The Newcastle Eagles took a further step towards their second BBL Championship title in three years after they came through a physical battle with the Marshall MK Lions to win 82-68 on Friday night. Lynard Stewart had 18 points and 16 rebounds, but it came at a cost as both Jeremy Hyatt and Andrew Bridge left the game with injuries.

In midweek, the Lions had picked up a crucial 82-85 overtime win over the SAMG Verve Scottish Rocks live on Setanta Sports 1. A crowd of 2,417 saw Yorick Williams score 24 points as the Lions strengthened their position in fourth place in the BBL Championship.

It was a bad week for the first-placed Rocks as their misery was compounded when they were beaten 78-72 by the PAWS London Capital on Sunday. Tayo Ogendengbe's 19 points helped to ensure that the Londoners are mathematically still in the playoff race.

Elsewhere, the Kularoos Plymouth Raiders maintained second place after recording the most number of points they have ever scored in a BBL game with a 90-122 win at the Birmingham Panthers. Local talent Gavin Love had 34 points, including nine three-pointers, and fellow Plymouth native Allister Gall notched 18.

The Raiders won twice over the weekend as they had previously beaten the BiG Storage Cheshire Jets 90-75 on Friday night. Drew Lasker had 30 points as the Raiders reversed a halftime deficit.

The Guildford Heat are still in third after leaving it late to beat the BiG Storage Cheshire Jets 82-88 on Sunday. Danny Gilbert had 19 points as the Heat kept their composure with a last minute run to win the game and keep their title defence alive.

In the scrap for the last few playoff spots, both the Sheffield Sharks and Jelson Homes DMU Leicester Riders managed to record back-to-back wins ahead of their meeting live on Setanta Sports 1 this coming Wednesday.

The Sharks hammered their positional rivals the Everton Tigers by 104-81 after a tirade of three-pointers, including four from Alto Virgil on his way to 24 points.

The Riders, meanwhile, beat their Midlands rivals the Worcester Wolves for the first time this season. Carlos White notched 25 points as the Riders kept their cool from the free-throw line down the stretch to beat the Wolves for the first time this season.

BiG Storage Cheshire Jets 82 (24,43,67) (Obazuaye 24, Moore 13, Pratt 13)
Guildford Heat 88 (27,44,64) (Gilbert 19, Martin 18, Harrison 13)

The Guildford Heat put a huge dent in the BiG Storage Cheshire Jets' BBL Championship Playoff pursuit as they beat them 82-88 with a last-gasp run in Chester, their third league win over the Jets this season.

Danny Gilbert scored 19 points for the Heat and was supported by 18 from Mike Martin and 13 from backcourt partner EJ Harrison. Jayson Obazuaye led all scorers with 24 for the hosts.

In what was a tight game throughout, the teams remained close during the early stages as the Heat edged the first quarter by 24-27, and the visitors retained a slender lead at 43-44 by the half.

The Jets had the better of the third quarter as the teams played their way to a 59-59 tie before the home side finished the stronger and led 67-64 going into the decisive stanza.

The lead didn't last for long as the Heat snatched it back at 70-71 on an EJ Harrison score two minutes into the fourth period. That sparked a 12-4 burst, during which time Trey Moore fouled out for the Jets, that gave the Heat a 74-81 lead. However, the game remained close as Obazuaye hit a long three-pointer and Alan Duppa added a basket to make the score 79-81 with 1:26 remaining.

From that point, the Heat posted the decisive run as scores from Martin, Harrison, and Dean Williams contributed to a 7-0 tear to secure the win in the last minute.

PAWS London Capital 78 (23,33,62) (Ogedengbe 19, Gariba 17, Henry-Fontaine 15)
SAMG Verve Scottish Rocks 72 (17,44,60) (Davis 21, Wohlers 11, Hampton 10)

The PAWS London Capital halted a three-game losing streak as they beat the SAMG Verve Scottish Rocks 78-72; the win also ensured that the Capital were not swept by the Rocks across the season's three league games.

The Londoners were led by their local talent as Tayo Ogedengbe had 19 points, with Ibrahim Gariba scoring 17, and Pierre Henry-Fontaine adding 15. Player/coach Sterling Davis scored 21 points for the Rocks.

In a game in which the sides traded considerable runs, it was the hosts that made the first move as 5 points from Gariba, the 6'9" centre, contributed to a 15-2 run that gave them an 18-10 led. They still led 23-17 at the end of the first ten minutes.

The Rocks struck back in the second as Rob Yanders and Moritz Wohlers each hit two three-pointers in a huge 25-4 push that saw them in the ascendancy at 29-42.

After trailing by 33-44 at the half, the pendulum swung once more as the Capital posted a 21-2 surge, including a further 6 points for Gariba, as they snatched the lead back at 54-48. It was a one-possession game at 62-60 going into the decisive stanza.

A triple from Bilal Clarance opened the fourth period and put the Rocks back in front. However, four minutes in, the home side went 7-2 to lead 71-67 and, after a basket from Davis, they followed that with 7 straight points, including five for Henry-Fontaine, as Yanders was called for a technical foul and the Londoners saw the game out.

29-03-08

Team Birmingham Panthers 90 (24,44,60) (Sandell 20, Popoola 19, Jules 18)
Kularoos Plymouth Raiders 122 (26,61,90) (Love 34, Gall 18, Beasley/Moore 15)

The Kularoos Plymouth Raiders made it a double-winning weekend as they out-muscled the Team Birmingham Panthers in a comprehensive 90-122 win in the West Midlands, to complete a season sweep of their opponents.

