Manchester edges Cup final preview; Riders record chaotic victory

Super League Basketball (SLB) Championship action resumed with an action-packed seven-game slate.

This week had a jam-packed Super League Basketball Championship schedule in store for fans, with proceedings getting underway with a Wednesday night classic in London.

London Lions 71-72 Manchester Basketball

In a game that was dubbed the SLB Cup final preview, both the London Lions and Manchester Basketball played out a fierce midweek showdown.

This was a tightly-contested affair from the opening tip; both sides played at a relentless pace and could not be separated at the break with the score sitting at 21-21.

London continued to move the ball with pace and shared the scoring between several players. However, Max Jones found his rhythm early in the second, and drained 11 points, which gave Manchester a narrow one-point lead as the opening half came to an end.

The Lions seemingly discovered their composure as the third quarter began, displaying their trademark defensive structure, and Manchester began to struggle to break them down. 11 points from the powerful forward Deane Williams began to swing the momentum in London’s favour.

Tempers flared as the final quarter progressed, adding to the relentless tempo at which this fixture was being played. Despite trailing seven points with around four minutes and 30 seconds on the clock, Manchester put together a stunning string of plays, including a game-winning layup by Oluwaseyi Adetukasi, to steal the game at the depths for the away team.

Player of the Game: Patrick Smith Jr.

Manchester Basketball 101-78 Caledonia Gladiators

Fatigue was not an issue for Manchester Basketball as they returned to the National Performance Basketball Centre in emphatic fashion, with a dominant win over the Caledonia Gladiators.

Manchester looked to flex their muscles early in this fixture, as they outscored their opponents by 29-13 in the opening quarter.

Zak Irvin burst into life in the second period with 10 points, all of which came in the paint — with an athletic alley-oop finish coming thanks to the impressive Patrick Smith Jr.

The home team continued to score from every position as action restarted in the second-half. Manchester created a 30-point deficit that Caledonia would have to climb in the final period to mount a historic comeback.

Despite a fantastic final quarter of play from the Gladiators, in which they outscored Manchester 31-24, it was not enough to eat into the lead that their opposition had already established.

Player of the Game: Ethan Wright (Caledonia Gladiators)

Newcastle Eagles 108-97 Cheshire Phoenix

The Newcastle Eagles strengthened their bid for a postseason place with a vital victory over a free-scoring Cheshire Phoenix team.

Newcastle were quick out of the gates to start the fixture, carrying out a 21-6 run in the opening five minutes of the game. Mitch Clark contributed nine points for the Eagles.

Cheshire hit back in the second quarter with devastating effect. Tobias Cameron scored 10 points, as the Phoenix established a seven-point lead as the half-time buzzer sounded.

Points continued to flow, and offences were very much on top in this tie. Maceo Jack sprang into life for Newcastle with 11 third-quarter points, to cut Cheshire’s lead down to a single point.

Again, the Eagles came out strong to end this enthralling matchup. Newcastle outscored their opponents by 12 points to ensure a Friday night victory at the Vertu Motors Arena.

Player of the Game: Maceo Jack (Newcastle Eagles)

Surrey 89ers 80-83 Leicester Riders

In arguably one of the greatest comebacks in British basketball history, the Leicester Riders claimed a stunning road victory against the Surrey 89ers.

Leicester started the brighter of the two teams as they stormed to an early nine-point lead — with Spencer Johnson grabbing 14 of the Riders’ points.

Surrey began a fightback in the second quarter. Kino Lily Jr. chalked up 7 points as the 89ers reduced the deficit to just one point heading into the halftime break.

The back-and-forth continued as the Riders outscored their opponents by four points. However, it would be the final quarter where chaos would truly ensue.

It appeared that the 89ers had cemented their 11th win of the season, holding a two-point lead with just 16 seconds on the clock. Leicester had other ideas.

Spencer Johnson grabbed a late offensive rebound to quickly tie the game. Seconds later, Travis Evee snatched the ball from the opposition to lay another two points for Johnson. The nonsense continued as this time Olutomiwa Sulaiman would steal the ball before Evee drained a killer three-point attempt to hand Leicester a much-needed victory.

Player of the Game: Spencer Johnson (Leicester Riders)

Sheffield Sharks 79-76 London Lions

The London Lions fell to their second defeat of the weekend as the Sheffield Sharks grabbed an important SLB Championship win at the Canon Medical Arena.

Sheffield stormed to an early seven-point lead over their opponents. Nick Kern Jr. chalked up seven points to spark the Sharks’ supporters into life.

London’s defensive effort was raised in the second quarter, restricting Sheffield to 14 points, allowing the away team to steal a narrow march on their opponents heading into the half-time break.

An Atiba Lyons team talk worked wonders at the interval as it was the Sharks’ defence who were now on top. London could only manage 11 points in the third quarter, while Nick Kern Jr. tallied nine for himself.

Despite the Lions edging the final quarter, ten points from Prentiss Nixon ensured that the Sheffield Sharks maintained their lead and walked away with the victory.

Player of the Game: Nick Kern Jr. (Sheffield Sharks)

Bristol Flyers 76-98 Newcastle Eagles

Ray’Sean Taylor explodes for 32 points to carry the Newcastle Eagles to their second win of the weekend — this time at the expense of the Bristol Flyers.

Cole Long drained three shots from deep in the first quarter as he chalked up 11 points to help Newcastle establish an early 23-16 lead.

Newcastle’s Gus Okafor and Bristol’s Zachary Anderson exchanged three-point shots early in the second quarter. However, the Eagles continued to show their dominance as they created an 11-point deficit as the halftime buzzer sounded.

The Tynesiders refused to take their foot off the gas in the second half. Ray’Sean Taylor recorded 13 points to all but confirm that Newcastle would be heading back north with the victory.

Bristol refused to give up the fight; nevertheless, the Eagles had already created an insurmountable lead, and Marc Steutel’s men would strengthen their postseason push with their eighth win of the year.

Player of the Game: Ray’Sean Taylor (Newcastle Eagles)

Caledonia Gladiators 80-114 Cheshire Phoenix

The Caledonia Gladiators started the game in good spirits as they searched for a vital win to keep their playoff hopes alive — winning the first quarter by a score of 22-19.

In true Cheshire Phoenix fashion, they responded with a fantastic scoring quarter, in which they chalked up 27 points. Patrick Robinson continued his push for the MVP award with a big second-quarter performance. The Phoenix guard recorded eight points, three rebounds, and six assists.

Cheshire started the second half where they left off, going on to score a devastating 38 points, and ended the quarter with a staggering 27-point lead.

Caledonia and Cheshire exchanged blows in the opening four minutes of play in the fourth quarter, each scoring nine points. However, Greg Wild’s six points nearing the end of the quarter tipped off a perfect bounce-back from the away team, and the Phoenix walked away with an impressive victory.

Player of the Game: Patrick Robinson (Cheshire Phoenix)

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