Newcastle book spot in Trophy Final, Manchester & Caledonia advance in Cup and London go reign in Championship action

The Eagles will compete in January’s Super League Basketball Trophy Final, while Gladiators and Manchester moved to the next round of the Cup. Elsewhere, Lions defeated second-placed Sharks to go top of the Championship table and Riders impressed to stay just four points behind.

London Lions 80 – 77 B. Braun Sheffield Sharks

An incredibly busy in SLB action started with a Championship clash at the Copper Box Arena on Wednesday evening, as the Sharks visited the Lions.

With Sheffield atop the Championship table, second-placed London had an opportunity to go level on points and join them ahead of the pack. The home fans had early cause for optimism, as Michael Brisker enjoyed an excellent scoring burst in the opening minutes to create a Lions lead.

A pair of lay-ups from Alen Hadzibegovic bolstered the London advantage and then Jaiden Delaire came off the bench to a make a string of buckets to pull further ahead as the first quarter developed. Despite the efforts for Rodney Chatman III, London remained on top as the opening period came to a close and they went into the first break up by 11.

Ovie Soko added a scoring punch from the bench as the second quarter began, but then Aaryn Rai took the reigns for the Lions, attacking the pain for controlled lay-ins and executing turnaround jumpers from mid range, as London tightened their grip on the fixture.

Drake Jeffries and Jacob Groves made shots from beyond the arc, but every Sheffield make was matched with London sinking one of their own. Rai carved his way through the lane at will, maintaining superiority for the hosts.

In the final seconds of the half, Sheffield scored from close to bring the deficit within single digits and when Mike Ochereobia hit a pair at the free-throw line, the Sharks headed to the locker room down by seven.

At the restart, London scored by committee to move the lead back beyond double-figures. Petar Bozic’s team moved the ball with fluidity and frustrated the Sheffield defence. However, midway through the third quarter, Groves and Jordan Ratinho put together an offensive sequence that pulled the visitors within five.

Ciaran Sandy swiftly hit from deep and Soko drained a floater to re-open the gap, but back bit the Sharks. A lay-up from Clay and an explosive alley-oop from Groves slimmed the difference to just three points. London swung back immediately however, with Michael Brisker sinking from three-point land to pull away.

The teams then traded baskets, as London edged marginally ahead with every made shot and Sheffield found open looks to keep themselves in the contest. In the final moments of the penultimate quarter, Chatman III was fouled on a three point attempt and when he converted two points from the line, the Sharks trailed by as many.

A minute into the final quarter, Jeffries carved through the paint and hit a two-pointer to tie the game. Seconds later, Ade Adebayo took care of business at the charity stripe to regain London’s lead, but when Chatman III cooly made three of his own free-throws, Sheffield earned a one-point advantage.

Rai and Groves traded baskets for a couple of minutes, as the teams swapped leads midway through the fourth. Hadzibegovic forced his way to the line seconds later and the Lions were back in front. He then combined an aggressive dunk and crafty lay-up to push his team ahead by seven.

The Sharks were valiant in the final couple of minutes. Clay scored two at the line and followed it up with a lay-up to make it just a two-point game, in favour of the Lions. However, with ten seconds left on the clock, Delaire split a pair of free-throws and that was enough, Chatman III missed from beyond the arc with four seconds left and London joined their opponents at the top of the Championship table.

Most Valuable Player: Aaryn Rai led a strong team performance for London, recording 16 points, five rebounds and seven assists.

Surrey 89ers 72 – 89 Leicester Riders

Elsewhere, the 89ers hosted the Riders at the Surrey Sports Park on Friday. With Leicester heading into the game week at in third position, they had a chance to stay within reach of the top two, while Surrey jostled for position in the Championship table.

Dame Adelekun made a bright start for the 89ers, winning the tip-off and scoring within seconds, but that was when the party ended for the home team. Charles Thompson responded with a trio of unanswered jump shots, to gain momentum for the Riders.

Jalen Ray and Mervin James combined for a positive offensive request for Surrey, as they chipped back into the contest, but Leicester answered back. Riley Abercrombie and Jaylin Hunter hit from close to race ahead and give Rob Paternostro’s men a double-digit lead.

