With the SLB Championship wrapped up, the fight for Play-Off positions continues to heat up on a busy weekend of league action.

The London Lions continue to rule the Championship, and despite winning the domestic title on Sunday, they show no signs of slowing down. Meanwhile, at the bottom, Caledonia Gladiators looked to finish the season on a high note after missing the postseason for the second year in a row.

B. Braun Sheffield Sharks 113-75 Caledonia Gladiators

The B. Braun Sheffield Sharks led from start to finish as they triumphed 113-75 over the Caledonia Gladiators at the Canon Medical Arena.

Leading 29-20 after the first quarter, the Sharks flexed their muscles and breezed away in the second, as the hosts quickly established a double-digit lead before sprinting to a 64-35 cushion at the break, which ended the game as a contest.

Printiss Nixon led six Sheffield players in double figures with 20 points. He also pulled down six rebounds and six assists, which was supported by Dirk Williams, who had 17 in a well-balanced scoring spread by the victors.

Dwaine Jones Jr. paced the Gladiators with 16 points on another disappointing evening for the Scottish outfit.

Bristol Flyers 76-83 London Lions

Back-to-back Championship winners, London Lions, came back from 13 points down to overcome the Bristol Flyers 83-76 at the WISE Campus.

London’s win was thanks to a strong second half, where they turned the game on its head. Having trailed 52-42 at the half, the Lions were given hope near the half-time buzzer when Tarik Philip hit a three-pointer. That hope became reality as the champions outscored the Flyers 41-24 in the second half to secure the win.

Phillip would lead the Lions with 23 points on 8/10 from the field, to go with eight rebounds. Chaundee Brown chipped in with 13. Cam Holden led Bristol with 18 points on 7/10 shooting.

Newcastle Eagles 95-98 Manchester Basketball

Pat Smith Jr. secured a nervy 98-95 win for Manchester Basketball over the Newcastle Eagles at the Vertu Motors Arena.

The American calmly sank a pair of free throws with under ten seconds to play to seal the win. Maceo Jack had an opportunity to take the game to overtime, but missed his shot beyond the arc, and even a Marc Steutel timeout couldn’t solve the Eagles’ predicament as time expired.

Smith Jr. and Max Jones led the winners with 21 points apiece, with DJ Mitchell adding 17. For the Eagles, Ray’Sean Taylor had 19 to lead the way.

Leicester Riders 90-103 Surrey 89ers

Surrey 89ers took care of business as they scored a deserved 103-90 victory on the road over the Leicester Riders at the Mattoli Arena.

The Niners were able to keep their turnover count down while forcing the Riders into 17 takeaways while only committing eight themselves. Kino Lily Jr. led the winners with 25 points, helped along by Isiah Small, who chipped in with 24.

Keddy Johnson amassed 23 points for Leicester, who have lost eight of their last nine games.

Surrey 89ers 94-103 Newcastle Eagles

Surrey 89ers’ joy was short-lived as they went 103-94 to the Newcastle Eagles at Surrey Sports Park.

With barely anything to separate the two combatants after the first three quarters, the visitors made their move late in the fourth period with an 8-2 run that handed them a 99-93 lead with less than a minute to play. Nedas Cholevinskas was fouled going for a three-pointer, but crucially missed two of his three shots at the line, which left Newcastle free to ice the game from the stripe.

Gus Okafor led the winners with 20 points, helped along by Maceo Jack’s 19. Michael Graham had 18 points and 18 rebounds for the Niners.

Caledonia Gladiators 93-95 Leicester Riders (AOT)

Leicester Riders breathed a sigh of relief after they edged the Caledonia Gladiators 95-93 at PlaySport in a game that needed a period of overtime to settle matters.

Ethan Wright’s three-pointer forced overtime for Caledonia, giving them another shot at a win as they bid to end their season on a high. But instead, Leicester would secure the victory with Flynn Boardman-Raffet bagging the game-winning free throw. Wright had a shot at winning the game, but his three-pointer missed its mark.

Boardman-Raffet would finish with 24 points. Ethan Wright had 20 in response for Caledonia.

Manchester Basketball 80-83 Bristol Flyers

Bristol Flyers delivered a gutsy performance, defeating Manchester Basketball 83-80 at the NBPC.

Despite being out-rebounded 39-33, the Flyers made use of their offensive boards, scoring 12 second-chance points, compared to just eight from Manchester, who out-rebounded the visitors 10-8.

Will Yoakum led Bristol with 21 points on 8/10 from the floor, along with six rebounds. Jordan Johnson had 24 for Manchester.

London Lions 81-60 B. Braun Sheffield Sharks

London Lions capped a momentous afternoon by beating the B. Braun Sheffield Sharks 81-60 at the CopperBox Arena.

The win was made sweeter for the Lions, who also lifted the SLB Championship trophy aloft to complete the season treble with just the Play-Off trophy up for grabs.

Aaryn Rai posted a double-double of 11 points and 10 rebounds for London, with his points tally matched by Shavar Reynolds, who went a perfect 4/4 from the floor as all but one player registered three points or more.

Sheffield’s Dirk Williams led all scorers with 20 points against his former club.