Cheshire and Surrey impress, London march on, Leicester suffer first loss in thrilling week of play

The Riders’ 7-0 unbeaten run to start the season was brought to an end on Friday night and the Lions made it 3-0 to start their Championship campaign.

Bristol Flyers 84 – 88 Cheshire Phoenix

The game-week tipped off at the SGS College Arena on Friday night, as the Bristol Flyers welcomed the Cheshire Phoenix down south.

In the opening stages, the home crowd saw their side make a positive start, with early substitute Evan Walshe making an immediate impact by combining an open three with a series of made free throws to help the Flyers race out to an early lead.

Cameron Holden then pushed back for Cheshire, carving his way through the lane in assured fashion, to edge the road team ahead, before Tyreek-Scott Grayson forced his way to the charity stripe to add to the advantage. After the first quarter, Cheshire led by six points.

Things went from bad to worse in the second quarter for Bristol. Though Trey Tennyson offered resistance for Andreas Kapoulas’ team, they couldn’t handle the free-flowing offence of the Phoenix. Cameron Christon came alive, converting a string of shots to widen the gap, helped RJ Eytle-Rock, who made open shots to pile on the points. After Scott-Grayson converted twice at the line at the end of the half, Cheshire took at 14-point lead to the locker room.

As the teams returned, the Phoenix continued their offensive onslaught, with both Camerons combining for explosive dunks and contested threes, while TJ Atwood and Skyler White joined the party from deep, catapulting the visitors to a 28-point advantage midway through the third period.

Bristol found a glimmer of hope in Leslee Smith, who came on to score a deep three, before cutting to the cup and converting, to chip away a the substantial deficit. However, heading into the final quarter, Cheshire still led by 20.

A few minutes into the final instalment, Lewis drove aggressively to make a pair of lay-ups, while shots stopped falling altogether for the Phoenix. The buoyant run continued for Bristol, as Demond Robinson slashed and Jared Sherfield bulldozed through the lane to shrink the difference and when Tennyson sank a three-pointer with three minutes remaining, they’d reached within single digits.

The visitors simply couldn’t buy a bucket and as the pressure of Bristol’s comeback built, turnovers followed, as stray passes and poor decision-making plagued Ben Thomas’ team. Makes from Lewis and Sherfield with a minute remaining pulled the game within just four points.

However, the following minute of action went scoreless for both teams, meaning that Bristol failed to capitalise on an incredible fourth-quarter comeback and Cheshire had held on by the skin of their teeth, eventually taking home the four-point victory.

Most Valuable Player: Cameron Holden led his team in two categories, recording 17 points and eight assists to help earn the narrow W.

Leicester Riders 79 – 82 B. Braun Sheffield Sharks

Elsewhere in Leicester, the Sharks arrived at the Mattioli Arena to take on the unbeaten Riders.

Both teams made an energetic start to the opening quarter, as they exchanged buckets through Ethan Wright and Rodney Chatman III, with neither outfit really establishing dominance throughout most of the opening quarter.

After they exchanged leads on a play-by-play basis, Zach Jackson made an imprint on the game, with multiple lay-ups to edge Leicester ahead. At the end of the first period, Rob Paternostro’s men held a slim one-point advantage.

Sheffield responded quickly in the second, with jumpers from Jacob Groves and E.C. Matthews from the bench, pushing the visitors ahead temporarily. However, Leicester back swinging, as Spencer Johnson added an additional scoring punch from the second unit, as the Riders remained in the contest.

Prentiss Nixon then enjoyed an excellent offensive heat-check, draining shots from inside and out, to garner Atiba Lyons’ first notable lead midway through the second. Matthews teamed up with Rodney Chatman III on offence, to build upon the Sharks’ lead.

Riley Abercrombie put together a tremendous sequence for Leicester near the end of the half, but Sheffield managed to hold on. As the teams split for half-time, the away team remained up by just three points.

As play resumed, Leicester came flying out of the blocks. Charles Thompson and Ethan Wright made lay-ups to reduce the deficit, while Jaylin Hunter facilitated effectively for the home team. When forced his way through the lane and finished well, he had tied the game at 52.

Hunter capitalised on the momentum, scoring three more consecutive baskets for Leicester, as they kept their noses marginally in front of the travelling side. Shortly after, Zach Jackson splashed a contested three and as the third quarter came to a close, the hosts were up by four.

