanks to a 16-4 tear across the first quarter break to lead 30-21 midway through the second period.  The Heat slowly began to close the deficit, but the Lions held onto a five point lead at 42-37 going in at the half. 

The second half saw the Heat claw their way back into the game and a 12-0 burst gave them a 50-53 lead.  The Lions reclaimed the lead thanks to three-pointers from Terrell Brown and Yorrick Williams to lead by two at 61-59 going into the final stanza. 

In the final period, the Lions stretched out their lead, and with a minute remaining, they led 79-73.  The Heat broke the game open with a 7-0 run to lead 79-80 with 40 seconds remaining.  Mike New reclaimed the lead for the Lions at 81-80, but a three pointer from Ajou Deng gave the Heat the lead at 81-83. 

The Lions tried desperately to reclaim the lead, but the Heat secured the victory from the foul-line. 

Tony Dorsey led all scorers in the game with 28 points for the Heat, while New led the Lions scoring with 23.

Four of the top five sides in the BBL were in action on Sunday and all four kept themselves in the title hunt with wins.

Newcastle Eagles extended their lead at the top to four points thanks to an emphatic 82-112 win at BiG Storage Cheshire Jets. New signing Steve Leven scored 17-points.

Kularoos Plymouth Raiders move into a tie for second place after scoring the last seven points of the match to beat Jelson Homes DMU Leicester Riders 73-70 at The Pavilions.

Scottish Rocks are also level on points with the Raiders and Marshall MK Lions after crushing Sheffield Sharks 82-56 at Braehead Arena.

And reigning champions Guildford Heat came back from trailing at half time to beat Team Birmingham Panthers 107-88 at home.

Guildford Heat 107 (24,45,78) (Dorsey 24, Gilbert 19, Martin 18)
Team Birmingham Panthers 88 (29,52,62) (Sandell 21, Williams 17, Paternostro/Popoola 14)

Guildford Heat turned in a strong second half performance to prevent a shock at The Spectrum on Sunday afternoon.

The Heat trailed at half time against bottom placed club Birmingham Panthers, but eventually came through comfortable winners 107-88.

Guildford had actually begun the match well as a 13-1 run put them in control. However, an 18-5 close to the first quarter by the visitors saw the Panthers lead 24- 29.

And this lead was consolidated in the second quarter with Birmingham knocking down five three-pointers to go in at half time 45-52 in front.

It was a different Heat after the interval though. A 12-7 run tied the scores at 59-59 and a 19-3 burst to end the third quarter saw them well on top 78-62 with just the final stanza to play.

There was no way back for Panthers after that as Tony Dorsey led the home side with 24-points and 12 boards to victory.

Kularoos Plymouth Raiders                  73 (22,33,51) (Lasker 25, Martin 18, Moore 14)
Jelson Homes DMU Leicester Riders 70 (23,39,59) (Woodyard 22, McKnight 15, White/Mills 11)

Kularoos Plymouth Raiders pulled off an improbable victory to move into joint second place in the BBL with Marshall MK Lions.

The Raiders scored the final seven points of the match to see of Jelson Homes DMU Leicester Riders 73-70 at The Pavilions to keep the pressure on league leaders Newcastle Eagles.

It looked as though the East Midlands club would come away from Devon with a much needed victory though when they led 22-23, 33-39 and 51-59 at the end of the first three quarters.

However, after falling behind 66-70 the Raiders pegged it back to 68-70 with a two by Gaylon Moore and then went ahead with free throws by Anthony Martin and Andrew Lasker to complete the victory. Lasker led all scorers with 25-points.

SAMG Verve Scottish Rocks 82 (20,44,67) (Yanders 17, Wohlers 13, Joseph 12)
Sheffield Sharks                      56 (9,28,43) (Chaney 12, Whyte 10, Niesler 8)

SAMG Verve Scottish Rocks brushed aside Sheffield Sharks with ease in Glasgow to keep up their league title challenge.

Despite scoring the first basket of the match Sheffield never led again as a 10-0 Rocks run set them up for a 20-9 first quarter score. An 8-0 burst by Rocks in the second opened up a 32-16 lead on their way to a 44- 28 advantage at half time.

It was no better after the interval for the Sharks as a 7- 0 run by the home side saw them go 20-points in front (58-38). A further 7-0 tear closed the quarter 67-43 to Rocks.

The largest lead of the match for Rocks came midway through the final period as they stretched out to 78-49 before both coaches made use of the remaining time to play their bench players.

