Flyers Rise, Eagles Set Riders Final Clash - BBL Week 13 Recap - Hoopsfix.com

Flyers Rise, Eagles Set Riders Final Clash – BBL Week 13 Recap

In the latest BBL round-up, the BBL Cup Final showdown was confirmed, and there was plenty of joy for teams on the road.

Newcastle Eagles wrapped up their semi-final against Cheshire Phoenix with a 100-96 victory for an overall 213-181 aggregate win that secured a BBL Cup Final showdown with Leicester Riders. Scott Martin and Charles Smith led the way with 20 points apiece, with the latter dishing out nine assists to confirm a fifth straight BBL Cup Final appearance. Kinu Rochford finished with an incredible 15-of-16 from the field for 30 points along with 14 rebounds in an impressive display as the visitors battled back from 25 down at half-time to set up a tense finish on the night.

Bristol Flyers claimed two victories over the weekend as they moved level on points with two teams above them in the playoff places. Firstly, Andreas Kapoulas’ side battled back to claim an 80-79 overtime win at home to South-West rivals Plymouth Raiders as Cardell McFarland poured in 29 points, before upsetting Cheshire Phoenix with a 58-72 victory on the road with double-doubles from Tyrone Lee, who had 17 points and 12 rebounds, and Daniel Edozie, who tallied 16 & 16.

Plymouth bounced back from Friday’s disappointment to defeat London Lions 104-114 in the capital as they again went the distance with Daryl Corletto forcing the extra period with the final five points before finishing with 28. Josh Wilcher scored seven of his 18 points in overtime as the Raiders used an 11-0 run to seal the victory. The Lions had led by 12 at one stage in the first half, by which point Demond Watt had scored 20 of his game-high 33 points.

Leicester Riders defeated league rivals Worcester Wolves for the second time this season as they claimed the head-to-head series with a convincing 65-83 road win. The home side – who were without Ben Eaves and Perris Blackwell – handed a debut to Orlan Jackman and made a bright start, leading by eight at 34-26 in the second, before the Riders took over. Jay Couisnard scored 26 points against his former side, but Tyler Bernardini led the visitors to their 10th league win after netting six triples on his way to 24 points, whilst adding 12 rebounds with Neil Watson also hitting 20 points and Drew Sullivan adding an 18-8-7 stat-line.

Glasgow Rocks have climbed into the top four after their latest 86-99 win away at Manchester Giants with six different players reaching double figures. The visitors finally broke clear in the final quarter after going on a 17-3 run as part of 32 points in the fourth period. Jordan Clarke netted four triples on his way to 17 points, while Warren Gillis also added 17, and Kieron Achara had 15 from the bench in a balanced scoring effort. Callum Jones (22), Stefan Gill (21) and Ingus Bankevics (19) combined for 62 points as the Giants fell to an eighth straight defeat.

Meanwhile, the Giants had also suffered a 96-82 loss on the road at Surrey Scorchers on Friday as Creon Raftopoulos’ side returned to winning ways. Three players hit 20 points, led by Nick Schlitzer’s 22 as KC Ross-Miller and Christian Behrens both added 20 apiece. The Giants were led by Jones’ game-high 27 points, but the visitors found themselves 24 points down at half-time and unable to recover from the large deficit.

Sheffield Sharks are level with the Scorchers on a 5-6 record after they defeated Leeds Force 71-85 on the road behind a 33-point haul from Jerrold Brooks. The American shot 8-of-10 inside the arc, and also had five rebounds, five assists and four steals in the win. TJ Robinson contributed a big double-double of 17 points and 15 rebounds, and Mike Cook had 19 points as the Sharks raced into an early double-digit lead and never looked back. For Leeds, Kwan Waller had 23.

Results: Friday- Newcastle Eagles 100-96 Cheshire Phoenix (BBL Cup); Leeds Force 71-85 Sheffield Sharks, Worcester Wolves 65-83 Leicester Riders, Surrey Scorchers 96-82 Manchester Giants, Bristol Flyers 80-79 Plymouth Raiders (OT); Sunday- London Lions 104-114 Plymouth Raiders (OT), Cheshire Phoenix 58-72 Bristol Flyers, Manchester Giants 86-99 Glasgow Rocks.

Standings: Eagles 14-0; Riders 10-1; Wolves 9-5; Rocks 7-7; Lions 6-5; Phoenix 6-9; Sharks/Scorchers 5-6; Flyers 5-9; Force 5-10; Raiders 4-8; Giants 3-13

Hoopsfix Star 5: Jerrold Brooks, Tyler Bernardini, Daryl Corletto, Tyrone Lee, Kinu Rochford

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