The teams then traded baskets during the final minute of the opening quarter, but when James hit from mid-range in the last second, Surrey went into the first break trailing by seven.

Lloyd Gardner’s team showed some buoyancy as they returned for the second, pulling within five points, but the visitors found an answered to everything. The Riders commanded the boards on both ends of the floor, while moving the ball tremendously to find open shots and hurt their opposition.

Threes from Abercrombie and Conner Washington punctuated Leicester’s offensive onslaught, but it was led by Thompson, who pounded the paint with physicality and produced a steady diet of scoring as the Riders built upon their advantage.

As the side split for the locker rooms, Leicester were 14 points ahead.

Zach Jackson took the baton for the Riders, combining with Hunter to score with regularity and open up the floor for uncontested threes. Midway through the third quarter, Thompson made a lay-up that created a 20-point chasm for the Midlanders.

Adelekun and Ray enjoyed a positive offensive run for a couple of minute, shrinking the gap valiantly, but Thompson hit back with another pair of makes. Jordan Hunt hit a three from Surrey as the quarter ended and the difference was 15.

Ethan Wright offered a scoring punch from the Leicester bench to rebuild the lead as the fourth quarter began. Jackson and Abercrombie then piled in the points and Surrey saw the contest slip away from them.

The home team were able to put together a run that provided some consolation, but it was far too late. Jackson hit a jumper in the final minute to add insult to injury and when the final buzzer sounded, Leicester had taken the 17-point victory and kept the pace on London and Sheffield.

Most Valuable Player: Charles Thompson played a pivotal part in Leicester’s win, recording 18 points, seven rebounds and two assists.

Newcastle Eagles 87 – 90 Caledonia Gladiators

In the Super League Basketball Cup, Eagles welcomed Gladiators to the Vertu Motors Arena on Friday evening.

With Caledonia struggling mightily in the Championship, they were hoping for a fresh start in a different format and it looked good in the early stages. Malik Dunbar scored three consecutive three lay-ups and created an early advantage for the visitors.

Midway through the first period, Jared Wilson-Frame hit a pair of jumpers from beyond the arc and just like that, the Gladiators were ahead by 10 points. Cole Long responded with a pair of threes of his own for the Eagles, pulling back to within four, but a Patrick Whelan lay-up near the end of the quarter ensured that Caledonia finished the quarter in front by five.

Elijah Cain set the tone of the second instalment when he splashed home a three within a minute and Wilson-Frame followed it up with another deep jumper, as Caledonia sparked an electrifying offensive surge.

Though Darius Defoe came off the bench to provide a short-term answer for Newcastle with a pair of close makes, Caledonia couldn’t be stopped. Trevond Barnes enjoyed a confident offensive sequence, pushing the visitors back beyond double-figures. Whelan hit another late J heading into half-time and Caledonia went into the break ahead by 16.

Newcastle clearly regrouped at half-time and when they returned, Mike Okauru teamed up with Jordan Spencer for a pair of threes which shrunk the deficit. Dunbar continued to scored consistently to lead the Caledonia offence, but the Eagles worked brilliantly to battle their way back to contention.

Half-way through the third, De’sean Allen-Eikens drained two contested threes and the hosts had pulled within seven points. Minutes later, Okauru also hit from beyond the arc to make it a four-point game and it was game-on.

Okauru made a tough lay-up in the last seconds of the third, but when Barnes scored as an immediate response, the Glad’s finished the period ahead by seven.

Dunbar made a pair of shots as the fourth began, but it seemed to propel Newcastle into some runaway momentum. Okauru hit another three midway through the quarter and shortly after, Defoe cooly drained a free-throw and the home team slimmed the gap to four points.

Defoe and Okauru punished the sliding Caledonia defence for a couple of minutes, before Allen-Eikens made a transition lay-up and launched his team one point ahead with three minutes left on the game clock.

