A five-game haul awaited fans in week nine of the Super League Basketball Championship.
London Lions remained as the only unbeaten team this season, with three others also ending up victorious.
Bristol Flyers 103-94 Caledonia Gladiators
Bristol Flyers came out on top against the Caledonia Gladiators at SGS College Arena, defeating the Scottish side 103-94.
Both teams produced efficient scoring performances, with each making over half their shots from the field, but three more makes from beyond the arc as well as eight fewer turnovers committed by the Flyers proved to be the difference maker.
Bristol were up by 17 a couple of minutes into the third quarter, but the visitors produced a scoring surge to make it a one possession game entering the final period. However, the Flyers held their nerve to see out the victory.
Despite Matt Ragsdale putting up a season-high 29 points on 12-for-17 shooting off the bench and Ethan Wright contributing with 24 of his own for the Gladiators, there were six players in double-figures for Bristol to combat the contest’s two top scorers.
Will Yoakum had 20 points and Owen McCormack scored 19, making five of his six attempts from downtown.
Player of the game: Owen McCormack (Bristol Flyers)
Newcastle Eagles 95-99 B.Braun Sheffield Sharks
B.Braun Sheffield Sharks produced a fourth quarter comeback to beat Newcastle Eagles 99-95.
Newcastle, who were hoping to snap their five game losing streak, led for the majority of the evening, and were eight points to the good as they entered the fourth. Sheffield weren’t backing down, though, and flipped the Eagles’ lead on its head to pick up a victory on the road.
Rodney Chatman III had his playmaking cap on, dishing out 14 assists to go alongside his 17 points, and Dirk Williams (26) and Nick Kern Jr. (24) combined for half a century.
All five Newcastle starters scored 11 points or more, led by a 21-point, 13-rebound double-double by Gus Okafor, but it wasn’t quite enough to prevail as victors.
Player of the game: Rodney Chatman III (B.Braun Sheffield Sharks)
B.Braun Sheffield Sharks 98-79 Manchester Basketball
B.Braun Sheffield Sharks followed up Friday’s win with a 98-79 triumph against Manchester Basketball.
It was Sheffield’s fourth straight victory, and this time no late turnaround was needed as Manchester’s only lead came when they were up 6-5 inside the first two minutes.
The Sharks were lights out all afternoon, as not only did they shoot 60% from the floor, but also a scintillating 65% from three point land. In fact, their worst shooting split came from the charity stripe, from which they only made seven of their 15 attempts.
Coming off his double-double two days prior, Rodney Chatman III poured in 35 points to go with seven boards and six assists and went 6-for-7 from three. Dirk Williams scored 20, and William Lee didn’t miss a single shot on his way to scoring 16.
Manchester, who won the matchup earlier in the campaign between these two teams, were led by 24 from Max Jones.
Player of the game: Rodney Chatman III (B.Braun Sheffield Sharks)
Caledonia Gladiators 76-93 Surrey 89ers
A long trip north for the Surrey 89ers resulted in a 93-76 win against Caledonia Gladiators.
An offensive barrage in the second quarter for Surrey, including a run of 14 straight points without reply, saw them have a 23-point cushion at the half, and it was too much to overcome for the Gladiators, with the visitors leading by as many as 29.
Isiah Small was at the forefront of the Niners’ win, scoring 19 points and snatching 14 rebounds, and Kino Lily Jr. added 16.
For Caledonia, Kevin Allen scored 17, with Rian Holland and Ethan Wright contributing 15 and 14 respectively as the team continued their slow start to the season.
Player of the game: Isiah Small (Surrey 89ers)
Cheshire Phoenix 74-89 London Lions
London Lions maintained their perfect record by registering an 89-74 win against the Cheshire Phoenix.
In a game where no Lion put up more than 13, the London bench scored 54 of the team’s 89 points to help them improve to 8-0 on the season.
Cheshire controlled the first half as they looked to bring that unbeaten run to an end, but an elite defensive third quarter for London saw them limit their opponents to just two field goals and nine points which swung proceedings in their favour.
Chasson Randle, Ciaran Sandy and Aaryn Rai all scored 12, with Rai going perfect from the field, and Joel Scott led London in points with 13.
The game’s highest scorer also came from the bench in the form of Patrick Robinson, who dropped 17 points for the Nix. Jaxon Brenchley was just behind him with 16, but it wasn’t to be for them and their squad at home.
Player of the game: Aaryn Rai (London Lions)
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