Sunday 31st January 2010

Guildford Heat 87 (22, 46, 64) (Wierzbicki 36, Johnson 15, James 12)

Jelson Homes DMU Leicester Riders 92 (19, 51, 66) (Langhorne 23, Joseph 17, Martin 14)

The Jelson Homes DMU Leicester Riders scored a crucial win in the hunt for the BBL Championship Playoff places as they won 87-92 on the road at the Guildford Heat.

In a resilient performance, Bradd Wierzbicki led the Riders with 36 points, while Jason Johnson had 15 points and 9 rebounds. The Heat were led by 23 points from Kenny Langhorne.

The win came despite the hosts racing into a 19-9 lead as Langhorne made two three-pointers and Julius Joseph added one of his own. But the teams would never be separated by more than eight points throughout the rest of the game, and Leicesters revival was immediate as Aaron Westbrooks scored four in a 6-0 burst while the Heat were held scoreless for two minutes. After back-to-back baskets from Barry Lamble they were just 22-19 down after the first stanza.

The Heat regained an edge in the second as former Rider Russell Jordan hit a pair of free-throws to make the score 29-21. But Wierzbicki scored seven in a 12-4 run that saw the teams knotted at 33, as they were at 35, 37, 39 and 41. The Riders pushed on as the half-time break approached, with a triple from Aaron Westbrooks capping a 6-0 burst that helped them to their first lead since the opening minute at 41- 45 and they carried that edge into the locker rooms at 46-51.

Leicester took their biggest lead of the game in the third quarter at 57-64 after Isaac Westbrooks connected from three-point range with two minutes remaining, after Wierzbicki had made five straight points earlier in the period. However, Langhorne made a buzzer-beating triple to set up the exciting final quarter.

The Heat tied the game immediately in the fourth on Mike Martins score; and, although the teams would be tied twice more, the Heat couldnt regain the lead through the first seven minutes. Wierzbicki scored 12 points for his team during that spell but the Riders could not make it more than a one possession game. The Heat snatched an 82-80 lead on Josephs triple with 2.12 remaining, but couldnt build the momentum to take them any further in front. The teams were tied at 84 with 1.10 left after a Wierzbicki score tied the game and sparked the run that won it as his team scored the next 5 points to lead 84-89. The Heat made it interesting down the stretch as Ogendengbe made an old-fashioned three-point play to see the score at 87- 89 with six seconds left. Isaac Westbrooks was sent to the line and made 1/2, only for Tony Windless to grab the board and put it back in to win the game for the Riders.

Saturday 30th January 2010

Worthing Thunder 100 (21,45,74) (Bratton 28, Makalainen 24, Zabas 17)

Sheffield Sharks 105 (32,55,76) (Patton 26, Cook 22, Toney 21)

Sheffield Sharks survived a tough away trip to Worthing Thunder with a well earned 100-105 win on the south coast.

Sharks second win of the weekend sees them move two points clear for Newcastle Eagles in second place. For Worthing it was their first defeat in seven matches.

Sheffield, who were without player-coach Atiba Lyons who is attending a family funeral, began well and took a 32-21 lead into the second quarter. The visitors maintained a double-digit advantage until half time (55-45).

With Tafari Toney (pictured) dominating the paint, Worthing used good play from their guards to drag themselves back to 74-76 heading into the final stanza.

Worthing briefly took the lead on Sherrie Prezzie- Blues three at 85-84, but Sheffield stormed back with five points from Mike Tuck in an 8-2 run.

Reggie Bratton’s late three put Thunder back within touching distance but Perry Lawson drained two free throws to seal the win for Sharks.

 

Jelson Homes DMU Leicester Riders 82 (18,41,64) (Johnson 17, Wierzbicki 13, I Westbrooks/Lamble 12)

Essex Pirates 63 (24,38,53) (George 17, Adu 11, Hundert 10)

Jelson Homes DMU Leicester Riders had Jason Johnson in top form as they defeated Essex Pirates 82-63 in the East Midlands.

Johnson  notched 17 points, 11 boards and four blocks and went 11 of 12 from the free throw line to lead his team to victory.

Pirates enjoyed the better of the first quarter holding a 12-22 lead before Riders trimmed it to 18-24 after ten minutes. Essex still led 19-26 before a 15-5 run by Leicester, with eight from Johnson and six by Bradd Wierzbicki put the home team ahead.

Leading 41-38 at half time, Riders were pegged back to 51-51 before Barry Lamble and Isaac Westbrooks inspired a 13-2 run to end the third quarter.

Leicester’s lead peaked at 82-61 after a 14-3 run put the match safe. Randy George for Pirates joined Johnson with a game high 17 points while Wierzbicki hit 13 for Leicester.

 

Worcester Wolves 90 (15,45,62) (Middleton 27, Disy 26, Gilbert 13)

Glasgow Rocks 75 (20,28,52) Sapp 26, Davis 13, Yanders 11)

Worcester Wolves produced an excellent home win over Glasgow Rocks to keep themselves in touching distance of the playoff positions.

A 30-8 second quarter provided the bedrock for the win, which sees them move closer to Guildford Heat in ninth as they bid for a top eight position.

Rocks had led 20-15 at the end of the first quarter, but by half time they trailed 45-28 and despite reducing the arrears to 62-52 at the end of the third quarter it was Worcester who pulled away during the final stanza.

Worcester's offence was led by 27 points from Rod Middleton and 26 from Harry Disy (pictured).

Wolves coach Paul James was delighted with his teams performance. He said: Im thrilled beyond words about our victory. We were due a win after losing several close games. Tonight we put it together and concentrated so much better than the last two matches.

“Our defence in the second quarter was the key for us. Tonight we saw our shots go in rather than hit the rim. It is a morale boost and puts us in good heart for a tough match with Marshall MK Lions on Tuesday.”

Friday 29th January 2010

It was a night of changes in the top positions in the BBL Championship as the Sheffield Sharks returned to the summit of the table and the Marshall MK Lions leapfrogged over the Glasgow Rocks into third position thanks to victories over the Airwaves Plymouth Raiders and Everton Tigers respectively on Friday evening.

Everton Tigers 91 (22,41,58) (Moore/Jones 22, Gumbs 17)

Marshall MK Lions 107 (23,51,78) (Holmes 29, Harrison 25, Morris 18)

The Marshall MK Lions leapfrogged over the Glasgow Rocks into third position in the BBL Championship table thanks to a 91-107 victory over the Everton Tigers at the Greenbank Academy on Friday night.

