BBL Round-up – Week 2

Only two teams remain unbeaten while Leeds Force are the only side yet to register a victory in the opening two weeks of the season.

The BBL new-boys played their first-ever league home game on Friday and made a solid start to open up a 36-29 half-time lead against Glasgow. However, the second half swung in favour of the visitors as they dominated to outscore their opponents 48-21 to ease to a 77-55 victory for the first of their campaign. Tayo Ogedengbe starred with a 29-point haul with Tommy Freeman adding 21.

The Rocks were in action again on Saturday and would have to manage without Paul Egwuonwu as well as Ali Fraser in their game at Surrey. The home side largely controlled the game and were able to pull clear in the second half to end their wait for a first win with a 97-76 triumph. Lavione West top scored with 20 points, Trevor Setty and Kirk Crecco each added 19 and there was a big double-double for Kramer Knutson – 18 points an 18 rebounds.

Worcester saw their unbeaten run come to an end on Sunday after Manchester Giants pulled off another impressive home win, coming out on top 93-83. Former Wolves player David Watts shot the lights out from downtown, making 6 of 7 attempts on his way to 19 points as the Giants recovered from being as many as 15 points behind. Ben Eaves contributed an 18-10 double-double and new signing Martyn Gayle celebrated his debut with a first-ever BBL win with 11 points.

Remy Dibo had led the Wolves with 19 points while Robert Thurman added another 18 points to continue his impressive start tot he season. The 6’10” American recorded 22 points and 14 rebounds in Friday’s BBL TV 83-67 win at home to Cheshire. Chavis Holmes produced an all-round display of 11 points, 8 rebounds, 5 assists and 4 blocks while Dibo (15), Alex Owumi (12) and Donatas Visockis (10) all reached double figures.

Cheshire were able to bounce back from their second successive defeat by claiming their first win with a 66-48 success against Leeds at the Northgate Arena on Sunday. Captain David Aliu led the way with 18 points and 9 rebounds while Brad Karp double-doubled with 13 points and 10 boards. For the visitors, Zak Wells led the resistance with 14 points and 10 rebounds, but the Force fell to their third straight loss in an unconvincing start.

Another side able to earn their first win were the defending league champions Newcastle as they defeated Durham 99-73 on the road on Sunday. Darius Defoe had a big game with 27 points and 7 rebounds as the Eagles powered to victory . Long-serving player-coach Fab Flournoy reached 4,000 league points in his BBL career while Drew asker added 9 points and 7 steals in his 250th league appearance.

On Friday, London Lions ended the perfect start for Bristol with a 76-68 victory in their opening home game at the Copper Box Arena. Veterans Drew Sullivan and Rod Brown scored 18 and 17 points respectively to guide their side to victory in the continued absence of Zaire Taylor and Lovell Cook, although the forward was in attendance.

Sheffield improved to a 2-1 mark with a comfortable 79-55 home success against Plymouth, orchestrated by BJ Holmes. The American guard had a game-high 17 points after landing 5-9 from 3-point range. Allen Payne scored 16 from the bench while Zach Gachette impressed with 13 points and 8 rebounds in the win. Brent Benson returned for the Raiders to score 12, but it wasn’t enough as the visitors dropped to 1-2.

Week 2 Results – Friday: Sheffield Sharks 79-55 Plymouth Raiders; London Lions 76-68 Bristol Flyers; Worcester Wolves 83-67 Cheshire Phoenix; Leeds Force 57-77 Glasgow Rocks. Saturday: Surrey United 97-76 Glasgow Rocks. Sunday: Durham Wildcats 73-99 Newcastle Eagles; Cheshire Phoenix 66-48 Leeds Force; Manchester Giants 93-83 Worcester Wolves.

Star 5: BJ Holmes, Tayo Ogedengbe, David Watts, Darius Defoe, Kramer Knutson