After a cagey first minute, the fourth period really got underway with a three from Johnson, who pulled Leicester ahead by seven. Matthews responded for Sheffield however, completing a three-point play at the line to pull it back to four with seven minutes remaining.

Leicester found good looks, but struggled to finish for a couple of minutes and unfortunately for them, Sheffield didn’t. Jordan Ratinho scored a lay-up, before Groves splashed home from beyond the arc, which pushed the Sharks back in front.

Additional makes from Ratinho and Matthews built upon the advantage, as they widened the gap to six with under five minutes left on the block. That was plenty of time for Zach Jackson, who scored from three-point range to pull it back within three, before draining yet another to tie the game in dramatic fashion.

Donovan Clay made a crucial lay-up, but Jacksons answered again, tying the game with around 86 seconds remaining. Moments later, Matthews stepped up, hitting the clutch three for Sheffield and earning the impressive three-point victory over a formidable Leicester side.

Most Valuable Player: E.C. Matthews made a huge impact from the bench, scoring 18 points and pulling down five rebounds.

Surrey 89ers 92 – 83 Caledonia Gladiators

Two struggling sides met at the Surrey Sports Park on Saturday evening, as the 89ers faced the Gladiators in their first Championship clash.

The home team made the superior start, with Dame Adelekun hustling on the glass to score early points and Cameron Gooden opening up an early lead from the line. Jalen Ray then scored a step-back three to put his marker on the game in the opening minutes.

Tanner Stuckman responded with a sequences of hookshots and free-throws to push back for the Gladiators, but back came Ray, who converted from the charity stripe and sank contested threes to edge Surrey further ahead as the quarter developed.

Caledonia looked to their bench for an answer and found it. Fahro Alihodzic bulldozed inside for easy looks, while Fraser Malcolm and Kyle Jiminez added much-needed points to chip away at the 89ers stronghold. Patrick Whelan then made a mid-range jumper at the end of the first quarter, but Surrey remained on top by just three points.

Stuckman combined with Patrick Whelan for an impressive string of baskets, but Mervin James retaliated for Surrey, slamming it home to maintain the ‘niners lead. However, as he so often does, Whelan had an answer, converting at the line to take the lead for the Glad’s.

Ray then swapped buckets with Caledonia’s Trevond Barnes, as the home team remained buoyant and eventually tied the game again through a Josh Steel lay-in. Then in the final seconds of the half, Josh Steel pulled up for a two-pointer which saw Surrey take a single-point lead into the half.

Surrey scored by committee as the teams returned, with the front court aggressive attacking the Caledonia defence to stay ahead. Ray was then successful from deep midway through the third and the hosts found themselves eight points in front.

Whelan and Stuckman continued to plug away to keep Gareth Murray’s group within touching distance, but Gooden and Ray wouldn’t relent, showing their offensive range by stretching the floor and attacking any gaps presented to them, earning the double-digit lead with around 12 minutes remaining.

Whelen refused to give up, shooting from downtown to shrink the deficit back to just six points. As the third quarter ended, Ray showed a steady hand at the free-throw line and ensured that they remained on top leading into the final ten.

Malcolm made a bright start to the fourth for Caledonia, but the visitors then suffered a dry patch, while Adelekun and Ray extended the lead back beyond double-figures. The Gladiators showed tremendous effort, but their offence remained stunted, as they missed multiple shots and turned the ball over carelessly down the stretch.

Gooden, James and Ray took turns on offence in the closing minutes and when the final buzzer sounded, the 89ers had secured the nine-point victory in an impressive display.

Most Valuable Player: Jalen Ray dazzled for Surrey, adding seven rebounds and three assists to his 27-point tour-de-force.

London Lions 89 – 79 Newcastle Eagles

Sunday’s action started in London, as the Eagles arrived at the Copper Box Arena, to face the Lions.

The tone was set early in the first quarter, with Aaryn Rai spearheading the London offence to propel them into an early lead. Alen Hadzibegovic then added to the bright start with a pair of strong lay-ups and confident shooting from the free-throw line.

Malcolm Delpeche soon responded for Newcastle, scoring three consecutive baskets to offer some resistance for Marc Steutel’s team. However, London regained the momentum as the quarter developed, inspired by Rai’s controlled drives to the rack. Despite the efforts of Delpeche and Seneca Knight, the hosts finished the opening period ahead by four.