A Jerome Gumbs basket opened the scoring for the Tigers, but the Lions came straight back at them thanks to ten points from Frank Holmes helped the visitors into an early 4-15 lead midway through the first period. Back- to-back three pointers from James Jones sparked a 15-3 response from the Tigers to retake the lead at 19-18 with two minutes remaining in the quarter, but a pair of free-throws from Holmes handed the Lions back the lead at 22-23 at the end of the opening period.

In the second quarter a 10-2 run from the visitors took the score out to 28-35 midway through the period. Another 10-2 Lions burst took the score out to 38-51, but another Jones three- pointer trimmed the deficit back to ten points at 41-51 heading into the locker rooms at the half.

In the second half both sides traded baskets throughout much of the third period, but back-to-back three pointers from EJ Harrison and Yorrick Williams helped the visitors into a twenty-point lead at 48-68. The Tigers tried valiantly to close the gap for the remainder of the quarter but the Lions maintained their advantage at 58-78 heading into the final stanza.

In the final period the Tigers tried valiantly to get themselves back into the game but they could not get closer than fifteen points off the back of a 12-3 burst to get the score back to 82-97 but the Lions remained strong through the closing stages and sealed the victory from the foul-line.

Holmes led all scorers in the game with an impressive 29-point haul for the Lions while a combination of Trey Moore and Jones led the scoring for the Tigers as they netted 22 points a -piece.

 

Sheffield Sharks 107 (24,59,84) (Toney 27, Patton 23, Tuck 18)

Airwaves Plymouth Raiders 84 (20,42,61) (Lasker 19, Rowe 18, Valencia 16)

After 24 hours in second place in the BBL Championship table, the Sheffield Sharks moved themselves back to the summit of the table above the Newcastle Eagles on fewer games played thanks to a 107-84 victory over the Airwaves Plymouth Raiders at the EIS, Sheffield on Friday evening.

Both sides traded baskets throughout much of the first period, but ten points from Todd Cauthorn helped the Sharks into an early 24-20 lead after the opening ten minutes of basketball.

An 11-3 start to the second period for the Raiders saw them take a slender 27-31 lead. The sides traded baskets but a Mike Tuck three-pointer sparked a 15-2 tear for the home side to take the score out to 45-35. The Sharks continued to stamp their authority on the game and ten points from Ryan Patton to close out the first half helped the Sharks take a 59-42 lead into the locker rooms at the half time interval.

In the second half the Sharks continued to dominate the early exchanges as a 16-2 burst took the score out to their biggest lead of the game at 82-51. The Raiders, and in particular Andrew Lasker and Anthony Martin, closed the gap as the two of them combined well netting all ten points in a 10-2 close to the third period for the visitors as they trimmed the deficit to twenty-three points at 84-61 heading into the final stanza.

In the final period the Sharks maintained their comfortable lead throughout the quarter as the home side helped themselves back to the summit of the BBL Championship.

Tafari Toney led all scorers in the game with an impressive 27 points for the Sharks, while the Raiders were led by Lasker with 19 points personal.

Thursday 28th January 2010

Newcastle Eagles                 96 (23,59,85) (Chapman 29, Smith 19, Defoe 16)

Airwaves Plymouth Raiders 80 (15,37,60) (Horton 18, Valencia 18, Lasker 17)

Newcastle Eagles moved to the top of the BBL table with a comfortable 96-80 home win against Airwaves Plymouth Raiders.

Eagles have a two point lead over second placed Sheffield Sharks, but have played two games more. The defeat for Raiders sees them slip below Worcester into eleventh.

An 11-2 start to the match, with Lynard Steward prominent, set the tone for a sharp Eagles performance. A Joe Chapman (pictured) three made it 21-13 and a Charles Smith two ended the first quarter 23-15 in the home team's favour.

Chapman broke the match open with four threes as Eagles went ahead by 20 (42-22). The American had 16 points in the second quarter on his way to a game- high 29 points.

After leading 59-37 at half time Eagles continued to stretch away in the third quarter. Darius Defoe (16 points, 12 boards) was to the fore as Newcastle entered the final stanza 85-60 up.

The lead allowed Newcastle to run their bench in the fourth quarter as a Raiders side without Matt Hilleary reduced the final deficit with a 20-11 period.

Eagles January signing Flinder Boyd, who has only had two training sessions with his new club, watched from the bench but didn't take part.

Sunday 24th January 2010

It was a night for the visitors on Sunday in the BBL Championship as three of the four games were won by the team on the road with the Worthing Thunder, Newcastle Eagles and Glasgow Rocks picking up victories away from their home courts to help sustain their push for those all-important play-off positions at the end of the season.

Airwaves Plymouth Raiders 75 (19,41,58) (Valencia/Lasker 20, Horton 16)

Glasgow Rocks 83 (24,39,61) (Yanders 30, Sapp 17, Crowell 11)

Glasgow Rocks moved themselves above the Marshall MK Lions into third position in the BBL Championship table thanks to a hard-fought 75-83 victory over the Airwaves Plymouth Raiders at the Plymouth Pavilions on Sunday afternoon.

In the first quarter, the Raiders came out of the blocks the quickest as they rushed out to an early 9-2 lead, but the Rocks responded immediately with a 10-0 tear of their own to take the lead at 9 -12. Both teams traded baskets for majority of the quarter that remained, but it was the Rocks who ended the period the stronger as they netted nine of the last thirteen points of the quarter to lead 19-24 at the end of the first period.

In the second quarter, the Raiders re-took the lead midway through the period at 37-34 off the back of a 13-3 tear. A three-pointer from Jessie Sapp tied the game at 39-39 inside the final minute of the half, but a Terry Horton basket with 30s remaining gave the Raiders the lead at 41-39 heading into the locker rooms at the half.

In the second half the home side opened with an 8-2 burst to take the score out to 49- 41, but the Rocks once again responded immediately with a 10-0 run, including eight points from Rob Yanders to give them the lead back at 49- 51. Both sides again traded baskets for the remainder of the quarter and a Florentino Valencia basket tied the game up at 58- 58 with 50s remaining, but a Mike Crowell three-pointer right at the end of the third period gave the Rocks a slender three-point advantage at 58-61 heading into the final stanza.

