Riders Move Closer to Cup Final, Eagles 13-0 – BBL Week 11 Recap

JOE PINCHIN/LEICESTER RIDERS

The latest round-up sees all 12 teams in action as one BBL Cup semi-final gets underway before an action-packed weekend in the league.

Newcastle Eagles are still flying high in the BBL after recording back-to-back wins on the weekend to make it a perfect 13-0 start. On Friday, the Eagles made hard work of a visit from Manchester Giants, eventually prevailing by a comfortable margin, 108-85. Darius Defoe led the way with 26 points and 11 rebounds as seven players hit double figures. For the Giants, Ingus Bankevics netted 14/15 from the free throw line in his 22 points, while Callum Jones collected 15 rebounds to go with his 20 points.

The Eagles faced an even tougher test on Sunday as Rahmon Fletcher scored 10 of his game-high 19 points late in the fourth to help his side to a 72-80 win away at Glasgow Rocks. The game was level at 69-69 inside the final three minutes, before Newcastle finished strong to take the spoils at the Emirates Arena. Scott Martin contributed 15 points and 10 rebounds in the win to go with his 11-9-7 stat-line from Friday, while Marcus Ware had 14 for the Rocks.

Worcester Wolves moved into second after bouncing back from consecutive defeats last weekend to win back-to-back in the league. Paul James’ side started the weekend with a 76-66 home win over Leeds Force with Ashton Khan leading the way with 20 points, while Javi Mugica added 12 points and 14 boards from the bench. They followed that up with a 70-83 win on the road at Bristol Flyers after a strong second-half performance. Josh Cameron had 19 points to lead the visitors to the win, while Cardell McFarland led the Flyers with a game-high of 20 points on his return to action.

Leicester Riders moved a step closer to reaching the BBL Cup Final after defeating London Lions 65-77 in the first leg of their semi-final clash at the Copper Box on Thursday. TrayVonn Wright top scored with 14 points, but it was Drew Sullivan who was his influential self with 13 points and 11 rebounds on his return to his former club that proved to be the difference. Jamell Anderson scored 10 of his 12 points in the opening quarter to set the platform for a fast start and the Riders take a 12-point advantage back to Loughborough for the second leg.

Rob Paternostro’s side then held off a late rally from Cheshire Phoenix to return to winning ways in the league with an 86-79 victory two days later. Tyler Bernardini top scored with 17 points, while Neil Watson added 16 points and Sullivan came up with 12 points, 11 rebounds and seven assists from the bench. Jordan Williams led the resistance with 28 points, but the visitors’ second-half fightback just fell short as the Riders closed out the win.

The weekend went from bad to worse for Cheshire as they suffered an 80-86 defeat at home to Plymouth Raiders less than 24 hours later. Williams netted a 25-point haul as the Nix opened with an 11-0 run, but the Raiders responded by putting up 30 in the second quarter and building a 17-point lead at the half. Daryl Corletto had 18 to lead six players in double figures, including Duane Bailey, who finished with 12 points and 13 rebounds as Plymouth climb to 10th in the standings. Mike Vigor had 14 points on 6-of-7 shooting along with nine boards from the bench.

London Lions bounced back from their Cup defeat by easing to a 61-95 win on the road against Surrey Scorchers on Saturday. Jamal Williams netted five triples in a 19-point effort, whilst adding 10 rebounds and four assists. Nick Lewis also chipped in with 19 points, while Demond Watt added 18 points on 8-of-11 shooting from inside the arc. The Scorchers were led by Nick Schlitzer’s 13 points.

Also, Sheffield Sharks were unable to follow up last week’s win over Leicester as they were beaten 82-86 in overtime by Glasgow – avenging a 28-point loss suffered at the hands of Sheffield at the Emirates Arena last month. Gillis finished with 27 points, while Kieron Achara and Ware led the supporting cast with 17 and 14 points respectively. Mike Tuck had 24 for the Sharks.

Results: Thursday- London Lions 65-77 Leicester Riders (CUP SF); Friday- Newcastle Eagles 108-85 Manchester Giants, Worcester Wolves 76-66 Leeds Force, Sheffield Sharks 82-86 Glasgow Rocks (OT); Saturday- Leicester Riders 86-79 Cheshire Phoenix, Surrey Scorchers 61-95 London Lions, Bristol Flyers 73-80 Worcester Wolves; Sunday- Glasgow Rocks 72-80 Newcastle Eagles, Cheshire Phoenix 80-86 Plymouth Raiders.

Standings: Eagles 13-0; Wolves 9-4; Riders 8-1; Lions 6-4; Phoenix 6-8; Rocks 5-7; Force 5-8; Sharks 4-6; Scorchers 3-5; Raiders 3-7; Flyers 3-8; Giants 3-10

Hoopsfix Star 5: Warren Gillis, Jamal Williams, Scott Martin, Drew Sullivan, Mike Vigor

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