Whelan enjoyed a successful trip to the line a minute later and Wilson-Frame hit his fourth three with sixteen seconds left, regaining the lead for Caledonia. Cole Long hit back with a lay-up to give the Eagles a fighting chance, but to no end; Wilson-Frame split a pair at the charity stripe and when the buzzer sounded, the Glad’s secured the three-point W and a place in the second round of the SLB Cup.

Most Valuable Player: In a well-earned victory, Dunbar led scoring for the Gladiators and logged 26 points and four rebounds.

Hemel Storm 73 – 93 Manchester Basketball

The ‘magic of the cup’ was alive on Saturday, when NBL Division 1 team Hemel Storm faced off against the SLB’s Manchester Basketball team at the Hemel Hempstead Leisure Centre.

With Manchester heading into the game as clear favourites, the start of the contest was extremely exciting for the home crowd. The Storm moved the ball confidently, scoring a string of layups by committee and when Brayden Inger hit a pair of deep jumpers, they took a lead over their professional opponents.

Minutes later, former Leicester Rider Darien Nelson-Henry bullied his way to the basket for a three-point play that built upon the Hemel advantage. Inger soon scored another contested three to open the gap to seven, but the visitors came back swinging. Nathan Cayo scored five uncontested points and just like that, Manchester had tied the game.

Tra-Michael Moton hit back with a lay-in, which was immediately met by another game-tying make from Marcus Delpeche. Cayo joined the party a minute later, combining a make from beyond the arc with a mid-range jumper to keep Manchester ahead.

A game of cat-and-mouse took place near the end of the first quarter; every time Cayo and Delpeche edged in front, Nelson-Henry scored to either tie the game or create a slim lead for the Storm. Then, when Veron Eze made a tough lay-up in the final minute, Hemel secured a one-point lead to finish the period.

A similar pattern unfolded as the second quarter began, the Storm climbed over their opponents but Manchester swiftly scored to tie the game. Then Trent Monkman carved through the lane to scored a pair of close buckets, before Nelson-Henry and Moton earned baskets to opened the home lead up to six points. Matt Ellis then jammed it home with three minutes left in the half and the Storm had a game-high lead of nine.

Hemel’s strong run clearly woke Manchester up, however. Makai Ashton-Langford recorded five unanswered points to chip away the deficit. Cayo was then joined by Junior Madut and Ian Dubose for a string of important makes, eventually retaking the lead as the half wound down. Madut scored a lay-up with eight seconds remaining and earned Manchester a three-point half-time lead.

Manchester meant business, as they returned to the hardwood. Madut and Delpeche scored buckets to build upon their superiority, before Ashton-Langford’s three created a double-digit gap for the visitors. Madut piled on with a contested lay-in and aggressive dunk to stretch the difference to 15 points, then a minute later Nicholas Lewis drained a deep jumper of his own to make it 17.

Moton and Nelson-Henry both earned trips to the line in the final minute of the third, which they took advantage of and when the quarter came to an end, the Storm were trailing by 15.

Offences went blow-for-blow at the beginning of the quarter, with the gap staying at 15 for three minutes. However, Manchester soon tightened their grip on the contest with a stream of easy lay-ups, capitalising on the increasing turnover rate of a tiring Hemel team. Donovan Mitchell’s smooth lay-up with five minutes left of the clock pulled Manchester ahead by a seemingly insurmountable 26 points.

As the fourth quarter developed, Manchester put on a professional display to control the outcome down the stretch. A valiant Hemel team plugged away, but contention was beyond reach. At the end of this one, the road team had won by 20 points and marched onto the second round. Despite a strong first half, Hemel’s SLB Cup dream fell at the first hurdle.

Most Valuable Player: Manchester shared the offensive load throughout, but Donovan Mitchell’s well-rounded contribution of 14 points, seven rebounds and six assists stood out.

Manchester Basketball 106 – 86 Cheshire Phoenix

Less then a full day after their Cup fixture, Manchester played host to Cheshire at the National Basketball Performance Centre in Sunday afternoon Championship action.

The home crowd expected a weary start from their team and it could have been that when T.J. Atwood scored to spark an early Phoenix lead in the opening seconds. However, fresh from a strong performance on Saturday, Junior Madut answered back with a step-back three to edge Manchester ahead.

