With eight of the nine Super League Basketball teams in action, it was a busy weekend in the last round of games before the festive period kicked into full swing. Read on to find out more about who took home the victories in a huge weekend of Championship action.
Bristol Flyers 87-67 Caledonia Gladiators:
Bristol Flyers secured a 87-67 win against bottom side Caledonia Gladiators and were looking to bounce back from two defeats in a row. The Flyers started strongly and held a seven point lead at the end of the first quarter before a Caledonia response cut the lead down to five. Andreas Kapoulas’ side came out firing after half time and secured their 8th win of the season.
The South West side were in fine shooting form from beyond the arc with Owen McCormack leading the charge as 12 of his 20 points came from outside the three point line and he fell just a single rebound short of a double-double.
A well-rounded team performance from the Flyers saw William Yoakum, Cameron Holden and Joseph Anderson all hit double figure points as the Flyers secured a comfortbale 20 point lead. Despite the efforts of Caledonia’s Ethan Wright, who led the game in scoring with 24 points, the Gladiators were unable to match the scoring power of the SLB’s second-placed side.
London Lions 74-91 Manchester Basketball:
Manchester Basketball secured their 7th win in 11 games as they managed to dispatch league leaders London Lions at the Copperbox Arena. A tightly contested first quarter saw the Lions lead by a single point, but a flurry from Max Jones and Zak Irvin saw Manchester take a three point lead into half time.
They built on their strong end to the first half, as Kaiyem Cleary demonstrated his shooting ability and led his side to a statement 20 point lead, they were able to see the game out to gain a huge win against the Lions.
Head Coach Matthew Otten couldn’t have hoped for a better offensive performance from his side as Kaiyem Cleary nearly doubled his season average to score 26 points, he was joined by a flawless performance from Tim Adetukasi who had a 100% shooting record in the capital. London Lions boast the best defensive record in the division but have lost two of their last three games.
Newcastle Eagles 98-85 Leicester Riders:
A clash in the North East saw two sides who have struggled for consistency so far this season as the Newcastle Eagles secured a 98-85 win against the Leicester Riders. Maceo Jack and Cole Long were the Eagles dynamic duo as they put up 23 and 22 points respectively.
New signing Terrell Burden Jr introduced himself to his new home support with an impressive 14 points and 7 assists off the bench. Newcastle held a strong nine point lead after the first quarter and were able to hold onto their advantage, taking a ten point lead into half time.
Leicester Riders’ Raequan Battle leads the league in average points per game, but despite his 21 points, it was Donald Carey Jr who led the Riders in scoring with 23, 12 of which came in the second quarter to prevent the Eagles from pulling even further away.
A couple of three-pointers from Raequan Battle and some offensive play from the Riders cut their deficit down to just two points. However, it proved to not be enough as the Eagles were able to fire themselves back in front and eventually held a 13 point lead to win 98-85.
Surrey 89ers 79-101 Cheshire Phoenix:
Cheshire Phoenix‘s commanding 79-101 win against 8th place Surrey 89ers applied pressure to the division’s leading teams. A double-double from Michael Diggins with 24 points and 10 rebounds and 78% from the field further displayed the offensive quality of the division’s leading scorers.
The first quarter ended with Cheshire holding a one point lead against their hosts, but as the game progressed, Surrey were unable to contain the high-scoring Phoenix. The second quarter saw Ben Thomas’ side expand their lead to 12 points, largely down to the work of Michael Diggins and Matthew Zona.
By the end of the third, the lead was up to 16 points and the Phoenix were in fine form. At the final buzzer a 22 point gap separated the two sides. For the 89ers, strong performances from Isiah Small, Kino Lily Jr and Haydn Ling off the bench, provided a consolation to a disappointing afternoon at Surrey Sports Park.
Caledonia Gladiators 74-82 London Lions:
London Lions became the first team of the season to record 10 wins as they beat Caledonia Gladiators 74-82 at the Playsport Arena. The game started with effective three-point shooting from Chasson Jemar Randle and Matthew Goodwin as the Lions held a secure 10 point lead after the first period.
The Lions were able to capitalise on their strong start and the lead grew to 15 points at half time. The Lions were able to maintain their lead going into the final quarter. Despite the last period being Caledonia’s strongest as they put up 27 points, outscoring the Lions, it was just too late for Jonny Bunyan’s side to threaten a comeback against a defensively resolute Lions side.
The Lions’ performance demonstrated their strength in depth with five of their nine players scoring double figure points totals. It was Ryan Mikesell off the bench who led the Lions in scoring with 12, but it was the team performance that showcases why the Lions sit on top of the table.
For Caledonia, Ethan Wright led the scoring with 21 and 13 rebounds in an impressive performance, and Matthew Ragsdale was close behind with 19 points.
Manchester Basketball 94-80 Surrey 89ers:
Manchester Basketball continued their good form with a 94-80 win against Surrey 89ers at the National Basketball Performance Centre. The first period saw Manchester take control courtesy of Patrick Smith Jr and Tim Adetukasi before Surrey’s Michael Graham hit back and the deficit was cut to just three points.
The second quarter was a similar story with Manchester starting strong before a late surge from Surrey who found themselves six points down at half time.
The third quarter proved to be the difference with Manchester scoring 23 points to Surrey’s 11 creating a 17 point gap and a mountain for the 89ers to climb going into the last quarter. The gap proved to to be too big for Lloyd Gardener’s side as they were beaten 94-80.
Adetukasi stole the show once again with another perfect 100% record from the field as he put up 22 points. Kino Lily Jr led the scoring with 25 points for Surrey but despite his efforts, and those of Ronald Polite who scored 21 points, the 89ers couldn’t match Manchester for scoring power.
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