BiG Storage Cheshire Jets 112 (14,33,54) (Obazuaye 20, Costantiello 17, Moore 16)
Newcastle Eagles                   82 (30,54,79) (Flournoy 20, Smith 17, Leven 17)

Newcastle Eagles stretched their lead at the top of the BBL to four points thanks to another comfortable win over the BiG Storage Cheshire Jets.

After knocking the Jets out of the BBL Trophy last week the Eagles repeated the formula of a red-hot start to the match by taking an early 16-3 lead. This included four three-pointers from Newcastle player/coach Fab Flournoy.

The advantage was converted into a 14-30 first quarter lead and then extended by half time to 33-54. Jets were further hampered by a hamstring injury to James Hamilton which prevented him from taking any part in the second half.

Newcastle kept the Jets at bay during the third and fourth quarters as new boy Steve Leven worked himself into the Eagles system with 17-points. The returning Trey Moore for Cheshire hit 16-points.

09-02-08

Birmingham Panthers 53 (16,28,41) (A. Williams 17, Paternostro 8, L. Williams 8)
Marshall MKL Lions    85 (23,51,72) (New 17, Heizer 14, Y. Williams 12)
The Marshall MK Lions secured a second comprehensive victory of the season over the Birmingham Panthers as they beat them by 53-85 in the West Midlands, shaking off Friday's heavy defeat to the SAMG Verve Scottish Rocks and consolidating their position in second place in the BBL Championship table.

The Lions edged ahead in the first stanza as they broke a 4-4 tie with 10 unanswered points, including eight from the charity stripe. The Panthers got back into the game and were down just 16-23 after the first ten minutes, yet the visitors broke the game open with a dominant second period. They began with the first 10 points, with 4 from Peter Heizer and 4 from Yorick Williams. Heizer was instrumental later on as they stretched the lead with the last 12 points of the first half, the German had a further 4 of those.

The game looked beyond the Panthers at 28-51 at the break, and late in the third quarter back-to-back threes from Yorick Williams capped an 8-0 burst and gave the Lions an insurmountable 39-72 lead.

They subsequently eased their way to the victory as every player on the roster got on the scoresheet, with five making it into double figures. Mike New led the scoring with 17, whilst Heizer had 14, and Williams 12. Adam Williams was the only Panther in double figures with 17 points.

Jelson Homes DMU Leicester Riders 58 (10,25,50) (McKnight 14, Mills 11, White/Woodyard 7)
PAWS London Capital                            67 (13,31,51) (Bradley 18, Ataha 14, Perkins 11)
The PAWS London Capital snapped a seven-game losing streak in the BBL Championship, and scored a crucial win in the chase for a BBL Championship Playoff place, as they beat the Jelson Homes DMU Leicester Riders by 58-67. Vitally, the win also tied the season series with their positional rivals.

The visitors opened the game with three points from Tayo Ogendengbe, before Chad McKnight and Darren Mills responded for the Riders. The hosts held a 10-7 lead, before Pierre Henry-Fontaine sank a three-pointer and an old-fashioned three-point play to see his team 10-13 to the good after ten minutes.

The teams traded baskets through the second period as London still led at 20-24 with 3:00 left. On a Barry Lamble deuce and a triple from Mindaugas Janiska, the Riders took the lead at 25-24. Yet, once again, an individual stepped up for the Londoners as Sam Bradley scored the last 7 points of the half to keep them in front.

That lead was maintained during the third stanza until the visitors got in foul trouble. The Riders shot 6/6 from the line to narrow the gap to 44-47 and then, after a Bradley three-pointer, they hit the next 5/6 from the charity stripe for a one-point deficit at 50-51 going into the decisive stanza. They shot 13/15 from the free-throw line during the third quarter.

Darren Mills gave the Riders the lead with the first 4 points of the fourth quarter, before the visitors took control. Bradley and Ogendengbe scored baskets before Santa Ataha hit back-to-back three-pointers for a 54-61 lead. The Capital then managed to close out the last two minutes with foul shots.

Bradley led all scorers with 18, whilst Ataha added 14. Chad McKnight led the resistance with 14 points.

Worcester Wolves                 87 (24,49,62) (Paez 29, Life 22, Durant 12)
Kularoos Plymouth Raiders 92 (26,48,73) (Beasley 21, Lasker 21, Moore 19)
The Kularoos Plymouth Raiders completed a season sweep of the Worcester Wolves as they defeated them for the third time in the BBL Championship by 87-92. The win saw Plymouth break back into the top four, surpassing the Guildford Heat.

