Week 12 of the Super League Basketball Championship featured four games, with eight of the nine teams in action.
Leicester Riders 75-83 London Lions
The London Lions secured a 83-75 win over the Leicester Riders at the Mattioli Arena, recording their second consecutive victory.
Both teams were locked in a hard-fought battle throughout the first half, trading momentum, with neither side able to pull away and establish a commanding lead, though the Lions edged ahead at halftime by just two points.
After the break, the London Lions turned it up a notch defensively, taking a nine-point lead inside the third quarter. However, the Riders surged back in the opening two minutes of the fourth quarter to cut their deficit to just two points behind another impressive performance from Raequan Battle (30 points). Though, the leaders held onto their advantage, pushing it up to double digits in the final two minutes to secure their 11th win of the Championship campaign.
Shavar Reynolds Jr. (14 points, nine assists) and Deane Williams (14 points) both led the Lions in scoring in the win. Meanwhile, Donald Carey Jr. scored 23 points for the Riders in the loss.
Player of the game: Shavar Reynolds Jr. (London Lions)
Bristol Flyers 86-87 Surrey 89ers
The Surrey 89ers claimed a hard-fought overtime 87-86 overtime victory over the Bristol Flyers at the SGS College Arena.
Looking to avoid a third consecutive Championship loss to the Flyers this season, Surrey put a lot of intensity on both ends of the floor. However, they trailed by as many as five points throughout the first quarter, before fighting back to go into the halftime break two points ahead.
The Niners then delivered a strong display in the third quarter to lead by as many as 14 points, but Andreas Kapoulas’ men surged back in the final minutes of regulation to send the game to overtime. However, Surrey were able to get over the line in overtime and claimed a hard-fought win over Bristol, ending their four-game skid.
Ronald Polite III delivered an outstanding performance to get his side over the line, recording an efficient 18 points, eight rebounds and seven assists, alongside some clutch moments for Surrey, while Kino Lily Jr. had a game-high 20 points in the win.
As for the hosts, Cameron Holden had an impressive 17-point, 12-rebound double-double, while Joseph Anderson recorded 19 points, six rebounds and five assists but Bristol came up short.
Player of the game: Ronald Polite III (Surrey 89ers)
Cheshire Phoenix 116-90 Manchester Basketball
The Cheshire Phoenix cruised past Manchester Basketball 116-90 at home in front of a packed Cheshire Oaks Arena.
The Nix took control of the game early thanks to a well-run collective offence in transition, fuelled by their defensive intensity. Their lead quickly grew to 20 points in the second quarter. Despite a small surge from Manchester that saw them cut the deficit to 10 points, the hosts, pushed on by their home crowd, managed to restore their 20-point lead before halftime.
The second half of the game was a formality for the Nix as they claimed a comfortable home win, their second in a row.
Patrick Robinson delivered a stellar performance scoring a game-high 27 points off the bench on a very efficient 11-of-13 shooting while Tobias Cameron had 23 points and eight rebounds in the win.
Patrick Smith Jr. (19 points) and Oluwaseyi Adetukasi (15 points) led Manchester in scoring in the loss.
Player of the game: Patrick Robinson (Cheshire Phoenix)
Newcastle Eagles 79-87 Caledonia Gladiators
The Caledonia Gladiators ended their six-game losing streak with a convincing 87-79 victory over Newcastle Eagles at the Vertu Arena.
After a back-and-forth opening quarter, the Gladiators managed to break away in the second, taking a double-digit lead into the break. They then pushed their lead to 24 in the third as they looked in complete control of proceedings. However, the Eagles fought their way back into the game, but it wasn’t enough to complete an incredible comeback.
Ethan Wright had an 11-point, 12-rebound and four steals double-double in the win, while Matthew Ragsdale recorded a team-high 21 points. As for the Eagles, Ray’sean Taylor’s game-high performance of 25 points, eight rebounds and five assists wasn’t enough to keep their two-game winning streak going.
Player of the game: Ethan Wright (Caledonia Gladiators)
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