That is the most points that the Raiders have ever scored in a BBL game, beating their previous best, which also came against a Midlands side in Worcester (121-72 last season), by one point.

The win helped consolidate their position in second in the BBL Championship table, although the third-placed Heat have games in hand; in the meantime, the Panthers are on a run of eight successive defeats.

Gavin Love sank nine three-pointers on his way to 34, and it was a good night for home-grown talent as Allister Gall added 18 points. Dan Sandell led the Panthers with 20 points.

The hosts kept the game competitive in the early exchanges and were just 24-26 down after the first ten minutes.

However, the Raiders broke the game open at the start of the second stanza as they posted a 14-2 start to lead 26-40. Love had four triples in the second period, and the Raiders had seven as a team in the quarter.

Another fast start in the third period effectively settled the game as the Raiders went 14-3 to lead 47-75. The lead peaked in the fourth quarter at 67-108, before the Panthers made a late run.

Jelson Homes DMU Leicester Riders 104 (20,56,76) (White 25, McKnight 17, Janiska 15)
Worcester Wolves 99 (30,52,72) (Paez 33, Life 32, Harker 15)

The Jelson Homes DMU Leicester Riders kept their slim mathematical hopes of reaching the BBL Championship Playoffs alive after a 104-99 win over their Midlands rivals the Worcester Wolves. It sets up a crucial tie on Wednesday night when the Riders visit the Sheffield Sharks live on Setanta Sports 1.

The win means that the Riders have recorded back-to-back wins in the league for just the second time this season and have continued their revival from a ten-game losing streak.

Carlos White led the way with 25 points, whilst Chad McKnight had 17 and fiery point guard Mindaugas Janiska added 15. Anthony Paez led all scorers with 33 points and 12 rebounds in vain for the Wolves.

A series of technical fouls down the stretch cost the Wolves. After Paez had tied the game at 99 with 40 seconds left, Douaine Anderson received a technical foul for flopping after shooting a three-pointer. Steve Vear hit 2/2 from the line, before Paez was called for a technical foul after arguing with the referees. Wellington made 1/2 before McKnight completed the scoring on the last play.

Earlier in the game, Life hit two three-pointers in a 9-0 first quarter burst that saw the Wolves lead 6-18. Paez then added 7 points, with another triple from Life, the winner of the 2008 Molten Three-Point Shootout, and the Wolves led 20-30 after the opening ten minutes, a triple from Janiska on the buzzer keeping the Riders within striking distance.

The hosts took over in the second quarter as a 13-2 burst, including 2 triples from Joel Burns, who has scored more career three-pointers than any other current BBL player, and a further three from Janiska, gave the Riders a 48-43 lead. Back-to-back three-pointers from Life then saw Worcester regain the lead before an 8-3 finish saw the Riders go in 56-52 to the good at the half.

The teams traded in the third quarter, before the Wolves opened the fourth with the first 8 points to take a 76-80 lead. With four minutes remaining the Riders notched 9 straight points to lead 97-93 before the fascinating conclusion to the game ensued.

28-03-08

Newcastle Eagles 82 (20,43,62) (Stewart 18, Defoe/Babalola 15)
Marshall MK Lions 68 (25,39,55) (Williams 18, Youngblood 14, Jamison 9)

Newcastle Eagles moved another step closer to securing the BBL Championship League title after an 82-68 victory over the Marshall MK Lions at the MetroRadio Arena on Friday evening.

It was the Lions who started the stronger and took an early 14-20 lead midway through the opening period, but the Eagles came back into the game in the second quarter thanks to an 11-2 burst to take them into a two-point lead at 34-32. A further 5-0 burst to close out the first half took them into the locker rooms with a 43-39 advantage.

The second half saw both sides trading baskets throughout the third period, and it was the Eagles who continued to maintain the ascendency, and lead 62-55 going into the final stanza.

The final quarter saw the home side take control of the game for good with a 12-2 burst midway through the period to take the score out to 80-64, and the home side held on for the all-important victory.

Lynard Stewart top- scored for the Eagles with 18 points, while Yorrick Williams was the leading light for the Lions as he also bagged 18 points for the visitors.

Kularoos Plymouth Raiders 90 (16,40,58) (Lasker 30, Beasley 15, Gall 14)
BiG Storage Cheshire Jets 75 (25,43,54) (Moore 23, Obazuaye 16, Otten 15)

Kularoos Plymouth Raiders kept their play-off chase on track thanks to a 90-75 victory over the BiG Storage Cheshire Jets at the Plymouth Pavilions on Friday evening.

The Jets started the stronger, and took an early 16-25 lead off the back of a 17-12 burst to close out the first period.

The Raiders began to chip away at the Jets' lead, and got themselves back to within three-points at 40-43 at the half.

The second half saw the home side begin to stamp their authority on the game, and a 12-9 run to close out the third period gave the Raiders a 58-54 lead going into the final stanza.

In the final quarter, both sides traded baskets in the early goings, but the Raiders broke the game open with a 12-6 burst midway through the period to take the score out to 88-69. The Jets tried valiantly to get themselves back into the game, but to no avail as the Raiders ran out eventual victors.

Andrew Lasker led all scorers in the game with 30 points for the Raiders, while Trey Moore led the Jets scoring with 23.