In the final period the Rocks extended their advantage over their hosts to fifteen points at 64-79 off the back of a 15-4 burst. The Raiders trimmed the deficit down to six points thanks to a 11-2 tear to get the score back to 75-81 inside the final ten seconds, but they could not get any closer as Sapp secured the victory for the Rocks from the foul-line.

Yanders led all scorers in the game with 30 points, including 7 three-pointers, while the Raiders scoring was led by a combination of Andrew Lasker and Valencia who scored 20 points a- piece.

 

Cheshire Jets 97 (21,41,67) (O'Reilly 19, Gayle 16, Marks 15)

Guildford Heat 74 (19,40,54) (Joseph 20, McKnight 12, Martin 11)

Cheshire Jets kept up their good recent BBL Championship form as they picked up a comfortable 97-74 victory over the Guildford Heat at the Northgate Arena on Sunday evening.

Both sides traded baskets for the majority of the first half and it was the Jets who held a slender one- point lead at 41-40 heading into the locker rooms at the half.

In the second half the home side began to stamp their authority on the game and a combination of Chez Marks (8 points) and Paul Peterson (7) helped the Jets into a commanding thirteen point lead at 67-54 heading into the final stanza.

In the final period, the Jets broke the game open with a 24-8 burst at the start of the quarter took the score out to 91- 62. Despite a valiant effort from the visitors to get themselves back into the game the home side held on for the comfortable victory. Colin O'Reilly led the scoring for the Jets with 19 points, but it was Julius Joseph who led all scorers with 20 points personal for the Heat.

 

PAWS London Capital 64 (21,32,47) (Gariba 23, Janusauskus 20, Mills 15)

Newcastles Eagles 88 (24,46,69) (Smith 27, Defoe 13, Chapman 11)

Newcastle Eagles moved themselves level on points with the Sheffield Sharks at the top of the BBL Championship table thanks to a comfortable 64-88 victory over the PAWS London Capital at the Capital City Academy on Sunday afternoon.

After a close opening quarter which saw the Eagles leading 21-24 heading into the second period, the visitors broke the game open with a 14-4 start to the second quarter to take the score out to 25- 38. Both sides traded baskets for the remainder of the half and the Eagles headed into the locker rooms leading 32-46 at the half.

In the second half the Eagles continued to open up a commanding lead throughout the third period and took a 47-69 lead into the final stanza.

In the final period the Capital tried valiantly to get themselves back into the game but the Eagles proved too strong for their hosts as they ran out comfortable winners. Charles Smith led all scorers in the game with 27 points for the Eagles, while Ibrahim Gariba led the Capital scoring with 23 points personal.

 

Worcester Wolves 82 (20,39,64,74) (Disy 22, Smith 16, Gilbert/Middleton 15)

Worthing Thunder 83 (22,41,61,74) (Bratton 30, Prezzie-Blue 16, Zabas 14)

(After overtime. Tied at 74-74 at end of regulation)

Worthing Thunder moved themselves kept up their pursuit of a top-four finish in the BBL Championship table thanks to a thrilling 82-83 overtime victory over the Worcester Wolves at Worcester University on Sunday afternoon.

The Wolves led 64-61 heading into the final stanza, but the Thunder re-took the lead at 70-72 off the back of a 12- 2 burst with 4:41 remaining in the game. Four points from Devin Smith gave the home side the lead once again at 74-72 but a Sherrad Prezzie- Blue basket tied the game at 74-74 with 2:39 left. Both sides had opportunities to win the game in the closing stages and a Reggie Bratton three-pointer rimmed out with 2 seconds left to send the game into overtime.

In the extra period the visitors leapt out to an early 76-79 lead, but the home side came straight back at them and a Harry Disy free-throw with 32 seconds left in the game gave the Wolves a 82-81 lead. The home side stepped up the pressure on the defensive end, but a Reggie Bratton basket with 18 seconds left gave the Thunder the lead at 82-83. The Wolves had one last opportunity to win the game, but Daniel Gilbert's long- range effort was unsuccessful and the Thunder held on for the all- important victory.

Earlier in the game the visitors started strongly and opened up an early lead at 10-18 thanks to nine points from Bratton. The Wolves managed to close the gap through the remainder of the opening period and trailed by two points at 20-22 at the end of the first quarter.

In the second period, both sides continued to trade baskets throughout the quarter with neither side able to establish a sense of authority on the game and the Wolves finished the half the stronger netting six of the last eight points in the half to trail by two points at 39-41 heading into the locker rooms at the half.

In the second half, a 12-4 start to the third period from the visitors took the score out to 44-53, but the home side battled back and a 13-4 tear tied the game at 59-59 heading into the closing stages of the third quarter. A three-pointer from Kastytis Normantas and a Disy basket helped the Wolves into a 64-61 lead before the fireworks of the final stanza and overtime.

Disy led the Wolves scoring with 22 points, but it was Bratton who led all scorers in the game with 30 points personal for the Thunder.

Saturday 23rd January 2010

Essex Pirates 85 (26,44,62) (George 24, Mumuni 20, Adu 16)

Worthing Thunder 90 (20,43,66) (Zabas 22, Bratton 20, Prezzie-Blue 16)

Worthing Thunder moved into the BBL Championship's top seven with a hard fought 85-90 road win at Essex Pirates.

Pirates, playing on back-to-back nights after losing at league leaders Sheffield on Friday, began the match well and led 26-20 at the end of the first quarter. Thunder trimmed the gap to one (44-43) by half time.

Worthing managed to edge ahead during the third quarter as they took a 62-66 lead into the final stanza.

Essex tied the match at 72-72 with just over five minutes remaining and trailed by just one (80-81) with 1.54 on the clock.

However, a jam by Thunder's BBL slam-dunk runner- up Kadiri Richard (pictured) opened up a four point lead (81-85) and the visitors were able to hold on from the free throw line from there.

Pirates Randy George led all scorers with 24 while Evaldas Zabas led Worthing with 22.

 

Jelson Homes DMU Leicester Riders 66 (14,29,45) (James 18, Johnson 12, Williams 8)

Glasgow Rocks 87 (29,53,71) (Sapp 24, Yanders 23, Copeland 17)

Glasgow Rocks made light work of Jelson Homes DMU Leicester Riders with a comfortable 66-87 victory in the East Midland.

