Worcester End Newcastle's Club Record Win Streak - BBL Week 19 Recap - Hoopsfix.com

Worcester End Newcastle’s Club Record Win Streak – BBL Week 19 Recap

In the latest weekend of BBL action, the runaway league leaders saw their unbeaten record come to an end, while the chasing pack all picked up victories.


Worcester Wolves ended the long-unbeaten 28-game run of Newcastle Eagles with a 94-80 win in front of the SkySports cameras on Friday night. Wolves’ captain Pavol Losonsky went 12-of-15 from the field in a 26-point haul, while Perris Blackwell came off the bench to add 20 points with Orlan Jackman handing out seven assists to go with his 16 points.

The home side trailed at the end of the first, but used an 8-0 run in the middle of the second to build a double-digit advantage and they held on to hand Fab Flournoy’s side their first defeat since April. Charles Smith had 18 points for the BBL Cup winners as the Eagles drop to 18-1 in the league.

Worcester then made it a double winning weekend on Sunday after completing the series sweep over Surrey Scorchers with an 88-96 overtime success. Blackwell had 18 points and 11 boards, while Losonksy had 17 and Jay Couisnard and Javier Mugica added 16 apiece. Jackman also weighed in with 14 points, including a late three that forced the extra period that the Wolves took 15-7. Surrey had battled back from a double-digit first quarter deficit to lead by as many as three late on, but dropped their sixth straight league game, despite 16 points from new signing TJ Johnson.


Newcastle were also victorious on Sunday as they brushed off their first loss by returning to winning ways with an 87-97 victory away at Cheshire Phoenix in the BBL Trophy quarter-finals. Last week’s Cup Final MVP Rahmon Fletcher had 18 points to lead the Eagles, while Drew Lasker came off the bench to contribute 16 points and 11 rebounds. Phoenix were down 18 in the fourth and battled back to six before the defending champions closed out their fifth win over their North-West opponents of the season. Akeem Ellis netted 34 points in the losing effort.


Elsewhere, Leicester Riders bounced back from their Cup Final defeat and closed the gap on Newcastle with an 80-90 win on the road at Plymouth Raiders. Neil Watson led the way with 27 points with TrayVonn Wright posting a double-double of 20 points and 10 rebounds in the win. The Raiders were down 11 in the first, but came out firing in the second with a 15-0 run to open up a 44-38 half-time lead. The Riders responded to tie the game early in the third, and a late 14-4 run was enough to secure the victory. Daryl Corletto led his side with 20 points.


Sheffield Sharks took their winning streak to eight games this weekend with back-to-back victories. Atiba Lyons’ men eased to a 92-59 win at home to Leeds Force on Saturday before beating Manchester Giants 73-90 the following day. Jerrold Brooks scored a game-high 22 points in the win over Leeds with TJ Robinson adding 19 points and 13 rebounds from the bench as they dominated the second and third periods by a combined 52-21. On Sunday, the Sharks fired in 14 triples including 12 in the first half to build a commanding 33-62 advantage with Kyle Odister finishing 6-of-8 from deep for 22 points, while Brooks had 19 along with eight assists.


Finally, Glasgow Rocks were convincing 87-58 winners at home to Bristol Flyers as Marcus Ware top scored with 24 points. The Rocks raced into a 15-4 start, and never looked back with their lead peaking at 31 points in the fourth. Cardell McFarland led the Flyers with 18 points as they were without Tyrone Lee and Doug McLaughlin-Williams. The Rocks also had 17 and 14 points respectively from Jonny Bunyan and Riley Grabau as they moved above .500.


Results: Friday- Worcester Wolves 94-80 Newcastle Eagles; Saturday- Sheffield Sharks 92-59 Leeds Force; Sunday- Plymouth Raiders 80-90 Leicester Riders, Glasgow Rocks 87-58 Bristol Flyers, Manchester Giants 73-90 Sheffield Sharks, Surrey Scorchers 88-96 Worcester Wolves (OT), Cheshire Phoenix 87-97 Newcastle Eagles (BBL Trophy QF)

Standings: Eagles 18-1; Wolves 14-7; Riders 13-1; Sharks 11-6; Rocks 9-8; Lions 7-8; Phoenix 7-11; Raiders 6-12; Force 6-14; Flyers/Scorchers 5-12; Giants 5-15

Hoopsfix Star 5: Jerrold Brooks, Neil Watson, Pavol Losonsky, Marcus Ware, Perris Blackwell

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