In a more condensed round of SLB Championship games this week, London Lions gained the upper hand as the teams closest to them, slipped up.
Bristol Flyers’ two games against Caledonia Gladiators (Wednesday) and B. Braun Sheffield Sharks (Friday) were postponed.
Bristol Flyers 68-67 Leicester Riders
Bristol Flyers scored a vital 68-67 win over Leicester Riders on Sunday afternoon, thanks to Demond Robinson’s heroics.
Trailing 67-65 with nearly 20 seconds left, Bristol were patient in their build-up play, as Robinson was left free in the pick-and-roll to drain the three from the win with 8.1 left on the clock.
Out of the timeout, Zach Jackson had a decent look at the basket to snatch a precious victory but it fell short leaving the Flyers free to celebrate a first home win since January 11.
In a nicely balanced Bristol scoring attack, Keddy Johnson, Raphell Thomas-Edwards, and Kendall Lewis all scored 11 points for the victors, with Demond Robinson getting 10 points and 10 rebounds.
The Riders’ loss moves them further away from title contention, with the London Lions gaining a bigger advantage going into the last stretch of the campaign. Jackson led them with 24.
MVP: Demond Robinson (Bristol Flyers)
Leicester Riders 99-81 Newcastle Eagles
Leicester Riders momentarily recovered from their mini-slump on Friday night with a 99-81 win over Newcastle Eagles at the Mattoli Arena.
The Riders led from start to finish in a thoroughly impressive victory. Riley Abercrombie led five Leicester players in double figures with 18 points and five rebounds with Zach Jackson and Charles Thompson both adding 16 as Riders shot 52% from the field.
Mike Okauru had 19 points to lead the Eagles, who dropped their fifth Championship game in a row.
MVP: Riley Abercrombie (Leicester Riders)
Cheshire Phoenix 89-75 Caledonia Gladiators
Nick Timberlake went on an offensive rampage as Cheshire Phoenix scored their first win in four games, with an 89-75 victory over Caledonia Gladiators on a rare Saturday night game in Ellesmere Port.
For the first three quarters, it was well-drilled Phoenix machine that wore down Caledonia and led by as many as 23, settling for a 69-48 cushion heading into the final ten minutes.
However, the visiting Gladiators came out strong in the final quarter, but despite their positive spells, Cheshire was not going to let this victory slip from its grasp.
Timberlake was a whirlwind of offensive destruction, pouring out 37 points with Larry Austin Jr. stuffing the statsheet with 18 points, six rebounds, six assists and two steals.
Devearl Ramsey led Caledonia with 18 points.
MVP: Nick Timberlake (Cheshire Phoenix)
London Lions 80-69 Surrey 89ers
A fourth-quarter onslaught from the Championship-leading London Lions helped them to an 80-69 success over the Surrey 89ers at the CopperBox Arena on Sunday afternoon.
A closely contested three quarters where the hosts held a slender 55-54 lead was ultimately broken open in the fourth as Aaryn Rai scored six of his game-high 20 points in that final exchange, securing a 25-15 swing, dropping the Niners to a loss and securing an 11th straight win for London.
Mervin James led Surrey with 15 points, but the visitors will rue missed opportunities and shooting just 34% from the field as their return to the CopperBox on this night doesn’t have the same result as their last visit to the capital back in November.
MVP: Aaryn Rai (London Lions)