Playing without the injured Bradd Wierzbicki, Riders had no answer for a full strength Rocks team including new signing Randall Hanke.

Rocks didn't take long get a firm hold on the match. Michael Copeland scored eight-points in an 18-6 start that set the tone for the first quarter. Threes by Jessie Sapp (pictured) and Rob Yanders in the final minute made it 14-29 to the visitors.

Matters didn't improve in the second period and Rocks pushed their lead out to 20 (21-41). A 6-0 end to the half, with the last two points from Hanke, saw Glasgow in control at 29-53.

Threes from Gareth Murray and Yanders gave Rocks their biggest lead of the night at 41-69 midway through the third quarter and it took a late fourth quarter 7-0 run by Leicester to get the margin below 20 for the first time since just before half time.

Even that achievement came to nothing though as Hanke finished the match with a dunk to move Rocks level on points with third placed Marshall MK Lions.

Friday 22nd January 2010

There were wins for the top two teams in the BBL Championship on Friday night, as well as for both of the finalists in last Sunday's BBL Cup Final.

Everton Tigers 87 (33,59,73) (Larkai 19, Moore 19, Babalola/Thompson 15)

Cheshire Jets 98 (23,41,67) (Marks 24, O'Reilly 22, Peterson 20)

The Cheshire Jets bounced back from Sunday's BBL Cup Final defeat by beating North-West rivals the Everton Tigers 87-98, thereby joining the Tigers in fifth place in the BBL Championship table.

It was a storming second half recovery that did it for the Jets, who were led by 24 points from Chez Marks and 22 from Colin O'Reilly. Flo Larkai led Everton with 19, while recent acquisition Trey Moore scored 19.

This highly-charged game started in high-scoring fashion with the Jets taking an early lead at 4-9 after a pair of O'Reilly scores. But the teams were all tied at 11 after Thompson's three-pointer for the Tigers, and they would go on to be tied three times in the following two minutes. Gayle's triple for the Jets marked the last time that the Jets would be level until the fourth quarter, at 16, before the Tigers posted a 6-0 run. The Tigers scored a further eight points within the final 48s of the quarter, sparked by another Thompson three, to lead 33-23 after ten minutes.

The Tigers stretched their lead as Thompson remained hot: his three-pointer made it 42-25 after three minutes. Babalola and Larkai combined for five points, and when they scored back-to-back again within the final minute the lead was twenty at 59-39. Marks made a lay-up for the Jets before the half drew to a close.

The Jets came flying back after the break, making headway with an early 11-3 run to make it 62-52 as the Tigers only scored three free-throws in the opening four minutes. That was shortly followed by a 9-0 surge, capped by O'Reilly's triple to narrow the gap to just 66- 61 with 2.32 remaining in the third. Former Jet Trey Moore halted the run with a three-pointer and the Tigers held on to lead 73-67 going into the decisive stanza.

But the Tigers could not contain Marks and O'Reilly in the fourth, who scored 15 and 9 points respectively in the period. Their intentions were signalled immediately as O'Reilly opened with a triple, before they took the lead at 75-76 as the same player capped a 6-0 burst. There were four quick lead changes before Peterson's three and two free-throws for Marks made it 83-88, but the Tigers were still within one shot, at 87- 90 heading into the last 1.30. But Marks took over, as the Tigers didn't score again, and he 6 points in a 8-0 close that won the game for the Jets.

 

Newcastle Eagles 92 (23,40,61) (Chapman 31, Smith 17, Stewart 14)

Worcester Wolves 71 (23,39,54) (Gilbert 20, Disy 15, Knyas 9)

The Newcastle Eagles remain within striking distance of the Sheffield Sharks at the top of the table after a 92- 71 defeat of in-form Worcester Wolves in the North East.

Joe Chapman inspired the Eagles with 31 points, while Lynard Stewart had 14 points, 10 rebounds and 7 assists.

The teams could barely be separated in the first half of the game. There were eight lead changes in a first period that ended with the teams knotted at 23. It was a slightly different picture in the second stanza as the Wolves led throughout, but rarely by more than one shot. But the momentum swung in favour of the Eagles as halftime approached and Chapman connected on a buzzer-beating three-pointer to put them into the ascendancy at 40-39 at the half.

That momentum continued as Chapman hit another three, followed by a Stewart basket, to make the score 53-47 in the third, and it reached 61-54 on another Chapman triple before neither team scored in the final minute.

The Eagles were rampant in the fourth quarter as they put 31 points on the board. Chapman and Smith kicked it off with an 11-3 opening in which the latter scored two triples and the former added another. That was followed by a 6-0 run, before the lead peaked at 90-67 on Aaron Nielsen's three-pointer.

 

Sheffield Sharks 101 (22,48,72) (Cook 28, Toney 20, Tuck 16)

Essex Pirates 77 (17,42,55) (Adu 22, George 14, Hundert 11)

There was no BBL Cup Final hangover for the Sheffield Sharks as they beat the Essex Pirates 101-77 to hold off the Newcastle Eagles at the top of the BBL Championship table.

The Sharks won the Cup on Sunday, led by Mike Cook's 19 points, and he followed that performance with 28 tonight. Tafari Toney added 20 and smashed a basket in dunking for two of those, delaying the game.

The game was close through the first half, and in the opening minutes Todd Cauthorn's three-pointer broke a 5-5 tie. Toney scored the next 8 points for the Sharks as they established a 16-11 lead, while former Shark Randy George kept the scoreboard ticking over for the visitors. Mike Cook made back-to-back baskets to ensure that the Sharks led 22-17 by the end of the first quarter.

The Sharks couldn't extend their lead much further in the second period, despite Cook coming alive for 10 points. He scored 4 in an opening 6-0 burst as the lead broke through the double-digit barrier at 28-17, and it peaked at 35-21 after his triple and a score from Tuck. But the Pirates reined the Sharks back in as Williams and Hundert hit consecutive three-pointers in an 8-0 tear; that was followed by another Hundert trey that helped trim the deficit to 40-36. Toney halted their progress and the teams scrapped their way to 48-42 at the half.

The Sharks made their move in the third quarter with runs of 9-4 and 8-2 that pushed the lead out to 65-48, and they led 72-55 by the end of the period. Toney extended the lead to 79-57 in the final quarter, before holding up the game with his dunking antics with 5.55 remaining. The Sharks struggled to score after returning from the break, but finished with a 9-4 run to break through the century mark.