They were led by DeAntoine Beasley and Drew Lasker, who had 21 points each. It was Anthony Paez that led all scorers with 29 points, whilst Shaun Durant had a double-double of 12 points and 10 rebounds for the Wolves.

A high scoring first quarter saw the home side take their only lead of the first ten minutes at 24-22, before the Raiders netted the last 4 points to edge in front at 24-26.

The Wolves regained the lead in the second stanza and were up 45-44 when James Life was the victim of an unsportsmanlike foul that led to him sinking three points, and the hosts subsequently held on to a 49-48 lead at the half-time break.

Anthony Paez opened the third quarter with a three-pointer, but the lead didn't last long as the Raiders snatched it back at 60-61 mid-way through the period. Anthony Martin and Drew Lasker then had 4 points each as a contribution towards a 12-2 burst that sent the Raiders into the final quarter leading by 62-73.

Once in the fourth the home side re-asserted themselves on the game and scored the first 5 points. They slowly narrowed the gap to 79-84 before 6 unanswered points gave them an 85-84 lead heading into the final minute. However, the visitors maintained their poise as a Terrence Durham basket gave them the advantage back with 45 seconds remaining before Gaylon Moore added another two and Allister Gall calmly netted a pair of free-throws to seal the win.

08-02-08

Everton Tigers                  95 (20,46,71) (Midgley 25, Davis 19, Simpson/Aliu 12)
Poujoulat Heat Guildford 90 (30,36,68) (Dorsey 26, Gilbert 24, Williams 13)
Everton Tigers took control of sixth position in the BBL Championship table thanks to a 95-90 victory over the Poujoulat Heat Guildford at the Greenbank Academy on Friday evening.

After both sides traded baskets in the early stages, it was the Tigers who took control in the second quarter, and opened up a ten point lead thanks to some strong shooting from Richard Midgley and David Aliu to lead 46-36 going in at the half.

In the second half, the Tigers scored the opening five points of the third period to take the score out to 51-36. The Heat got themselves back into the game towards the end of the quarter with a 12-2 burst of their own to trim the deficit back to six points at 78-72.

In the final stanza, both sides continued to trade baskets, before an Dean Williams three-pointer got the Heat to within two at 87-85 with 1:10 remaining, but the Tigers held their nerve from the foul-line to secure the all- important victory.

Midgley led the Tigers scoring with 25 points, but it was Tony Dorsey who led all scorers in the game with 26.

Marshall MK Lions                  67 (20,31,52) (Youngblood 15, Brown 12, Heizer 11)
SAMG Verve Scottish Rocks 89 (23,55,69) (Hampton 22, Yanders 19, Murray 14)
The SAMG Verve Scottish Rocks moved themselves into third place in the BBL Championship table after a convincing 67-89 victory over the Marshall MK Lions at the Bletchley Leisure Centre on Friday night.

The Rocks took control early with a 7-0 burst to lead 8-11.

The Lions stayed in touch with their visitors through into the second quarter to trail by six points at 22-28. The Rocks broke the game open with a 13-0 tear to take the score out to 22-41, and lead 31-55 at the half.

In the second half, the Lions valiantly attempted to close the deficit, but could not get close enough to worry their visitors as the Rocks ran out comfortable winners.

Maurice Hampton led all scorers in the game with 25 points for the Rocks, while Robert Youngblood led the Lions scoring with 15.

Newcastle Eagles  94 (32,60,81) (Levan 21, Defoe 18, Stewart 13)
Worcester Wolves 82 (22,39,59) (Paez 19, Harker 16, Broscoe 15)
Newcastle Eagles moved four points clear at the top of the BBL Championship table thanks to a 94-82 victory over the Worcester Wolves at the Metro Radio Arena in Newcastle.

The Eagles took control of the game from the early stages with separate runs of 8-0 and 12-3 in the opening period to take the score out 32-14.

The second quarter saw the debut of the Eagles' new signing Steve Levan, as he scored 19 points in the quarter, including all eight points in an 8- 2 Eagles burst to take the score out to 58-35.

The Eagles enjoyed their biggest lead of the game midway through the third period at 66-41. The Wolves tried valiantly to get themselves back into the game, but could not close the deficit sufficiently as the Eagles ran out comfortable winners.

Levan led all scorers with 21 points for the Eagles, while Antony Paez led the Wolves scoring with 19 points.