 Sheffield Sharks 104 (32,46,78) (Virgil 24, Graham 18, Lyons/Niesler 13)
Everton Tigers 81 (14,33,58) (Aliu 21, Davis 16, Robertson 14)

Sheffield Sharks not only picked up a 104-81 victory over the Everton Tigers at the EIS, Sheffield on Friday night, but they also secured the head-to-head series over their opponents in the race for the all-important play-off positions.

The Sharks started the stronger in the early exchanges, and some outstanding three- point shooting (6 from 7 in the first period) took them out to a 32-14 lead at the end of the opening quarter.

The Tigers got themselves back into the game with an 8-2 burst midway through the second period to get the score back to 44-29, but the Sharks held on to lead 46-33 going in at the half. The second half saw the Tigers continue to trim the deficit back, and a 9-5 start to the third quarter bought the score back to 51- 42. The Sharks broke the game open with an immediate 12-1 response to take the score out to 63- 43.

The home side maintained a twenty-point lead going into the final stanza at 78-58, and extended it to twenty-five points at 104-79 in the closing stages to seal the comfortable victory.

Alto Virgil led all scorers in the game with 24 points for the Sharks, while David Aliu led the Tigers scoring with 21.

SAMG Verve Scottish Rocks 82 (23,42,55,68) (Hampton 25, Joseph 15, Wohlers 15)
Marshall MK Lions                  85 (15,33,61,68) (Williams 24, Brown 16, Windless 13)

In the crucial battle for fourth place in the BBL Championship table, and homecourt advantage in the BBL Championship Playoffs, the Marshall MK Lions scored a decisive victory over the SAMG Verve Scottish Rocks, and took the head-to-head series between the teams in the meantime.

Yorick Williams was the MVP with 24 points, whilst Terell Brown had 16 and Tony Windless 13. Maurice Hampton led all scorers with 25 in vain for the Rocks.

Live on Setanta Sports 1 and in front of 2,417 fans at the Braehad Arena, the game started tightly until Sterling Davis made an old-fashioned three-point play to put the Rocks 11-6 up, before Dru Spinks hit a rare three-pointer to keep the teams close. The Rocks established a strong lead in the closing stages of the opening stanza as Maurice Hampton hit 5 points in a 10-3 finish that saw them 23-15 to the good.

The Lions hit the first two baskets of the second, including a Kevin Griffin triple, before the hosts broke the game open. Julius Joseph hit the next 6 points, including a stunning highlight for the cameras with an 'and 1' play on a baseline jump shot. Soon afterwards the Rocks hit another 8 straight points, including further three-pointers from Hampton and Joseph, to give the Glaswegians a 37-24 lead. The Lions kept the game alive as Yorick Williams hit a three-pointer and Mike New scored a tough shot on the half-time buzzer.

The game changed immediately after the break as the Lions posted a 10-3 burst to get back to within two at 45-43, before equalising at 48-48 on a Terrell Brown three. The Lions took their first lead since the opening play as Mike New made it 50-52 with 4:30 left in the quarter. The Lions then finished the quarter strongly as Brown and Williams hit three-pointers in a 7-1 run and the Lions led 55-61 going into the decisive period.

The pendulum swung once more in the fourth as the Rocks hit the first 7 points as Hampton gave them the lead back at 62-61. However, former Rock Tony Windless hit all of the points in a 7-2 response that put the visitors 64-68 up with 1:20 left. Scores from Yanders and Wohlers tied the game, before Davis (Rocks), Brown (Lions), and Yanders (Rocks) all missed three-point efforts to win the game.

The Lions came out strongly at both ends of the floor in overtime. Youngblood and Williams blocked two shots each as the Lions posted 7 straight points to lead 71-77. Wohlers hit two three-pointers, with Williams and Brown responding from the free-throw line and it was 77-80 with under a minute left. The Lions thought that they had seen the game out, but Joseph hit a triple with 7 seconds left to make it 82-84. Mike New made 1/2 from the line before Wohlers missed the buzzer-beating three to the disappointment of the home fans.

Two wins by Guildford Heat this week has kept the reigning champions in with a slight chance of retaining their BBL crown.

First they defeated Sheffield Sharks in the Steel City 83-92 on Wednesday night and then beat league leaders Newcastle Eagles at the Spectrum 86-79 on Sunday afternoon.

Eagles are still in a commanding position at the top especially after beating second placed Kularoos Plymouth Raiders 94-78 on Saturday.

The race for play-off positions is hotting up too after wins for Marshall MK Lions, Sheffield, BiG Storage Cheshire Jets and Everton Tigers during the week.

MK Lions beat PAWS London Capital 75-74 on Friday and the Sharks beat Capital on Sunday. The Jets and Tigers split their double-header, which leaves Everton in a strong position to claim a play-off spot.

BiG Storage Cheshire Jets 77 (22,37,54) (Obazuaye 24, Moore 20, Otten 15)
Everton Tigers                     86 (13,28,58) (Robertson 25, Davis 17, Midgley 16)

Everton Tigers took a huge step to locking up a play- off position with a well-deserved 77-86 road win at north west rivals Cheshire Jets. However, the defeat leaves the Jets with lots of work to do if they are to crack the top eight in the BBL.

Jets controlled the first half of the match. A 22-13 first quarter lead was sparked by Matt Otten who took the score from 10-10 to 16-10 with six points on three possessions. By half time no side had made any more inroads as Jets led 37-28.

Tigers were a different team in the third quarter. After levelling the match at 48-48 on a Richard Midgley three a David Aliu three gave them the lead for good at 53-50.

Tony Robertson then took over in the fourth with 11 points to keep the Jets at arm's length throughout.  