Saturday 16th January 2010

Worcester Wolves 79 (14,37,63) (Middleton 26, Gilbert 20, Disy 16)

Jelson Homes DMU Leicester Riders 80 (19,43,66) (James 22, Wierzbicki 14, I Westbrooks/Johnson 13)

Jelson Homes DMU Leicester Riders snatched a vital away win at Worcester Wolves to keep in touch with the top half of the BBL table.

The returning Duane James scored the game- winning points from the free throw line with 57 seconds on the clock. Wolves new signing Giedrius Knysas could only put down one of two 20 seconds later and on the final possession Rod Middleton couldn't get a good shot off under intense Riders pressure.

Earlier in the match Leicester had held the lead at the end of the first three quarter. But with the match tied at 78-78, James kept his cool to drain both free throws for Rob Paternostro's team.

Worcester Wolves coach Paul James said: "I'm very disappointed by the loss. We will evaluate what happened. The guys are very down in the locker room. We're going to train harder and work hard on rebounds.

"We need to show character to get back up for our Trophy match at Plymouth Raiders on Wednesday.

"It was a physical game played right on the edge. Leicester took their chances so good luck to them. We would desperately have liked to win this match to drag them back towards us as we compete for a play off place."

 

Worthing Thunder 105 (20,45,70) (Makalainen 27, Zabas 26, Bratton 21)

Newcastle Eagles 99 (22,52,69) (Chapman 24, Bridge 21, Smith 19)

Worthing Thunder moved into the play-off places with a dramatic 105-99 win over reigning champions Newcastle Eagles.

An 8-0 close to the match, which included a go-ahead three-point shot by Evalda Zabas with two seconds left, proved to be the difference between the sides.

Looking to keep the pressure on Sheffield Sharks at the top of the table an Andrew Bridge three got Newcastle off the best possible start. That three-point lead was the largest advantage either team had in the first quarter as another Bridge bomb from beyond the arc put his team 20-22 up after ten minutes.

The Eagles enjoyed the better of the second quarter with a 7-0 run giving them a 28-37 lead. A later 11-5 burst stretched it to 41-52 before free throws from Kadiri Richard and Ville Makalainen (pictured) trimmed the deficit to 45-52 at half time.

Thunder continued to close the gap with first Sherad Prezzie-Blue and then Sam Cricelli knocking down shots to make it a two-point game. And the comeback was complete at 67-67 following James Brame's free throw. Evaldas Zabas edged the home side in front 70- 69 to end the third quarter.

Reggie Bratton's five free throws early in the final stanza gave Thunder their biggest lead of the night at 79-75. But all it did was inspire the Eagles to put together an 18-9 run to move ahead 88-93.

A Bratton three kept Thunder in touch as the match was tied at 93, 97 and 99 before Zabas put Worthing ahead for good. Makalainen sealed the points from the charity stripe after the Eagles 'Hail Mary' pass had sailed through the endline to give Worthing their second win of 2010.

 

Essex Pirates 78 (17,39,55)

Glasgow Rocks 90 (12,34,62)

Glasgow Rocks continued their climb up the table with a 78-90 win at basement club Essex Pirates.

An excellent second half performance by the Rocks ensured Sterling Davis's (pictured) team jumped over Everton Tigers into fourth position.

Pirates led 39-34 at half time, but Rocks responded brilliantly after the interval to take a seven point lead (55-62) into the final stanza. From there Rocks three- point shooting kept Essex at bay.

Friday 15th January 2010

Friday night in the BBL Championship saw four teams in the middle of the pack trying to close the gap on the leaders and it was the Everton Tigers and Glasgow Rocks who came out on top as they picked up important victories over the Jelson Homes DMU Leicester Riders and Guildford Heat respectively.

Everton Tigers 94 (29,50,73) (Gumbs 28, Bethune 20, Larkai 15)

Jelson Homes DMU Leicester Riders 89 (23,40,64) (Johnson 23, James 22, Wierzbicki 14)

Everton Tigers closed the gap to just two points on the Marshall MK Lions in third position in the BBL Championship table thanks to a hard-fought 94-89 victory over the Jelson Homes DMU Leicester Riders at the Greenbank Academy on Friday night.

After a tight opening to the game where both sides traded baskets in the early going, a three- pointer from Darrell Bethune sparked a 13-3 burst for the home side to take the score out to 18-11. Both sides traded baskets for the remainder of the period and it was the Tigers who held a six-point advantage at 29- 23 heading into the second quarter.

In the second period the Riders closed the gap to three points early in the quarter at 31-28, but a Jerome Gumbs basket instigated a 17-1 tear for the home side to break the game open and take the score out to 48-29. A 11-2 finish to the period for the Riders saw the visitors close the gap to ten points at 50-40 heading into the locker rooms at the half.

In the second half, both sides continued to trade baskets throughout the majority of the third period but the Riders closed the gap to just five points at 56-51. The Tigers responded immediately with a 7-0 run to take the score out to 63-51. The Riders tried to keep themselves in the game and bought the deficit back to just nine points at 73-64 heading into the final stanza.

In the final period the deficit remained at between eight and ten points throughout the majority of the quarter with the Tigers leading 91-81 with three minutes remaining in the contest. The Riders responded with five points from Isaac Westbrook and a Dwayne James basket bought the visitors to within three points at 92-89 with 1:24 left on the clock. Both sides had chances to secure the victory, but it was left to Gumbs to secure the victory for the Tigers from the foul-line as time expired.

Gumbs led all scorers in the game with 28 points for the Tigers, while Jason Johnson led the scoring for the Riders with 23 points.

 

Glasgow Rocks 88 (30,50,73) (Yanders 18, Davis 15, Copeland 14)

Guildford Heat 64 (17,25,45) (Joseph 20, Langhorne 17, McKnight 14)

Glasgow Rocks moved themselves up into fifth position in the BBL Championship table thanks to a comfortable 88-64 victory over the Guildford Heat at Kelvin Hall on Friday evening.

A Mike Martin basket to open the game for the Heat was the one and only lead that the visitors enjoyed in the entire game as two quick three-pointers from Gareth Murray helped the Rocks into an early 8-2 advantage. Julius Joseph closed the gap to just two points at 17-15, but a Mike Crowell three-pointer sparked a 13-2 run for the Rocks to close out the first period leading 30-17.