The second quarter started with Mike Okauru making a quick impact, driving relentlessly to shrink the deficit for Newcastle. The guard scored seven of the Eagles’ points consecutively, but his efforts were diminished by Jaiden Delaire, who stepped up from the bench to pile on the points. At half-time, they’d managed to create a 13-point gap and were in full control of the contest.

As the teams returned for the second half, Okauru stubbornly continued to chip away for Newcastle, but the Eagles were met by Delaire again, who combined a ferocious jam with efficient free-throw shooting to reestablish the London stronghold.

Michael Brisker added insult to injury, attacking the cup with abandon, re-opening the lead to double-digits. Then Okauru enjoyed another hot spell, pulling the game back to within four points near the end of the third, but Ovie Soko then converted at the line to extend it back to six points heading into the final quarter.

However, just when Newcastle saw an avenue into contention, Rai took the reins once again. The forward determined the pace of the game and punished defenders throughout the fourth. The Eagles couldn’t stop Hadzibegovic either, with London growing in confidence down the stretch.

Delaire put the cherry on top for London, who saw no real threat from Newcastle as time ticked away. At the close of play, the Lions had secured the ten-point win, putting a disappointing trophy campaign behind them to start 3-0 in the Championship.

Most Valuable Player: Aaryn Rai put on an brilliantly well-rounded performance, scoring 31 points, grabbing seven rebounds and dishing out six assists.

Cheshire Phoenix 87 – 86 B. Braun Sheffield Sharks

Over at the Cheshire Oaks Arena, fans anticipated a tight affair between the Phoenix and Sharks, as both teams tried to build on wins just two days prior.

Skyler White got things going in the opening seconds, splashing home a three to open scoring. However, Sheffield responded by going on a tremendous 17-0 run until midway through the opening quarter.  Donovan Clay and Rodney Chatman III combined to lead the offence, pounding the paint to open up a double-digit advantage.

With under seven minutes played, the Sharks had created an 18-point lead, but after a frustrating scoreless period, Cheshire finally starting to get it going toward the end of the first quarter. Cameron Christon and Cameron Holden forced their way to the free-throw line, while Skyler White found his touch from range.

After a catastrophic start, the Phoenix had narrowed the deficit, but still ended the first quarter down by 11.

The second quarter began with quite a familiar feeling for Cheshire, as they couldn’t stop the Sheffield offence. Prentiss Nixon and Drake Jeffries shot confidently from deep, as they created a chasm between the teams. Just 13 minutes into the contest, the Sharks were 23 ahead.

The Phoenix weren’t ready to give up however, Christon was joined by Larry Austin Jr., as the pair nailed mid-range jumpers to chip away at the difference. Tyreek Scott-Grayson then recorded a couple of lay-ups to bring the deficit to just ten as the half ended.

When the teams returned for the second half, the positive play of Christon and Austin Jr. carried over into the third quarter. Holden then sliced through the lane with aggression to make it a six-point game.

The teams shared buckets for a couple of minutes, before Austin Jr. made a pair of jumpers from inside and out, to take it to a meagre four-point differential at the end of the penultimate period.

As the fourth began, Holden made a jump-shot to move within two points, before Austin Jr. and White converted from the free throw line to earn Cheshire their first lead since the first minute. Jacob Groves responded swiftly for Sheffield, splashing from beyond the arc to regain the advantage, but only on a temporary basis.

Another Holden mid-ranger tied the game and Scott-Grayson subsequently hit from deep to keep the Phoenix ahead by a slim margin. But Groves hit back again, with a pair of lay-ups to tie the game twice for the visitors. The game of cat and mouse continued for a couple of minutes, Cheshire answered every equalising score with a basket of their own.

Chatman III tied the game at the charity stripe with just over a minute left on the clock. A minute later, Holden pulled up to create a two-point Cheshire lead with just 11 seconds remaining.

Free-throw shooting then decided the remainder of the contest. Groves pulled Sheffield to within a single point with five seconds left, followed by an in-bound foul and a trip to the line for Scott-Grayson, who split a pair to make it a two-point Phoenix lead.

While attempting a Hail Mary three with a second remaining, Chatman III was fouled. With the game on the line and a chance to take it to overtime, he cooly made the first, before rimming the second and awarding Cheshire with an impressive one-point comeback W.

Most Valuable Player: Playing his part in a solid team performance, Cameron Christon scored 19 points, while also recording six rebounds and an assist.

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