There was a break from the Championship this week, as the SLB Trophy and Cup competitions took centre stage with exciting battles.
The Trophy resumed play, and there was one Cup clash to tickle the tastebuds, starting with three games on Friday.
Newcastle Eagles 94-89 B.Braun Sheffield Sharks
Newcastle Eagles needed a strong fourth quarter to get the better of the B. Braun Sheffield Sharks in a closely fought game, where the biggest lead for either team was just eight points.
But despite being short-handed, the Eagles beat the Sharks 94-89 in the SLB Trophy and booked their spot in the Semi-Finals.
Cole Long amassed 16 points and seven rebounds for the Eagles, shooting 50% from the field, helped by 15 apiece from Maceo Jack and Ray’Sean Taylor.
Nick Kern Jr. flirted with a double-double but settled for a game-high 23 points along with nine boards for the Sharks.
Bristol Flyers 62-71 London Lions
London Lions are also in the Semi-Finals of the SLB Trophy after two wins this weekend, with the first victory coming at the expense of the Bristol Flyers.
British big man Ethan Price had 14 points to lead the Lions to a 71-62 road win over the Flyers in a scrappy, but exciting affair.
The Flyers were victims of a poor start. Unable to stop a strong Lions onslaught as they zipped to a 21-13 advantage after the first quarter and couldn’t recover from it, even though they showed promise in the second half.
Marcus Delpeche led Bristol with 13 points.
London Lions 87-83 Surrey 89ers
London Lions’ SLB Trophy Semi-Final place was sealed with an 87-83 victory over the Surrey 89ers.
As they did on Friday night in Bristol, London got off to a strong start against a Surrey team that was unable to execute and find their groove early. The Lions built a comfortable lead that peaked at 16 points, and they never trailed.
Karolis Lukosiunas had 15 points on 5/6 shooting for the Lions, who shot 52% from the floor. Kino Lily Jr. had a game-high 22 points for Surrey, but it was not enough.
Leicester Riders 111-108 Manchester Basketball
Spencer Johnson came up clutch in overtime to lead the Leicester Riders to a dramatic 111-108 win over Manchester Basketball.
With Raequan Battle getting the Riders out of jail in regulation with a pair of free throws, a nail-biting extra period was finally settled with 2.5 seconds left when Johnson got the ball on the wing and buried a long-range two-pointer along with the resulting free-throw.
Battle would end with 28 points, going a perfect 7/7 from the foul line. Donald Carey added 19. Max Jones led all scorers for Manchester with 33.
B. Braun Sheffield Sharks 90-79 Caledonia Gladiators
The weekend would end on a positive note for the B.Braun Sheffield Sharks as they defeated Caledonia Gladiators 90-79 in their final Trophy game at the Canon Medical Arena.
Mervin James led the way for the Sharks with 20 points and 10 rebounds, shooting an impressive 53% from the field, as the Sharks built a sizable lead in the early going and never relinquished it, leading by as many as 30 points.
Jet Speelman led the Gladiators with 23 points on 10/18 shooting.
Surrey 89ers 99-69 Caledonia Gladiators
In the sole SLB Cup encounter, Surrey 89ers overpowered the Caledonia Gladiators 99-69 at Surrey Sports Park on Friday night.
Kino Lily Jr. led a balanced scoring attack for the 89ers with 19 points on 58% shooting as the hosts went an impressive 56% from the field and buried 13 three-pointers.
Matthew Ragsdale led Caledonia with 16 points.
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