The home side continued to hammer home their advantage as a further 15-3 burst to open the second quarter took the score out to 45- 20. The Rocks extended their lead to twenty-five points at the half thanks to five points from Mike Copeland to lead 50-25 heading into the locker rooms.

In the second half, the Heat tried valiantly to get themselves back into the game, but the Rocks were too strong for their visitors as they continued to stretch their advantage throughout the second half enjoying their biggest lead of the game at 80-48 midway through the final period. The Heat continued to try and pull themselves back into the game and despite netting seven of the last nine points of the game, the Rocks ran out comfortable winners.

Rob Yanders led the scoring for the Rocks with 18 points, but it was Julius Joseph who led all scorers in the game with 20 points for the Heat.

Sunday 10th January 2010

Ahead of next weekend's BBL Cup Final, both of the contesting sides suffered defeats on Sunday as the Sheffield Sharks were knocked out of the BBL Trophy by the Glasgow Rocks and the Cheshire Jets went down in the BBL Championship to the Newcastle Eagles.

In other BBL Championship action, the Guildford Heat ended their weekend on a high, but had to work a lot harder than they would have like to have done as they came from behind to eventually pick up a comfortable 89-69 victory over the PAWS London Capital at the Guildford Spectrum on Sunday afternoon.

Cheshire Jets 70 (21,47,58) (Hamilton 19, O'Reilly 12, Marks 11)
Newcastle Eagles 75 (20,40,56) (Jackson 18, Chapman 15, Smith 12)

Newcastle Eagles closed the gap between themselves and the Sheffield Sharks to just two points at the top of the BBL Championship table thanks to a 70-75 victory over the Cheshire Jets at the Northgate Arena on Sunday evening.

In a close game throughout both sides traded baskets for much of the opening period, but it was the home side who took the early advantage in the game to lead 21-20 after the opening ten minutes of basketball.

In the second quarter the Jets continued to hold the advantage and extended their lead progressively throughout the second quarter and led by seven points at 47-40 heading into the locker rooms at the half.

In the second half the Eagles began to pull themselves back into the game and outscored their hosts 11-16 in the third period to trim the deficit back to just two points at 58-56 heading into the final stanza.

In the final period both sides traded baskets through the early going, but it was the Eagles who took control of the game and lead 62-69 heading into the closing stages. The Jets closed the gap to four points at 65-69 with two minutes remaining, but a Joe Chapman basket took the score to 67-71 and effectively sealed the victory for the Eagles.

Reggie Jackson led the scoring for the Eagles with 18 points, but it was James Hamilton who led all scorers in the game with 19 points for the Jets.

 

Guildford Heat 89 (14,36,61) (Langhorne 28, McKnight 18, Martin 11)
PAWS London Capital 69 (23,40,52) (Ivanov 16, Jivens/Gariba 13)

Guildford Heat capped off a highly successful weekend but needed to come from behind to eventually see the PAWS London Capital by a score of 89-69 at the Guildford Spectrum on Sunday afternoon.

After the excellent BBL Trophy victory by Guildford over the Jelson Homes DMU Leicester Riders the previous night, the opening quarter belonged to the Capital as they opened the game with a 10-3 tear to lead early on. The Heat came back into the game and trimmed the score back to 12-16, but a 7-2 finish to the opening period from the visitors saw them lead 14-23 at the end of the first quarter.

The second period saw the Heat keep their visitors scoreless for the opening three minutes of the quarter and managed to take a single point lead at 24-23 off the back of a 10-0 run, but the Capital responded immediately with a 9-3 burst of their own to take the score out to 27-32. The visitors maintained their lead throughout the remainder of the period and despite a huge three-pointer from Aaron "LA" Drakeford at the end of the half, the visitors lead 36-40 heading into the locker rooms at the half.

Drakeford's three-pointer at the end of the first half gave the Heat a bit of momemtum as they started the second half with a 5-0 run to lead 41-40, but again the Capital responded with a 6- 0 burst of their own to re-take the lead at 41-46. Both sides continued to trade baskets for the majority of the third period and the Capital held their lead at 45-50 with 4:20 remaining in the third quarter.

It was at this point that the Heat broke the game open with a 20-2 cross-quarter tear, including eight points from Chad McKnight and six from Kenny Langhorne, to take the score out to 62-52 with eight minutes left in the game. The Capital tried valiantly to get themselves back into the game but to no avail as the Heat continued to exert the pressure on their visitors and ultimately held on for the comfortable victory.

Langhorne led all scorers in the game with 28 points for the Heat, while Dian Ivanov led the Capital scoring with 16 points personal.

At the end of the game, Heat assistant-coach Richard Scantlebury was full of praise for the teams efforts. "We made hard work of that game but was pleased with the performance in the second half. London played well and had a good gameplan which worked well for them in the first half, but we played much better defense in the second half and caused a number of turnovers which we could convert on."

Friday 8th January 2010

The Worcester Wolves picked up a morale-boosting win over the Cheshire Jets tonight, whilst the Everton Tigers comfortably beat the Essex Pirates 99-79.

Worcester Wolves 76 (22,43,60) (Disy 19, Gilbert 15, Smith 13)

Cheshire Jets 65 (12,28,44) (Hamilton 15, Myers/Gayle 12)

The Worcester Wolves picked up a morale-boosting win over the Cheshire Jets tonight, which will no doubt be encouraging for new but experienced boss Paul James, who took over first team duties at the club after the departure of Chuck Evans last month.

The Wolves started the game the better of the two sides, as Daniel Gilbert, Harry Disy, and Devin Smith combined for the first 7 points, without reply from the Jets. A 9-3 run then put them up 16-6, before the Jets' Shawn Myers found his way to the bucket off a Chez Marks assist. Although Marks and Myers continued to help the visitors back into the game, the Wolves broke away to a 22-12 lead at the end of the first period.

The second stanza began with the Jets' Stephen Gayle netting a three pointer, to leave the scores at 22-15, but Worcester's Kastytis Normantas' dunk made it 24-15 to the home side soon after that. The sides then exchanged scores, until Worcester increased their lead to 36-22, with 7:49 left in the period. They continued this form until the end of the quarter, and were some distance ahead at the half, 43-28 up. The third quarter was then a similar story, as the scoreline read 60-44, thanks to some tough Wolves defence.