Guildford Heat 86 (26,44,72) (Harrison 21, Martin 21, Gilbert 19, Dorsey 19)
Newcastle Eagles 79 (16,40,64) (Stewart 21, Bridge 12, Flournoy 12, Leven 12)

Guildford Heat kept alive the possibility of retaining the BBL title with an excellent 86-79 win over league leaders Newcastle Eagles at the Spectrum.

Heat still need to rely on other teams defeating the Eagles, but could do more than beating their rivals when given the opportunity.

After conceding the first points of the match Heat stunned their visitors with a 24-8 run to assume control. A Daniel Gilbert three began the burst and Gilbert followed with a further six points as Heat dominated. Newcastle hit back with a 6-0 run of their own to trail 26-10 at the end of the first quarter.

Heat extended their lead with a 6-3 start to the second quarter before Newcastle began to show why they hold an eight point advantage at the top of the BBL. A 13-4 run tied the match at 40-40. Guildford scored the final four points of the half to lead 44-40 at the interval.

Newcastle again tied the match at 44-44 and briefly took the lead (48-49) before runs of 5-0 and 12-4, with six points from Michael Martin, by the Heat broke the match open 70-59. A Jeremy Hyatt three sparked a 5-2 close to the half by Newcastle to close the gap to 72-64 with ten minutes remaining.

The Eagles continued to eat into the Heat lead in the final stanza. Runs of 8-2 and 5-2 put them within four (83-79) with 57 seconds on the clock before Michael Martin calmed home nerves with a two. James Jones split two free throws with 23 seconds left to complete the scoring.

PAWS London Capital 62 (10,27,42) (Gariba 27, Henry-Fontaine 11, Knight 11)
Sheffield Sharks          79 (22,36,61) (Whyte 18, Al. Virgil 16, Niesler 15)

The Sheffield Sharks ended a run of three successive defeats, and also avenged two previous league defeats to the PAWS London Capital, as they beat the Londoners by 62-79.

The win strengthened Sheffield's position in the top eight, the Playoff spots, and has almost made it a mathematical impossibility for the Capital to qualify for the post-season in their maiden campaign in the Britain's top flight.

James Whyte led the scoring for the victors with 18 points, whilst the backcourt pairing of Alto Virgil and Nathan Niesler added 16 and 15 respectively. Ibrahim Gariba led the resistance with a game-high 27 points.

The Sharks led from the early stages as three-pointers from Niesler and Virgil contributed to an early 16-5 run that gave them a 7-18 lead, which became 10-22 after the opening ten minutes.

The hosts came back in the second stanza as a 10-2 tear narrowed the gap to 24-28, but that would be as close as Sheffield would allow them to get as the visitors responded immediately by rattling off the next 7 points, going in 27-36 to the good at the half.

The game was put beyond the hosts early in the third period as Sheffield posted a 20-5 surge, including 5 crucial points from Whyte and numerous trips to the free-throw line. The lead peaked early in the fourth quarter as the Sharks scored the first 8 points and led 42-69. The Capital fought back from that point behind 7 points from Pierre Henry-Fontaine and 7 from Gariba, but the closest they could get was 60-76 in the final minute.

21-03-08

Marshall MK Lions 75 (17,41,50) (Williams 18, Brown 15, Youngblood 14)
PAWS London Capital 74 (23,45,63) (Gariba/Perkins 19, Ataha 8)

Marshall MK Lions kept their noses in front in the race for fourth place in the BBL Championship thanks to a come-from-behind 75-74 victory over the PAWS London Capital at the Bletchley Leisure Centre on Friday evening.

A 10-0 burst for the Lions bought them level at 67-67 in the final period. The Capital immediately responded with a 7-2 tear of their own to take the score out to 69-74. Yorick Williams bagged a pair of free-throws for the Lions, and that was followed by a Greg Harvey basket to get the Lions to within a point at 73-74.

A steal from Terrell Brown and a foul by the Raiders sent Brown to the foul-line with 4s remaining. Brown held his nerve to sink both free- throws to secure the victory for the Lions.

Earlier in the game, the Capital had opened an eight point lead in the opening quarter at 15-23 off the back of a 6-0 run.

They increased their advantage in the third period to twelve points at 48-60 after an 8-0 burst before the Lions came back at them in the closing stages.

Williams led the Lions scoring with 18 points, while the Capital had Ibrahim Gariba and Lijah Perkins to lead their scorers with game-high 19 points a-piece.

Newcastle Eagles 94 (21,50,73) (Babalola 21, Stewart 20, Levan 18)
Kularoos Plymouth Raiders 78 (19,27,43) (Durham 15, Moore 13, Beasley 11)

Newcastle Eagles took a massive step towards securing the BBL Championship league title thanks to a 94-78 victory over their nearest rivals Kularoos Plymouth Raiders at the MetroRadio Arena on Friday night.

After a close opening quarter that the Eagles shaded 21-19, the home side broke the game open with a 17-0 burst in the second period to take the score out to 46-24.

The Eagles led 50-27 at the half.

In the second half, the Eagles enjoyed their biggest lead of the game at 69-37. The Raiders tried desperately to get themselves back into the game, and managed to close the deficit in the final period to 92-78 off the back of a 7-0 run at the end of the game but the Eagles held on for the comfortable victory.

Olu Babalola led all scorers in the game with 21 points for the Eagles, while Terrence Durham led the Raiders scoring with 15.

