It proved to be one of more unpredictable rounds of SLB action this season with stunning results underlying the excitement of the Championship season.
The newly-crowned SLB Trophy winners had party crashers on their celebration night but recovered to find their groove, while the losing finalists eventually found their winning touch convincingly.
Newcastle Eagles 80-91 London Lions
London Lions put a damper on Newcastle Eagles’ triumphant return home as SLB Trophy winners with a 91-80 victory on Tyneside.
And it seemed like the Eagles trophy hangover carried over into their first home game since winning their first piece of silverware of the season, as London played a composed and solid offensive game which saw them race to a 14-3 lead early on.
Newcastle would narrow the gap as the game progressed but would not threaten the Lions, who led from the opening tip to the final buzzer.
Five London players reached double figures, led by 19 points from Michael Brisker, with Ovie Soko adding 15 and Aaryn Rai stuffing the stat sheet with 14 points on 6/9 shooting, seven rebounds, and six assists.
Christian James was an offensive juggernaut for Newcastle, scoring a game-high 32 points and going 11/17 from the field.
MVP: Aaryn Rai (London Lions)
B. Braun Sheffield Sharks 83-75 Manchester Basketball
B. Braun Sheffield Sharks overcame a tenacious Manchester Basketball side 83-75 in South Yorkshire thanks to a deadly quartet.
Donovan Clay and Prentiss Nixon both recorded 18 points with the former pulling down 12 rebounds along with Rickey McGill and Jacob Groves both amassing 17 as they caused Manchester problems all night long.
A strong first half saw Sheffield on top form, leading 48-33. But Manchester hit back in the third, coming out of the shadow that they were in for the previous two periods.
Still leading 62-57 but hanging on going into the fourth, the Sharks regrouped, keeping their counterparts at bay.
Makai Ashton-Langford led Manchester with 18 points.
MVP: Donovan Clay (B. Braun Sheffield Sharks)
Surrey 89ers 89-99 Cheshire Phoenix
Cheshire Phoenix took advantage of lackluster execution from the Surrey 89ers in the final ten minutes, taking a 99-89 win back home to the North-West.
Tyreek Scott-Grayson led all scorers with 22 points for the Phoenix, pulling down six rebounds for good measure, as his side shot a respectable 48% from the field, confining the Niners to a mere 39%.
For Surrey, this was a game that got away from them. Leading 70-67 after three quarters of play, they missed their first four field goal attempts of the fourth, allowing the Phoenix to retake the lead.
Despite a tug-of-war for the lead, Cheshire was harder and stronger as they took control four minutes into the final period, and a 10-0 run in the final minute solidified the win.
Mervin James led Surrey with 18 points.
MVP: Tyreek Scott-Grayson (Cheshire Phoenix)
Leicester Riders 94-59 Bristol Flyers
Leicester Riders were ruthless as they dismissed Bristol Flyers 94-59 at Mattoli Arena.
The hosts led from the start and never looked back as their lead ballooned to 41 points, never allowing the Flyers to get out of first gear.
Zach Jackson went 9/14 from the field for his game-high 20 points, with Duke Shelton posting a double-double of 15 points and 13 rebounds, four of those came on the offensive glass, as the Riders out-scored Bristol 12-4 on second-chance points.
Keddy Johnson led the Flyers with 17 points and Evan Walshe added 13 on a rough night for Andreas Kapoulas’ side.
MVP: Zach Jackson (Leicester Riders)
Cheshire Phoenix 94-122 Bristol Flyers
Lessons were undoubtedly learned from Friday’s loss in Leicester, as Bristol Flyers rebounded in the most devastating of fashion, as they completely dismantled the Cheshire Phoenix 122-94 in Ellesmere Port on Sunday.
Six Bristol players reached double figures in scoring, spearheaded by Jared Sherfield’s 29 points in a merciless display, where the Flyers shot 66% from the field and connected on 17 three-pointers for 60%.
The perfect hangover cure for the Flyers, with a Trophy final loss and a subpar showing in Leicester as they create more space between them and basement side Caledonia.
Nick Timberlake hit six triples as he led Cheshire with 26 points, but on this night, the hosts never got started as a team.
MVP: Jared Sherfield (Bristol Flyers)
Manchester Basketball 85-89 Newcastle Eagles
Newcastle Eagles recovered from their disappointment at home on Friday to edge Manchester Basketball 89-85 in an intriguing game that was settled late on.
De’Sean Allen-Eikens settled matters with seconds left inside, giving Newcastle an 89-83 lead in a game where the most significant lead for either team was ten points.
Mike Okauru rediscovered his Trophy MVP form as he blasted Manchester for 32 points, going 6/10 from three-point land.
For the second game this weekend, Manchester narrowly came up short, and similarly, Makai Ashton-Langford led them again with 25.
Caledonia Gladiators 68-77 Surrey 89ers
In a crucial encounter down at the foot of the SLB table, Surrey 89ers grabbed a valuable 77-68 win North of the Border as Mervin James starred against Caledonia Gladiators.
James had 17 points on 6/11 shooting with Cameron Gooden and Jordan Hunt both adding 13 as Surrey’s longest away day of the season proved a happy one as they create space between them and the SLB’s basement side.
Patrick Whelan and Elijah Cain both led with 16 points for Caledonia as they continue to find their feet under interim head coach Jonny Bunyan.
MVP: Mervin James (Surrey 89ers)