There was no way back for the Jets in the fourth quarter, as the game finished 76-65, an eleven point win for the home side. Head coach, Paul James, said: 'I am absolutely delighted with the victory, it was a comprehensive win, with a clinical performance based on exactly what I was looking for.'

Harry Disy led the scoring in the game with 19 points personal, and supporting him for the Wolves were Danny Gilbert with 15 points and Devin Smith had 13. The Jets were fronted by 15 points from James Hamilton, whilst Shawn Myers and Stephen Gayle had 12 each.

 

Everton Tigers 99 (25,52,79) (Babalola 24, Bethune/Gumbs 20)

Essex Pirates 79 (22,37,54) (George 24, Toluwase/Adu 15)

It was the Pirates who had the advantage early on in this one, as new signing Randy George, and Taner Adu, got the first four points of the game between them, only for Flo Larkai to throw it down for Everton inside first two minutes of the game. Although the Pirates crept out to a 9-3 advantage, the Tigers came growling back, as they bought the scores level at 10 points a-piece. A Darrell Bethune three pointer off an Olu Babalola pass then took the Tigers 13-10 ahead, the same point gap as there was at the end of the first quarter, 25-22 being the score after ten minutes of action.

Walid Mumuni drained a trey for the Pirates straight off, to tie the scores again at 25-25, only for Bethune to reply off an Andrew Thomson pass. A long bomb from Olu Babalola for the Tigers, another triple from Bethune, followed by a dunk and a free throw from Larkai, meant the Tigers were now 32-25 ahead, and they really pushed on from here, as the scoreboard read 52-37 at the end of the half, in their favour.

This burst blew the match open, and for the third quarter, the Tigers outscored their opponents 24-17 to reach a 79-54 lead going into the final ten minutes. The last period of the game was more of the same, as Everton walked out winners to the tune of 99-79. They were led by the excellent Olu Babalola, who had 24 points, Darrell Bethune and Jerome Gumbs had 20 points each, whilst the Pirates star man was Randy George (24 points). Tied in second place for the Pirates were Sam Toluwase and Taner Adu, who both had 15 points.

Sunday 3rd January 2010

The BBL title race is well and truly open in 2010, as today's events confirmed. The revamped Worcester Wolves came agonisingly close to a shock win over league leaders, Sheffield Sharks, who held onto a 90-88 overtime win thanks to two big plays from new signing Mike Tuck in the extra period, and a three pointer from Mike Cook at the end of the fourth to keep the game alive, sending it into overtime.

Meanwhile, Airwaves Plymouth Raiders got another much needed win under their belts as they fought hard for the 87-74 victory over Everton Tigers, who now lie in joint 6th place with Jelson Homes DMU Leicester Riders.

Sheffield Sharks 90 (18, 42, 56, 76 ) (Cook 32, Toney 19, Lawson 10)

Worcester Wolves 88 (19, 35,52,76) (Middleton 29, Gilbert 19, Normantas 16)

After a victory in their first game under new head coach Paul 'PJ' James, the Worcester Wolves were inches from stunning league leaders, Sheffield Sharks today, in a game which eventually ended with the Sharks winning 90-88 in a pulsating encounter at the EIS Sheffield.

Sheffield went up early 8-4, but after an 8-0 run by visitors, the scoreline read 8-12 in the Wolves favour. The sides were then neck and neck for the rest of the opening stanza, which finished 18-19 to Worcester.

The Sharks played well to open the second period, only down 30-28 some way into the quarter, thanks to a Mike Cook-inspired 8-3 run. They then continued this good form to go on another 9-1 burst to lead 39-31. The score line at the half showed slightly more distance between the sides, as they went into the locker rooms with the home side leading 42-35.

A Wolves three pointer early in the third quarter meant that the score line read 42-38 in Sharks favour, but the top of the table outfit then scored the next 11 points. The Wolves however, were not about to lay down and die, as they went on a 14-3 stint, leaving the scores at 56-52. The last eight points of the third were scored by new point guard Rod Middleton.

The fourth quarter was a tight affair all the way through, as the Sharks went 8 points up after a 4-0 start. Wolves then bought it back to 60-57, before a three pointer from Kastytis Normantas tied the scores at 64-64. Four points from the Sharks ensured they kept a cushion lead at 68-64, but the Lithuanian sunk another deadly triple to trim the deficit to just one point. The Sharks kept their cool, and went 72-67 ahead, but a resilient Worcester side fought back to regain the lead at 72-74, as Normantas had 5 points in a 7-0 run, including the three pointer that put them ahead. Middleton then kept his head from the charity stripe, slotting both home, only for Cook to nail an awesome long bomb with 9 seconds left, to tie the game at 76-76, forcing overtime.

The extra period began with Perry Lawson knocking down a three ball for the Sharks, whilst Kastytis worked his side back into the lead with some valuable scores, at 83-85. A Cook three point play put the Sharks in front once again at 86-85, only for a Middleton three ball to send Worcester into the lead, at 86-88. Four quick points from Mike Tuck then secured the dramatic 90-88 win for the hosts.

Although any win is important, Atiba Lyons was clearly not satisfied with his side's performance: 'Today was a good win, but we did a lot of things poorly' he said 'We had a cold spell when we needed to score, and gave up three open looks. I am not going to put it down to the Christmas break, as we were up by twelve or thirteen points, but switched off and got a little bit over-confident.'

Mike Cook led all scorers in the game with 32 points, whilst Tafari Toney (19 points) and Perry Lawson (10 points) provided able back up for the Sharks. For the new-look Wolves, Middleton worked hard for a deserved 29 points, whilst Dan Gilbert bagged 19 points, and Normantas shot the lights out from behind the arc for his 16.

 

Everton Tigers 74 (12,30,53) (Babalola 19, Bell 18, Gumbs 16)

Airwaves Plymouth Raiders 87 (21,39,59) ( Horton 23, Lasker 21, Valencia 15)

The Airwaves Plymouth Raiders moved up into 10th place and broke into double figures in league table points with 10, as they beat the Everton Tigers tonight. The score board at the end of the game read 74-87 to the Raiders, in a hotly contested affair.

Right from the start of the game, there were two sides matching up with each other that were desperate to leave with a 'W' as Everton, now in joint 6th place with the Jelson Homes DMU Leicester Riders, were looking to carry their stunning form from the back end of 2009 over to the New Year. At half time however, the score line was 30-38 in the favour of the visiting Raiders.