19-03-08

Sheffield Sharks 83 (15,36,56) (Chaney 19, Graham 15, Virgil 14)
Guildford Heat 92 (24,49,69) (Gilbert 23, Harrison 21, Dorsey 21)

Sheffield Sharks miserable March continued at the Sheffield Arena as they went down 83-92 against reigning champions Guildford Heat.

Sharks never recovered from trailing 15-24 at the end of the first quarter, which had been built by a Heat run of 16-2 between the fourth and ninth minute. Each side shot five threes in the second as Heat stretched out to 36-49.

Neither team could make much impression in the third quarter as Heat maintained their lead at 56-69 before Sharks trimmed the margin of defeat back into single figures during the fourth quarter.

Daniel Gilbert led all-scorers with 23 for the Heat supported by 21 each from EJ Harrison and Tony Dorsey. Shelby Chaney's 19 paced the Sharks offence.

Everton Tigers 80 (24,37,58) (Robertson 15, Aliu 14, Davis 10)
BiG Storage Cheshire Jets 103 (26,59,79) (Obazuaye 25, Hamilton 21, Otten 17)

In front of a sell-out crowd at the Liverpool Echo Arena the Everton Tigers came up short against local rivals BiG Storage Cheshire Jets.

Tigers never got into a rhythm and trailed 24-26 at the end of the first quarter. The match was broken open at the start of the second period with the visitors 18-4 run forming the basis of a 37-59 half time lead.

An even third quarter followed with Trey Moore hitting back-to-back threes to keep Jets on top. Tigers rarely threatened to eat into the Jets lead for the remainder of the match as the Chester-based club closed the gap on Sheffield Sharks in the final play-off position.

15-03-08

BiG Storage Cheshire Jets and Jelson Homes DMU Leicester Riders heaped the pressure on Sheffield Sharks in eighth place after both won on Saturday night.

The Riders did both themselves and the Jets a favour by beating Sharks 78-65 while Cheshire easily saw off Birmingham Panthers 79-117 on the road.

In the night's other match Kularoos Plymouth Raiders kept themselves in the title picture with a 85-66 win over Everton Tigers.

Team Birmingham Panthers 79 (17,39,59) (Jules 27, A Williams 18, L Williams 15)
BiG Storage Cheshire Jets 117 (28,53,75) (Obazuaye 22, Hamilton 21, Moore 20)

BiG Storage Cheshire Jets are still in the hunt for a play-off place after a well-deserved 79-117 road win at Birmingham Panthers.

The Jets closed the gap on Sheffield Sharks, who lost at Leicester Riders, in the eighth spot to six-points and have a game in hand thanks to an explosive offensive effort.

A tight opening quarter burst to life with a 13-4 close to the period by Jets, which handed them a 17-28 advantage. They stretched this out to 39-53 at half time before totally assuming control in the third with a 15-9 burst to lead 59-75.

The match was put beyond doubt a the start of the final stanza with a 23-3 burst by the visitors to give them an unassailable 62-98 advantage. Six Jets players scored double figures with Jayson Obazuaye's 22 being the highest.

Jelson Homes DMU Leicester Riders 78 (20,40,60) (White 24, Wellington 16, Burns 10)
Sheffield Sharks 65 (10,22,42) (Whyte 15, Lyons 11, Graham 11)

Jelson Homes DMU Leicester Riders scored their first league win of 2008 with a 78-65 victory over Sheffield Sharks.

It keeps Riders in touch with the Sharks' eighth position in the BBL table while condemning Sheffield to yet another defeat as they battle to maintain their record of reaching the play-offs every season.

The Riders win was based on superb defence in the first and second quarters which saw them lead 20-10 after ten minutes and 40-22 at half time. Sharks fought back to within 12 (43-31) in the third before Riders moved away again to head into the final stanza 60-42 in front.

Leicester's lead peaked at 75-54 before a 9-0 Sharks run briefly gave the visitors hope. However, a Joel Burns three put the match beyond doubt in the final minutes.

Carlos White was the game's outstanding player as his 24-points, 15 board and four blocks came in just 22 minutes of action.

Kularoos Plymouth Raiders 85 (18,40,64) (Lasker 22, Moore 21, Beasley 13)
Everton Tigers 66 (20,39,52) (Davis 19, Midgley 19, Aliu 12)

Kularoos Plymouth Raiders refuse to give up on the league title as they notched another win on Saturday night.

This time it was an 85-66 victory over Everton Tigers, which takes their streak to seven in a row and keeps them close enough to leaders Newcastle for them to strike if the north east club should come unstuck.

Raiders trailed 18-20 at the end of the first quarter but aided by an 11-2 close to the half led 40-39 at the interval. The one-point margin quickly became double figures as Gary Stronach's team built a decisive 64-52 advantage.

Tigers were put away for good in the fourth quarter with Raiders' 21-points dwarfing the 14 offered by the Merseyside-based team.

Drew Lasker top-scored for Raiders with 22 while Calvin Davis' 19 led the way for the visitors.

12-03-08

Newcastle Eagles 91 (25,43,64) (Hyatt 21, Defoe 17, Stewart 17)
Sheffield Sharks 82 (21,31,54) (Chaney 19, Alto Virgil 15, Niesler 13)

Newcastle Eagles moved six-points clear at the top of the BBL with a comfortable 91-82 victory over Sheffield Sharks.

It is the Eagles ninth consecutive league win and edges them ever closer to the league title. For the Sharks it was their first defeat in three matches and they remain in eighth position.

Sharks quickly found themselves in a hole as an 8-2 run by the Eagles opened up a 16-8 first quarter lead. Success from the foul line stemmed the flow of points but Newcastle still led 26-21 after ten minutes.