Elijah Ifejeh hit a pair of lay-ups to build upon the home lead, but the trailing Cheshire team saw Skyler White stretch the floor and sink a couple of shots from beyond the arc to maintain balance in the contest.

Shortly after Cheshire tied the game, Manchester came back swinging with a run led by Donovan Mitchell and Makai Ashton-Langford, who combined hook-shots with pull-up threes, as the hosts surged ahead.

A barren three minutes then unfolded, with both teams going scoreless until the final minute, when they traded buckets, with each side scoring by committee. White split a pair at the charity stripe with six seconds left in the period and at that point, Cheshire trailed by six points.

Ben Thomas’ team came out flying for the second quarter, Cameron Holden converted a lay-up, before splashing a three-pointer to move within a single point of Manchester. A minute later, RJ Eytle-Rock tied the game with a lay-in of his own.

Madut then combined with Mitchell for a pair of makes to launch Manchester back in front, but Cheshire wouldn’t go away and remained close to their opponents as the quarter progressed. Nathan Cayo hit a pair of threes to race seven points ahead, but Cheshire found an answer in Larry Austin Jr., who hit a pair of shots to shrink the deficit to a single point once again.

In the final couple of minutes, Ifejeh made two lay-ups and stretched the difference back to eight points. With the half-time break looming, David Ulph scored a lay-up to take a six-point deficit to the locker room.

As the teams re-emerged for the second half, Manchester appeared revitalised and flew ahead with dynamic ball movement and scored at will. Ifejeh scored a contested lay-up three minutes into the third to propel Manchester into a double-digit lead and Ashton-Langford added extra spice with a three pointer seconds later.

White continued to pose a threat from deep for Cheshire, providing a consistent life-line for the visitors, but despite his efforts, they couldn’t stop Manchester, who grew in confidence as the quarter developed. Cayo hit a pair from three-point territory halfway through the quarter and Cheshire started to lose control of the clash.

When Cayo scored in transition with 20 seconds left in the third instalment, he locked in a 15 points Manchester lead, heading into the last quarter.

Cheshire couldn’t make the fourth quarter as dramatic as they’d have liked. Manchester remained in control for the duration, extending the lead to 20 points within three minutes and controlling the pace throughout. Madut had the keys to the offence and he took advantage, scoring steadily down the stretch and adding to his impressive tally, while Ashton-Langford facilitated tremendously to keep the offence ticking.

Turnovers hurt Cheshire enormously, as they committed eight more than the hosts and they saw the game slip out of reach long before the finish. When Madut hit his fourth three with ten seconds remaining, he secured the 20-point triumph and completed a highly-successful weekend for Manchester.

Most Valuable Player: Junior Madut led Manchester in scoring with 25, while also logging four rebounds and seven assists along the way.

Caledonia Gladiators 53 – 84 London Lions

Fighting for the Championship top spot, London travelled to the Playsport Arena on Sunday afternoon, to face the bottom-placed Gladiators, who progressed to the second round of the Cup two days prior.

Looking at the league table, London came into the game as clear favourite, so it was no surprising when they put an early mark on the contest with baskets from Aaryn Rai and Alen Hadzibegovic. However, Jared Wilson-Frame and Patrick Whelan carried over some of their form from the cup tie, scoring to take a one-point lead of their own shortly after.

Michael Brisker tied the game with a pull-up jumper and followed it up with lead-taking shots from inside and out for the Lions. Caledonia found a minor lifeline in Malik Dunbar who drove aggressively to force his way to the line, but they couldn’t make it last and experienced a scoreless four minutes, while London raced ahead.

Brisker and Jaiden Delaire piled in the points to extend the Lions’ advantage to beyond double-digits, before Sean Flood rose from the bench to hit a three to widen the gap. Tyler Peterson converted a reverse lay-up at the end of the first quarter and the visitors were 13 points ahead.

As the second quarter began, Caledonia struggled mightily. The home team went scoredless for the first five minutes, while Hadzibegovic combined with Ciaran Sandy to score from close and propel London 17 points ahead.