The second half was a lively twenty minutes of basketball, as the Raiders eventually shaded an 87-74 score line for a significant victory away from home. Leading them were American Forward Terry Horton, who had 23 points, Drew Lasker scored 21 points, and Florentino Valencia had 15 points. For the Tigers, Olu Babalola and Kevin Bell led the way with 19 and 18 points respectively, whilst Jerome Gumbs had 16 points to his name.

Saturday 2nd January 2010

2010 started well for the Worthing Thunder and Worcester Wolves, as both recorded home wins in games that they led from tip-to-buzzer in the BBL Championship on Saturday night.

In a congested mid-table, the Worthing Thunder joined four other teams on 16 points after beating the fourth-placed Cheshire Jets 109-94 on the South Coast.

Meanwhile, the Wolves took a step towards new coach Paul James's ambition of a playoff place as their 91-69 defeat of the PAWS London Capital moved them up into tenth place.

Worcester Wolves 91 (22,48,64) (Gilbert 24, Disy 16, Middleton 15)
PAWS London Capital 69 (13,29,46) (Jivens 23, Janusauskas 15, Gariba 14)

Paul James had a successful start to his reign at the Worcester Wolves as they overcame close rivals the PAWS London Capital by 91-69 in the Midlands.

The teams had previously been tied on six points in the BBL Championship table, but the win moves the Wolves up to tenth.

After his first game in charge, James said, "It's early days, but we played well and got the first win under our belts. We executed well, but there's still work to do. Overall, I'm pleased and especially to see a good spread of points among the team."

Danny Gilbert led the scoring with 24 points on his debut, while Harry Disy added 16 points and 11 rebounds for the Wolves. The visitors were led by Milek Jivens, who scored 23.

James' new-look team were fast out of the blocks, scoring the first five points and leading 14-4, with 6 points for Disy, after five minutes. Jivens stemmed the flow with a three-pointer for the Londoners, but Rod Middleton and Devin Smith scored baskets within the last minute of the opening ten to make it 22-13.

The hosts extended their lead with an 11-4 opening to the second stanza, with four points for Smith and capped by a Sidlauskas three-pointer, to lead 33-17. The latter connected on another triple, and when Gilbert scored six points in a row for his team the lead reached its first half peak at 46-27 within the last 30 seconds. The Wolves went on to lead 48-29 going into the locker rooms.

The hosts pushed the lead through twenty points in the third period as, midway through, Gilbert's three- pointer capped a 7-0 burst and made the score 59-38. But Jivens spurred the Capital on with a triple of his own, and another basket, to narrow the gap to 64-46 going into the fourth.

Once in the final period, the Capital threatened the Wolves with runs of 7-0 and 6-0 to make the score 74-61, but they could get no closer. Gilbert halted the run with a triple to spark a 7-0 response and with the lead at twenty points heading into the final two minutes there was no way back for the visitors.

 

Worthing Thunder 109 (31,55,74) (Bratton 28, Makalainen 17, Zabas/Richard 15)
Cheshire Jets 94 (26,48,68) (Hamilton 29, Myers 18, Marks 17)

The Worthing Thunder have joined four other teams on 16 points in the congested mid-table of the BBL Championship after upsetting the fourth-placed Cheshire Jets 109-94 on the South Coast.

The hosts were led by 28 points from Reggie Bratton, while Ville Makalainen scored 17. James Hamilton, for the Jets, led all scorers with 29 points.

The Thunder, who have taken a share of the final playoff spot (eighth place), had a remarkable start as Bratton netted 18 points in the opening period. His team raced into a 23-9 lead as he scored all of their points, including two three-pointers, in a 14-6 run. The Jets responded immediately with an 11-4 spell, and when Peterson made a triple with the last play of the period, they had narrowed the gap to 31-26.

The visitors took that momentum into the second stanza and swiftly tied the game at 31 through James Hamilton and Steven Gayle's three-pointer. Back-to- back three-pointers from Sherrad Prezzie-Blue got the Thunder back on track, and the Thunder held that edge until John Simpson's three tied the teams once more at 44. But the Jets could not take a lead in the first half, and the last six points of the quarter put the Thunder back in the ascendancy at 55-48.

The picture didn't change a great deal in the third period, despite the Thunder managing to re-establish their double-digit lead at 66-55 on two Zabas free- throws. Peterson responded with a three-pointer and the Jets were still within six at 74-68 going into the decisive stanza after Hamilton scored with six seconds remaining in the third.

But the Thunder were not really troubled as they pulled away in the fourth quarter. The Jets finished the game with four players through a combination of foul trouble (Marks) and injury (Gayle and Calvin Davis).

Friday 1st January 2010

Guildford Heat 104 (26,56,80) (McKnight 31, Martin 20, Joseph 15)
Essex Pirates 88 (24,37,66) (George 29, Adu 21, Sing 12)

Guildford Heat made the best possible start to the New Year with a 104-88 win over bottom placed Essex Pirates and in the process moved into the play-off positions.

With both teams looking to get 2010 off to a winning start it was the visitors that began brightest. Former Sheffield Sharks and Worcester Wolves player Randy George scored the first points of the new decade as Pirates led 7-2.

Heat responded through Chad McKnight (pictured) and Michael Martin to take their first lead of the match at 12-11. Threes from Kenny Langhorne and Martin kept Guildford on top as they ended the quarter 26-24 in front.

After a 6-2 Pirates run had put them 30-28 up the rest of the second quarter belonged to Guildford. A McKnight three kick-started a 20-4 burst to take the score to 48-34.

Four straight points from Essex reduced the arrears before an 8-0 tear, with four from LA Drakeford, by Heat closed out the half 56-37 in the home team's favour.

Heat stretched out to 71-48 in the third quarter before Pirates put together a 16-7 run to get within 14 (78- 64). The teams shared the final points of the period to head into the last ten minutes of action with Guildford 80-66 ahead.

Pirates continued to fight hard, but the closest they could get was 84-72 before Heat sealed the match with a 15-4 burst to take the score to 99-78.

Guildford player-coach Chad McKnight, who led all- scorers with an excellent 31-points, said: "It's a New Year and a new look for us. We're approaching it like a new season. We really want to pick things up and it was good to start off with a win.

"Essex made it really tough; they kept going for all 40 minutes. But we had balanced offence with five men scoring in double figures."