Turnovers plagued Sheffield during the second period as they allowed the Eagles to build a substantial advantage. A 7-2 close to the half ensured that the home side was well in control at 43-31.

Sheffield worked hard in the third to trim the deficit back to 53-45 but Eagles guard Jeremy Hyatt hit back- to-back baskets to put Newcastle back in control.

After taking a 10-point lead into the final quarter the Eagles never let Sheffield back into the match as a Hyatt three-pointer opened up a 78-59 margin as Newcastle cruised to a victory that puts them six points clear at the top of the league.

09-03-08

After finding out that leading scorer Charles Smith may miss the rest of the regular season with an injury, the Newcastle Eagles found the perfect remedy for that and their BBL Trophy Final loss as they bounced back with two wins to strengthen their position at the top of the BBL Championship table.

The Eagles beat their northernmost rivals, the SAMG Verve Scottish Rocks, 79-75 at the MetroRadio Arena on Friday, before winning comfortably 67-88 at basement side Birmingham Panthers the following night. It was a good weekend for their big men as Lynard Stewart scored 20 against the Rocks and Darius Defoe led all scorers with 28 points at the Panthers.

Those wins, combined with back-to-back losses for the Guildford Heat - for only the third time in the league in the last two years - leaves the Eagles with the edge in the BBL Championship title race as they have nine games remaining.

The Heat lost 99-92 to the PAWS London Capital on Saturday, and then went down 105-112 at home to the league's form team, the Worcester Wolves, the following day. For the Wolves, that was their sixth consecutive win and their second of the weekend after beating Everton Tigers by 119-104 the night before their first ever win over the Heat.

Meanwhile, the Kularoos Plymouth Raiders are continuing their title push. The league's sternest defence held the Jelson Homes DMU Leicester Riders to just 4 points in the first quarter as they went on to win 71-107 in the East Midlands to consolidate second place in the table.

The Marshall MK Lions still occupy a top-four spot after condemning the Riders to the first of their defeats this weekend, 88-67 on Friday night, with former Rider Yorick Williams sinking 19 points.

The Lions followed that win by snatching an 88-92 victory at the BiG Storage Cheshire Jets on Sunday. Yorick Williams hit 8 points in a late 11-0 surge, before fouling out of the game, as the Lions led only in the first minute and the last three-minutes of the game.

The fifth-placed Rocks halted a four-game losing streak as Maurice Hampton hit 6/7 three-pointers on his way to 24 points in a 110-63 defeat of the Birmingham Panthers. That was the largest winning margin that a Rocks' side has ever achieved over a Birmingham franchise.

BiG Storage Cheshire Jets 88 (23,44,68) (Moore 23, Costantiello 17, Hamilton 14)
Marshall MK Lions                92 (18,44,62) (Brown 28, Youngblood 15, Spinks 12)

The Marshall MK Lions scored their second win of the weekend, and revived their BBL Championship season, with a late rally to win 88-92 at the BiG Storage Cheshire Jets. The Lions won the series with the Jets in the process by two games to one, and are 3-2 with the Jets in all competitions this season.

Terrell Brown hit six three-pointers on his way to 28 points to lead all scorers, with Robert Youngblood posting 15 points and Dru Spinks reaching double figures for the second time in consecutive weeks with 12 points. Former league MVP Trey Moore led the Jets with 23 points.

The Lions only led very early and very late in the game. They scored the first 3 points before they were hit with a 19-5 burst from the hosts. The Lions scored the last 8 points of the quarter to keep the game close, and it would remain that way throughout.

Youngblood hit the opening 5 points of the second period to tie the game at 23, and the sides could not be separated during the ensuing quarter as they went in knotted at 44 at half time.

The Jets pushed the lead out once more in the third period as Gianni Costantiello and James Hamilton had 4 points each in a 12-3 run that made the score 56-47. However, the Lions set up a tantalising fourth quarter as a Yorick Williams triple contributed to them scoring the last 6 points of the quarter and they were 68-62 down going into the decisive period.

The Lions took their first lead since the opening exchanges as a Williams three-pointer made it 81-82 with 3:00 left to play, capping what had been an 11-0 burst. Williams had also made another three and a two in that run before fouling out of the game. The Jets kept the game close and it was 84-85 before the Lions closed out the last minute with Brown and Spinks holding their nerve from the free-throw line.

Guildford Heat       105 (20,43,69) (Martin 24, Harrison 23, Karlikanovas 19)
Worcester Wolves 112 (28,51,78) (Life 28, Paez 27, Harker 25)

The Worcester Wolves continued their amazing run of form as they beat the Guildford Heat 105-112 to record their sixth consecutive win in the BBL Championship, their best run since joining the BBL. The win compounded a weekend of misery for the Heat, who also lost to the PAWS London Capital on Saturday, only the third time that they have suffered back-to-back defeats in the league in the last two years.

The league's leading scorer, James Life, had 28 points to lead all scorers for the Wolves, whilst Anthony Paez added 27 and 8 rebounds. Mike Martin led the hosts with 24 points.

The reigning league champions had their only lead of the game in the early stages at 4-0, before a 6-2 run from the Wolves saw the teams tied and the visitors took the lead for good at 10-12. A strong finish to the quarter, which saw 6 points from Anthony Paez, meant that the Wolves were 20-28 to the good after the first ten minutes, as player/coach Skouson Harker added 12 points in the stanza.

Paez continued his scoring in the second period as he had his team's first 6 points, but the Heat managed to narrow the gap to 31-34 on the back of 6 unanswered points. However, the irrepressible Wolves pushed it back out again, behind 9 points in the quarter from James Life, to lead 43-51 at the break.

A strong start to the second half saw the Heat open with a 16-9 run, which drew them to within one at 59-60 on Danny Gilbert's three-pointer. However, once more the Wolves remained resilient and a 15-4 response put the lead into double-figures at 63-75 late in the third quarter.

The closest that the Heat would get in the fourth was at 74-80 as they posted a short 5-0 burst and Nerijus Karlikanovas looked to rally his team with 16 points in the fourth quarter. However, it was not enough as the Wolves hit 7 straight points to lead 78-89 and they did not look back as Paez added another 15 points.

SAMG Verve Scottish Rocks 110 (25,57,84) (Hampton 24, Yanders 20, Joseph 17)
Team Birmingham Panthers    63 (6,21,41) (L. Williams 20, A. Williams 11, Wright 11)

The SAMG Verve Scottish Rocks snapped a four-game losing streak in beating the Team Birmingham Panthers 110-63 at Braehead Arena, the largest winning margin that the club has ever achieved against a Birmingham franchise. For the fifth-placed Rocks, it maintains their challenge for a top-four finish and homecourt advantage in the BBL Championship Playoffs.

Maurice Hampton led all scorers as he shot 6/7 three-pointers on his way to 24 points, whilst point guard Rob Yanders added 20 and Julius Joseph had 17. LaTaryl Williams scored 20 points for the visitors.

The result was never in doubt as the Rocks asserted themselves on the game from the very beginning with a 16-3 opening that was inspired by 9 points from Rob Yanders. They held their visitors to just 6 points in the opening period, whilst scoring 25 themselves.

Yanders continued to set the tone in the second as the Rocks opened 7-2, and they soon led 39-13. Hampton hit one of his five triples in the quarter, and that was followed by a dunk from Gareth Murray as the Rocks led 51-15, which became 57-21 at the halfway point.

Panthers rallied in the third, but were halted in their tracks by further triples from Hampton and Murray, as the score became 69-28. The Panthers showed some fight to close the third stanza with a 14-4 push; LaTaryl Williams had 11 of those points, and Cameron Wright hit a three-pointer on the buzzer to round it off.

However, the Rocks did not take their foot off the gas late on and back-to-back triples from Bilal Clarance sent them over the 100 mark to send a message to the Panthers, whom they face once more in their next game.

08-03-08

Team Birmingham Panthers 67 (20,27,43) (L Williams 22, Sandell 16, A Willams 15)
Newcastle Eagles                  88 (18,34,56) (Defoe 28, Leven 23, Babalola 12)

Newcastle Eagles secured their eigth successive victory in the BBL Championship to remain top of the table after a 67-88 defeat of Team Birmingham Panthers at the University of Wolverhampton, Walsall Campus on Saturday evening.

The home side started the stronger, and ten points from Lataryl Williams helped them to a 16-9 advantage midway through the opening period. The Eagles responded by stepping up their intensity on both ends of the court, and bagged sixteen of the next twenty points to lead 20-25 midway through the second period. The Eagles maintained their advantage to lead 27-34 going in at the half.

The second half saw the Eagles continue to pressurise the Panthers, and they broke the game open with a 15-5 tear across the final quarter break to lead 43-61 in the final stanza.

Despite the best efforts of the Panthers in the closing stages, the Eagles were able to hold on for the victory.

Williams led the Panthers scoring with 22 points, while Darius Defoe led all scorers in the game netting 28 points for the Eagles.

Jelson Homes DMU Leicester Riders 71 (4,23,46) (McKnight 23, Wellington 14, Burns 13)
Kularoos Plymouth Raiders                107 (28,59,80) (Moore 21, Lasker 18, Durham 16)

Kularoos Plymouth Raiders kept up the pressure on the Newcastle Eagles at the top of the BBL Championship table thanks to a comfortable 71-107 victory over the Jelson Homes DMU Leicester Riders at the John Sanford Centre on Saturday evening. The Raiders ended the game as a contest in the opening period outscoring their opponents 28-4.

The rest of the game saw the Riders try desperately to recover, and despite a three-pointer from Michael Martin on the buzzer at the end of the game for the home side, the Raiders secured the comfortable victory.

Gaylon Moore led the Raiders scoring with 21 points, while Chad McKnight led the scoring for the home side with 23 points personal.

PAWS London Capital 99 (14,38,68) (Bradley 18, Ogedengbe 16, Knight 15)
Guildford Heat 92 (20,36,70) (Harrison/Dorsey 24, Gilbert 21)

PAWS London Capital picked up a huge victory over title contenders the Guildford Heat by a score of 99-92 at the Capital City Academy on Saturday night.

Both sides traded baskets in the early going, and it was the Capital who took the initiative with a 15-6 tear midway through the second period to lead 29-26. The home side held onto their slender advantage at 38-36 going in at the half.

The second half saw the visitors get themselves in front, and a three-pointer from Daniel Gilbert gave them their biggest lead of the game at 46- 55. The Capital clawed their way back into it, and only trailed by two points at 68-70 going into the final stanza.

The final quarter started with the Capital netting six of the first eight points to take the lead at 74-72. From then on, both sides traded baskets, and the lead changed hands on numerous occasions, before the Capital enjoyed a 10-2 run to take the score out to 86-82 with less than two minutes remaining. The Heat tried desperately to get back in the game, and an EJ Harrison basket inside the final minute of the game got them to within two at 92-90, but that was as close as they got as the Capital sealed the victory from the foul line.

