Scorchers Suffer at Start of 2016 – BBL Week 16 Recap

Surrey Scorchers/Rob Sambles Photography

BBL action continued in the first weekend of 2016 with five league games taking place after a break for New Year’s Day.

Leicester Riders signed off from their Loughborough venue in style with a convincing 91-43 victory over Leeds Force on Saturday to improve to 12-1 in the league. Andrew Sullivan and Tyler Bernardini led a balanced scoring effort with 13 points apiece, while Neil Watson added 11 points, five assists and six steals with recent signing Trevor Gruis two points shy of a double-double with eight points and 10 rebounds. Kwan Waller had 14 for Leeds as they were outscored 46-18 in the second half to fall to a heavy defeat.

Sheffield Sharks inflicted a heavy 107-55 defeat on Surrey Scorchers on Sunday after shooting above 60% from the field in a clinical display. TJ Robinson top scored with 23 points and added 12 rebounds, while Mike Tuck netted 21 points and Jerrold Brooks had 20 points, six rebounds and seven assists in the win. Brooks orchestrated a 14-0 run in the first and the Sharks went from strength to strength with their lead hitting 60 points at one stage in the fourth.

It was the second loss on the weekend for the Scorchers having also been beaten 66-91 at home to Worcester Wolves less than 24 hours earlier. Wolves captain Pavol Losonsky had a big game for his side with 25 points and 14 rebounds, while Josh Cameron and Jay Couisnard added 18 and 16 points respectively. There was also a telling contribution from Ashton Khan as he netted 6-of-8 from the field in a 15-point haul from the bench. The Scorchers were paced by KC Ross-Miller’s 2

Meanwhile, London Lions snapped a run of four straight league defeats after producing a strong finish to beat Plymouth Raiders 86-84. Demond Watt recorded another double-double with 19 points and 13 rebounds, while Alex Owumi scored seven of his 16 points at a critical stage late on. The Raiders had the chance to climb into the top eight for the first time, but squandered a seven-point lead in the final five minutes of the game. Cory Dixon top scored with 25 points, while Daryl Corletto finished with 20.

Finally, Manchester Giants picked up their fifth league win of the season on Friday after beating Cheshire Phoenix 88-79. Ingus Bankevics finished with 22 points and eight assists, while Callum Jones added 18 points along with nine assists of his own. The visitors were under-manned and dealt a blow when Akeem Ellis – who netted a team-high 21 points – fouled out early on in the fourth quarter as the Nix slump continues. The Giants broke clear in the second and maintained a manageable lead throughout the encounter before taking the win.

Results: Saturday- Surrey Scorchers 66-91 Worcester Wolves, Leicester Riders 91-43 Leeds Force; Sunday- Manchester Giants 88-79 Cheshire Phoenix, London Lions 86-84 Plymouth Raiders, Sheffield Sharks 107-55 Surrey Scorchers

Standings: Eagles 17-0; Riders 12-1; Wolves 12-5; Rocks 8-8; Sharks 7-6; Lions 7-8; Phoenix/Force 6-11; Flyers/Scorchers 5-10; Raiders 5-11; Giants 5-14

Hoopsfix Star 5: Callum Jones, Alex Owumi, Pavol Losonsky, Mike Tuck, TJ Robinson

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