In a full programme of SLB Championship fixtures, the London Lions maintain a healthy lead at the summit as the B. Braun Sheffield Sharks and Leicester Riders slipped up.

Bristol Flyers 78-88 London Lions

London Lions needed a strong fourth quarter to defeat the Bristol Flyers, with Tyler Peterson the star in their 88-78 road victory.

Peterson had a personal SLB Championship-high of 20 points and five rebounds as the Lions locked in a 12th straight win.

However, London’s latest success didn’t come easy against a dogged Bristol side fighting for league placings ahead of the Play-Offs. The hosts led for large periods of the contest and, at one point, gained a 36-25 lead with nearly four minutes left in the second.

A three-pointer from Pasquale Landolfi gave the Flyers an 11-point lead, which rocked the visitors, but the Lions responded swiftly thanks to a triple from Jaiden Delaire. From there, London narrowed the gap to 43-41 at the break.

After a scrappy third quarter, Peterson came alive for the Lions, scoring 11 of his 20 points in the final period, helping his side to a 30-18 fourth and ten-point win overall.

Keddy Johnson paced the Flyers with 18 points and three assists.

MVP: Tyler Peterson (London Lions)

B. Braun Sheffield Sharks 74-81 Caledonia Gladiators

A familiar face from the B. Braun Sheffield Sharks’ past might have put the biggest dent in their Championship quest to date.

The Caledonia Gladiators picked up their fifth win of the Championship season with former Shark Devearl Ramsey sinking his teeth into his old employer as a dagger mid-range jumper with 38 seconds left secured an 81-74 win at the Canon Medical Arena.

A bitter blow to Sheffield as they start to see their title dreams fade into distant waters. Ramsey ended with 16 points, 11 assists and three steals for Caledonia, with Jett Speelman shooting 75% from the field for his team-high 20.

Prentiss Nixon’s 21 points led the Sharks, but Sheffield was hampered by shooting all night, only going 37% compared to 53% from Caledonia.

MVP: Jett Speelman (Caledonia Gladiators)

Leicester Riders 80-71 London Lions

Leicester Riders breathed life into their Championship aspirations, as the number 13 lived up to its unlucky moniker with London Lions, its latest victim.

Four Leicester players scored in double-digits, led by Zach Jackson’s 17 points on 6/12 shooting, as they scored an 80-71 win over the league leaders at the Mattoli Arena, ending their 12-game winning run in the process.

Charles Thompson might not have hit double figures in terms of points but swatted away seven London field goal attempts, only picking up three fouls in a defensive masterclass.

From the jump, the hosts were in the ascendency, taking a 20-12 lead after the first quarter and never allowing London to find any momentum to challenge, as the Riders’ lead peaked at 18 points in a surprisingly comfortable win.

Terrell “Tu” Holloway led the Lions with 19 points, but they shot a below-par 38% from the field and an even more damaging 12/20 from the foul line. They hope to bounce back immediately on Tuesday at home to Manchester Basketball.

MVP: Charles Thompson (Leicester Riders)

Newcastle Eagles 81-88 Surrey 89ers

Surrey 89ers grabbed a deserved 88-81 win on the road over the Newcastle Eagles, making the long trek back to Guildford from Tyneside a happy one.

The win also brought Lloyd Gardner’s team a welcome sigh of relief. They extended their lead over basement side Caledonia to six points despite the Scottish outfit having two games in hand before the Scottish side played Sunday against Leicester.

Mervin James posted his first 30-point game in the Championship this season, hitting five triples en route to a game-high 31 points with eight rebounds chucked into his statline.

The Eagles enjoyed a positive start in the first. Still, once Surrey established their superiority late on in the opening quarter, they could not be handled, hitting 12 three-pointers and connecting on all 16 free throws, which is almost customary for the Niners, as they lead the SLB in free-throw percentage at 78.1%.

Seneca Knight posted 20 points for Newcastle, but apart from Trey Pulliam’s 18 to support, the Eagles had no offensive spark in a poor offensive performance where nothing clicked from the second quarter onwards.

MVP: Mervin James (Surrey 89ers)

Manchester Basketball 91-80 Bristol Flyers

Despite being pegged back at various stages, Manchester Basketball saw-off the challenge of the Bristol Flyers 91-80 at the National Basketball Performance Centre.

Early revenge for Manchester after their 76-62 loss in the south-west a week prior to their rematch up north, the hosts were led by 17 points each from Cody John and Donovan “DJ” Mitchell with Makai Ashton-Langford also impressing with 16 points and nine assists.

It wasn’t the prettiest of victories though, as Bristol shot the ball well, but their offensive mainly came from Keddy Johnson throughout, and Manchester found a way to score rather easily off unforced errors from the Flyers, as they committed 16 turnovers, allowing Manchester to score 27 points off those giveaways.

On the day, the hosts had more offensive weapons at their disposal, with six players registering double figures in the win. Keddy Johnson paced the Flyers with 26 points off 12/20 shooting, but he had no support, as no other Bristol player managed more than nine field goal attempts.

MVP: Makai Ashton-Langford (Manchester Basketball)

Caledonia Gladiators 93-88 Leicester Riders

A solid week for the Caledonia Gladiators was capped off on Sunday afternoon with what could be a pivotal 93-88 victory over the Leicester Riders at PlaySport.

It was a tremendous show of character from Caledonia, who managed to keep their noses in front from the early stages of the fourth quarter onwards and never relinquish control.

For the Riders, a bitter pill to swallow in their outside hopes of snatching top spot away from the London Lions. This is their third loss in six, which leaves them eight points off the top spot.

Trevond Barnes went 9/11 from the field, including a spotless 8/8 from the foul line for 27 points with Devearl Ramsey helping with 21 points, and seven assists for the victors.

Jaylin Hunter hit four three-pointers on his way to a 25-point haul for Leicester.

MVP: Trevond Barnes (Caledonia Gladiators)

B. Braun Sheffield Sharks 88-69 Bristol Flyers

B. Braun Sheffield Sharks ended their three-game home stand with a routine 88-69 win over the Bristol Flyers.

The hosts bossed proceedings from the opening tip to the final buzzer, enjoying a 27-17 lead after one and ballooning their advantage to as many as 21 points, shooting a fantastic 59% from the field, compared to just 39% from the Flyers, who were kept on the ground in South Yorkshire.

Rickey McGill connected on three triples to lead the Sharks with 19 points, along with five rebounds and five assists. Prentiss Nixon added 17 in the win.

Demond Robinson had 19 points for Bristol, which featured four three-pointers on an afternoon to largely forget.

MVP: Rickey McGill (B. Braun Sheffield Sharks)

Cheshire Phoenix 95-104 Surrey 89ers

Surrey 89ers gained a small measure of revenge in their season series with the Cheshire Phoenix as Jalen Ray had himself a 30-piece in the 104-95 victory in Ellesmere Port.

To go with 30 points, Ray dished out four assists as the Niners vanquished the memory of their last visit to EPSV by going a staggering 13/19 from three-point land and shooting 57% from the floor.

The evergreen Mervin James added 21 in Surrey’s total with Cameron Gooden a perfect 5/5 from deep for his 17.

For the Phoenix, their three-game winning run is halted abruptly at home. TJ Atwood’s 21 points led them, as he continues his good vein of individual form; having not scored in double figures since February, he lands back-to-back double-digit scoring games.

MVP: Jalen Ray (Surrey 89ers)

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