Sam Bradley led the Capital scoring with 18 points, while Harrison and Tony Dorsey led all scorers with 24 points a-piece for the Heat.

Worcester Wolves 119 (33,69,91) (Paez 29, Harker 26, Evans 25)
Everton Tigers      104 (23,44,76) (Midgley 33, Aliu 25, Herriman 20)

In a battle between the form sides in the BBL Championship, it was the Worcester Wolves who came out on top with a 119-104 victory over the Everton Tigers at Worcester University on Saturday evening. The Wolves leapt out to an early 14-5 lead in the opening, and maintained their advantage throughout the opening quarter to lead 33-23 at the end of the first. The second quarter saw the Wolves take control and break the game open with a 24-5 tear to close out the first half at 69-44.

The second half saw the Tigers begin to claw their way back into the contest, and a 9-2 burst midway through the third period bought the score back to 71-53. The Wolves were able to hold off the onslaught and lead 91-76 going into the final stanza.

In the final period, both sides traded baskets in the early stages, and a 9-0 run for the Tigers got them to within ten points at 100- 90, but the Tigers could get no closer as Worcester secured the victory from the foul line.

Antony Paez led the Wolves scoring with 29 points, and was ably assisted by Chuck Evans who picked up his second "triple-double" in successive games with 25 points, 10 rebounds and 10 assists. Richard Midgley led all scorers in the game with 33 points for the Tigers.

Marshall MK Lions 88 (23,47,71) (Y Williams 19, New 16, Brown 15)
Jelson Homes DMU Leicester Riders 67 (24,45,56) (White 17, Vear 16, Woodyard 9)

Marshall MK Lions made light work of Jelson Homes DMU Leicester Riders to maintain a hope of winning the title.

Lions were without the injured Shawn Jamison and Tony Windless but were too powerful for the Riders.

It was Leicester though who led after the first quarter 23-24. The joy was shortlived as a Yorick Williams three sparked a 9-0 burst for Lions to take them 36-29 in front midway through the second period.

Riders fought back to tie at 45-45 before a Terrell Brown lay-up just before the interval handed Lions the lead for good.

A 12-0 run to start the third quarter cemented the Lions lead and then an 11-0 run to close the match gave the scoreline a very one-sided look.

Newcastle Eagles 79 (20,41,57) (Stewart 20, Flournoy 14, Hyatt 13)
SAMG Verve Scottish Rocks 75 (17,38,57) (Wohlers 17, Hampton 16, Murray 13)

Newcastle Eagles moved four points clear at the top of the BBL Championship with a tense 79-75 win over cross-border rivals SAMG Verve Scottish Rocks.

The result boosts Eagles hopes of regaining the title, but seriously dents Rocks ambitions of a top four finish.

After a tight first quarter, which Eagles took 20-17, the home side fell behind 33-35 before rallying to lead 41- 35. Maurice Hampton hit a late three to bring the score back to 41-38 at half time.

Eagles looked in control during the third quarter as a they stretched out o 47-41 and 52-43. However, Rocks chipped away at the gap and levelled the score at 57- 57 going into the final stanza.

Rocks forged ahead 61-69 and looked to be heading for a vital away win before Eagles responded to tie the match at 72-72. A 5-0 burst after falling 72-74 behind handed Newcastle the lead for good as Andrew Bridge hit two free throws in the final seconds to seal the victory.

01-03-08

Worcester Wolves 108 (22,50,77) (Life 27, Paez 23, Evans 19)
SAMG Verve Scottish Rocks 92 (23,44,66) (Yanders 24, Wohlers 16, Davis 15)

Worcester Wolves beat SAMG Verve Scottish Rocks for the first time in their history to solidify their place in the final play-off position.

The Wolves fourth win in a row was paced by 27 points from James Life and a tripe double of 19 points, 10 rebounds and 11 assists from Chuck Evans. Anthony Paez also hit 23 points.

Wolves were on top from the opening as a 4-0 start to the match soon became a 10-4 advantage. Rocks showed early form too though as they ended the first quarter 22-23 in front.

A Life to Paez pass and dunk sparked a 5-0 beginning to the second quarter as Wolves went ahead for good. The lead eventually stretching out to 50-40 before Rocks scored the final four points of the half to trail 50- 44 at the interval.

The home time gradually extended their advantage throughout the third quarter making the most of their free throws and possession from technical fouls on the Rocks. Heading into the final quarter they led 77- 66.

Rocks could never get within 10 points during the fourth quarter and as their players began to foul out Wolves' job became much easier as they cruised to a 108-92 win.

Kularoos Plymouth Raiders 82 (19,40,66) (Love 17, Lasker 16, Moore 15)
Team Birmingham Panthers 64 (16,28,44) (A Williams 21, Omope 12, L Williams 10)

Kularoos Plymouth Raiders kept up their chase of Newcastle Eagles at the top of the BBL with a comfortable 82-64 home win against bottom placed Team Birmingham Panthers.

Raiders were made to work during a tight first half which they shaded 19-16 before breaking the match open with a 12-6 burst in the second quarter to take the score to 31-22. By half time Plymouth led 40- 28.

Panthers trimmed the deficit to 42-35 midway through the third but Raiders responded with an 11-3 run on their way to a 66-44 to set themselves up for victory.

Gavin Love led the way with 17 points while Adam Williams for Panthers was a game-high total.