Dunbar offered temporary buoyancy, but unfortunately for Caledonia, Rai and Brisker couldn’t be stopped inside. London entered cruise control and when Peterson scored in the lane, they cruised to the locker rooms up by 24 points.

The busy weekend clearly got the better of Caledonia, as they carried over the lacklustre defence into the third quarter. Rai and Hadzibegovic shared the offensive load, as they scored with apparent ease and pushed far beyond the Glad’s reach.

Despite the efforts of Whelan and Barnes, who plugged away on offence, this one started to get out of hand as the quarter continued. Once again, Flood punctuated London’s dominance with a final shot, making a lay-up at the end of the third and taking a 38-point lead.

Caledonia made a valiant effort in the fourth, with Dunbar making a series of shots and playing for pride, with this one all-but-over. The hosts won the final quarter by seven points, but lost the game by 31, when all was said and done.

Most Valuable Player: London controlled play for the majority of the contest and Aaryn Rai was a huge part of that. He recorded 16 points, five rebounds and seven assists.

Leicester Riders 83 – 83 Newcastle Eagles (174-178 agg)

In the third competition of the week, the Eagles their four-point aggregate lead into the Mattioli Arena to face the Riders in the SLB Trophy semi-final second leg.

Leicester had a simple objective heading into the contest – win by at least five points to advance to the final. Their goal took a brutal blow as the game started, with Mike Okauru hitting an early jump-shot to establish a Newcastle lead and set the tone for a tremendous performance.

In their second knockout game of the week, Newcastle raced ahead of their opponents at the start first period. Okauru spearheaded the offence, scoring 10 points in the first six minutes and pulling away from Leicester.  He wouldn’t relent as the quarter developed either, combining deep makes with crafty lay-ups and earning a double-digit Newcastle advantage as the teams went to the bench.

Whatever Rob Paternostro said before the second quarter made an impact, Ethan Wright and Duke Shelton converted from close to chip away at the deficit, before Riley Abercrombie combined cool free-throw shooting with a crucial three to keep their Trophy hopes alive.

Okauru was joined by Josh Ward-Hibbert to hit back with lay-ups for Newcastle, but Leicester now on top. Charles Thompson bumped inside and earned a trip to the line in the host’s final offence of the half and when he hit both, the Riders trailed by just one as the teams left the court.

Zach Jackson sparked a bright start for Leicester as the second half began, but after a couple of minutes, Ward-Hibbert scored 13 consecutive points for Newcastle, combining contested three-pointers with smooth finishes at the rim to launch the Eagles back ahead by double-figures.

The visitors then looked to the bench to add insult to injury, Christian James made free-throws and De’sean Allen-Eikens offered an interior threat, as Newcastle opened up a 18-point differential in the final minute of the third. After a pair of charity shots from Conner Washington, Leicester went into the fourth quarter with a great deal of work to do.

The final period got off to a tense start, with both teams going scoreless for the first two minutes. However, Wright eventually stepped up from the bench again for Leicester, scoring ten points in three minutes and creating a glimmer of hope for the home team.

Thompson made a pair of lay-ups with four minutes left on the clock, while Okauru drained a floater on the other end to keep Leicester at arm’s length. Soon after, Jackson earned multiple trips to the free-throw line, while the Riders increased the defensive intensity and moved to within three points with under three minutes remaining.

Okauru attempted to keep Leicester at bay with occasional buckets down the stretch, but Jackson and Wright made a series of clutch jumpers, as the home crowd reacted feverishly. With 45 seconds left, Jackson drained a three and completed a comeback to tie the game for Leicester, but still behind on aggregate, there was still work to do.

Cole Long split a pair from the line with 18 seconds to go, but Thompson swiftly punched back with a successful lay-up to gain a one-point lead. However, Allen-Eikens soon earned another visit to the stripe and tied the game.

Of course, the comeback wasn’t enough for Leicester and this one ended with a rare 83-83 draw. Newcastle came out on top with an aggregate score of 178-174 and will compete in the SLB Trophy Final at the Utilita Arena in Birmingham on the 26th of January.

Most Valuable Player: Mike Okauru was unstoppable for Newcastle, recording 24 points, six rebounds and an assist to help his team advance.

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