Giants Off the Bottom - BBL Week 26 Recap - Hoopsfix.com

Giants Off the Bottom – BBL Week 26 Recap

The top two in the BBL Championship continue to rack up the wins, while the race for the playoffs got even tighter in the latest weekend of BBL action.

Newcastle Eagles suffered their first defeat of the season at the hands of Worcester Wolves in January, but there would be no repeat this time around as Fab Flournoy’s side claimed an 81-75 victory on Friday night. Joe Chapman and Rahmon Fletcher combined for 41 points as the Eagles overturned a half-time deficit on their way to the win. Wolves shot 22% from 3-point range and were held to just 10 points in the third period. Perris Blackwell had a game-high 27 points on 10-of-15 shooting from the floor.

The Eagles were then forced to dig deep to overcome a stern test from Surrey Scorchers as a 12-1 close propelled them to a 69-80 success in Guildford. Fletcher led the way with 21 points including five straight to spark the game-winning run after the game was tied at 68-68. Newcastle had trailed by as many as five in the final quarter, but their depleted roster got the job done in the absences of Lasker and Charles Smith. As for Surrey, their post-season hopes hang by a thread despite a positive display from Jordan Williams, who had 21 points and 10 rebounds.

Leicester Riders also recorded back-to-back victories this weekend as they cruised past Manchester Giants before leaving it late to see off Cheshire Phoenix on the road. The BBL Trophy winners started slow against the Giants, but racked up 31 points in the second quarter as they powered to a 91-69 victory with Neil Watson leading all scorers with 24 points.

The American guard then netted 25 in Sunday’s 82-89 win away at Cheshire with Watson and Tyler Bernardini nailing dagger three’s in the final two minutes to seal the triumph. Kinu Rochford posted 26 points and 11 rebounds for the home side, while Akeem Ellis had 18 of his 21 points in the first half to help put Nix ahead. Also, Drew Sullivan passed 4,000 career BBL Championship points during the game.

Sheffield Sharks returned to winning ways following last week’s two defeats as they claimed the head-to-head over London Lions with a 73-63 success. Brandon Hogg missed just two attempts from inside the arc on his way to 21 points, while Jerrold Brooks accompanied his 19 points with seven assists in the win. The visitors were led by Demond Watt’s 20 points and nine rebounds, but they were left to rue a poor shooting night in Yorkshire.

Plymouth Raiders coped without the suspended Cory Dixon as they earned their 11th league win with a 73-69 victory against Glasgow Rocks. Adrien Sturt posted a stellar double-double with 24 points and 16 rebounds, while Daryl Corletto added 17 points including two late free throws to ice the game. The Rocks battled back to within two points late on having been down as many as 17 in the third, but they were unable to make it a double-winning weekend in the South West. Kieron Achara finished with 20 points and 14 rebounds, while Will Hall matched his team-mate’s points tally and added 13 boards himself.

Glasgow had beaten Bristol Flyers 67-75 on the road less than 24 hours earlier after Achara led his side to victory with a dominant display. The GB veteran poured in 30 points in less than 30 minutes whilst collecting 11 rebounds and adding five blocks. Hall was the only other player from the visiting team to reach double figures with 12 as they closed the gap on fourth place. For the Flyers, Cardell McFarland top scored with 23 points, while Daniel Edozie pulled down 15 boards to go with his 19 points in the loss.

Leeds Force boosted their Play-Off hopes with an impressive 73-65 win at home to London Lions. Marek Klassen posted a rare BBL triple-double with 16 points, 10 rebounds and 10 assists in the win, while Rob Marsden contributed a double-double of 16 points and 10 boards and Kwan Waller top scored with 17 points. The win moves Matt Newby’s side to within a single win of the Lions as well as Cheshire and Plymouth, who are tied for seventh as they occupy the final playoff spots. The Lions led at half-time and looked set to bounce back from Friday’s defeat, only to be held to 11 points in the fourth as an 11-1 run from the hosts proved decisive.

Results: Friday- Newcastle Eagles 81-75 Worcester Wolves, Leicester Riders 91-69 Manchester Giants, Sheffield Sharks 73-63 London Lions; Saturday- Bristol Flyers 67-75 Glasgow Rocks; Sunday- Surrey Scorchers 69-80 Newcastle Eagles, Plymouth Raiders 73-69 Glasgow Rocks, Leeds Force 73-65 London Lions, Cheshire Phoenix 82-89 Leicester Riders, Manchester Giants 64-62 Bristol Flyers.

Standings: Eagles 24-2; Riders 19-2; Wolves 17-10; Sharks 15-10; Rocks 14-12; Lions 11-13; Raiders/Nix 11-15; Force 10-16; Flyers 7-17; Giants 7-21; Scorchers 6-19

Hoopsfix Star 5: Marek Klassen, Neil Watson, Callum Jones, Adrien Sturt, Kieron Achara

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *