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Division 1 League Play Begins – NBL Round Up, Week 4

By on October 10, 2018
Drexler Clark Bradford Dragons

Division 1 league play started this weekend, as the NBL completes its first month of action.

Here is a recap of everything that took place:

NBL Division 1 Men

Bradford Dragons vs Nottingham Hoods
Bradford Dragons opened their NBL Division 1 campaign, with a 103-91 home win against newly promoted Nottingham McDonald’s Hoods.

Bradford set the tone early, building a comfortable 14 point lead before a furious third quarter rally saw Nottingham pull to within 2. Emmanuel Clark stepped up to steady the ship – on his way to a 33-point, 7-assist outing – as Bradford were able to pull out the win.

Ricky Fetske finished with 29 points to ably back up Clark, and Richard Sulcs had 19, as Bradford shot a blistering 60% from the field, whilst registering 28 assists.

Bradford’s Head Coach, Chris Mellor commented, “We had a decent lead at the half, but Nottingham had a good third quarter and we did a poor job, in the second half, securing defensive boards and taking care of the ball at times. We closed the game out well though in the last eight minutes and its nice to start with a win.”

Nottingham lost captain Tintin Watts to injury in the final minutes, but not before he finished with 13 points, but it was Luke Mitchell led the visitors with 20 points and 8 assists, and Cole Welle had 21 points.

Hoods Head Coach Ryan Westley commented:

“We were made to pay for some bad offence by a strong team, allowing them too many fast break points. Plenty of positives to take from the game though, Welle fitted in nicely for his first run and we showed signs of what we can do when we click. Tintin (Watts) will need a couple of days off, but hopefully he’ll be back for next week.”

Box score.

Reading Rockets vs Derby Trailblazers
Derby Trailblazers got their league season off to a perfect start with a 84-94 impressive away victory over Reading Rockets.

A strong start to the game and a dominant second quarter helped the Trailblazers pull through, using 26 points from American Malcolm Smith, with 13 from Oli Stanley in his return from injury.

“We managed to get some good scores in transition in the first half,” said Derby Head Coach Matt Shaw.

“Later in the game, Reading did a good job slowing us down. Maybe we played the scoreboard a little too much in the second half but still found ways to get it done down the stretch. We knew they would make some runs in the second half, but we wanted to limit those runs. I thought we did that pretty well with that until [Trae] Pemberton found his range in the final quarter.

“He gave us a real scare for a while, but we managed to respond with some important scores and we also hit our free throws down the stretch which can often be a key factor.

“Overall, I thought we had a lot of guys step up defensively. We took some charges and in spells, we also rebounded the ball much better than we did last weekend.”

Trae Pemberton was dominant for Reading with 30.

“It was a rough game for us,” he said. “In the first half, we didn’t come out to play; they really brought it to us and built a 15-point lead at half time. That lit a fire under us for the second half and we performed better and made some shots. In the end, it was too much of a deficit but we’ve got to move from here.”

Box score.

Hemel Storm vs Worthing Thunder
In a re-match of last season’s NBL Division 1 playoff final, Worthing Thunder came away with a hard-fought 103-105 victory at Hemel on Saturday night.

Hemel did well to fight back; they overturne deficits throughout the game including a late run from 76 – 90 down to get within four points on a Bode Adeluola lay-up. Ultimately, Jack Burnell’s potential overtime-forcing three bounced off the rim at the buzzer to give Worthing the win.

Zaire Taylor had 28 points, 9 rebounds, 6 assists and 5 steals – as he was named the NBL Player of the Week – to lead Worthing, Alex Owumi added 28 of his own, and Tom Ward finished with 19.

Blayne Freckleton had 20 points, 8 rebounds and 6 assists to lead Hemel, with Bode Adeluola adding 18 and Levi Noel 17, 9 rebounds and 5 assists.

Storm’s Head Coach Robert Youngblood said: “We’re continuing to shoot extremely well and I was pleased with our bench scoring tonight, but we can’t give up 100-plus points each game and especially against the better teams in Division One.”

Box score.

Team Solent Kestrels vs Thames Valley Cavaliers
Herm Senor II knocked down a game-winner to give Team Solent a 71-69 victory over the newly-promoted Thames Valley Cavaliers team.

Senor dribbled down the clock before getting into the lane and knocking down the tough fall-away jumper to break the tie, and Martelle McLemore’s three point attempt for the win would not convert.

“I’m so proud of the guys to grind this one out against a talented Thames Valley team,” Solent Head Coach Matt Guymon commented. “Herm will deservedly take the headlines following his big shot late, but this truly was a team performance with so many guys contributing at critical times at both ends of the floor.”

Senor led with 23 points, 6 rebounds and 9 assists, Jon Averkamp added 16 and Elliot Dadds finished with 12 points and 6 assists.

Martelle McLemore had a game-high 27 points to lead Cavaliers, but Andre Baptiste was the only other player in double figures with 13.

Box score.

Team Newcastle vs Loughborough Riders
Loughborough Riders survived a scare as they defeated Team Newcastle 66-72 on the road on Saturday.

Holding a 68-47 lead heading into the final period and firmly in control, the basket closed up for Loughborough in the fourth, as they were able to score only 4 points, and just managed to hold off an incredible Newcastle rally that ultimately would fall short.

“Always great to start the league campaign with a win, but we were unhappy with our performance,” Loughborough Head Coach Mark Jarram said.

“For the majority of the game we did some good things, but we didn’t closeout the game well and didn’t respond to Newcastle’s late run. But it is perfect in a sense that it allows us to address it and learn from it. It is a group that needs a lot of coaching as we still learn more about each other and set our foundations.”

Alex Roberts had 14 points to lead Loughorough, with Reis Pinnock grabbing 10 rebounds, as Riders dominated the glass.

Newcastle were led by a 21-point, 10-rebound double-double from Eric Stafford, with David Hanson finishing with 20 points.

“It was positive to see us step up defensively in the 4th quarter,” Newcastle Head Coach Ian Hewitt said.”Hopefully we can continue that into the rest of the season. Offensively we are still missing a lot of key guys but David Hanson and Eric Stafford did a great job.”

Box score.

Essex Leopards vs Barking Abbey Crusaders
Barking Abbey rode a ridiculous 35-point performance from Ade Adebayo to pull out a 77-84 win over Essex Leopards at the University of Essex on Saturday.

Adebayo reeled off 21 straight points for Barking Abbey down the stretch, as they held off Essex who had erased a 20-point deficit to get right back in the game.

The 2018 Hoopsfix All-Star Classic Underclassmen MVP went 10-of-18 from the floor and added 6 rebounds, with Scottish point guard Chris Feeney the only other BA player in double figures with 10.

Leopards captain Sam Newman led the home side with 18 points, 5 rebounds and 4 assists, while Chuck Duru added 15 points on his competitive debut. Luke Mascall-Wright continued his good early-season form with 12 points, 9 rebounds and 6 assists, with Lee Hodges adding 11 rebounds to go with his 12 points.

Box score.

Leicester Warriors vs Manchester Magic
Leicester Warriors got off to a winning start with a 72-68 come-from-behind victory over Manchester Magic.

Trailing by as many as 17, Leicester capitalised on Manchester foul trouble, converting at the foul line to get back into the game and ultimately steal the contest and protect home court.

Brian Orr had 27 points and 8 rebounds to lead Leicester, with Martyn Gayle adding 12.

“It’s a tough pill to swallow but I truly believe that this team is a special group of guys that can do really well,” Manchester Head Coach Aurimas Verbukas commented. “It will take the time, it will take a lot of hard work but we will be ok.

“Sometimes and only sometimes better team lose for one reason or another and today was that day. It’s never easy when another team shoots 18 free throws in the last 5 minutes of the game. We all understand what we are here to do and all are committed 100% so I am very happy and thank all players for what they are giving to this club, from 16-year-olds to experienced older players. We learn and move on.”

Manchester were led by Loick Pouale’s 14 points and Daniel Pilkington who had 13 points and 10 rebounds.

Box score.

Patrons Cup

Myerscough College vs Liverpool
Liverpool defeated Myerscough 75-86 to book their Patrons Cup semi-final spot.

Callan Low’s six three-pointers would not be enough, as a 13-5 Liverpool run to close the third quarter gave them enough of a cushion to seal the win.

“It’s a learning curve for these guys,” said Myerscough coach Neal Hopkins. “We’re only going to get better, but we need guys who are ready to score and put pressure on the defence. It’s really up to us to work hard for our development, but it’s going to happen.”

David Ulph had a game-high 28-point outing for Liverpool, with 22 points from Mark Rangeley.

Box score.

Ipswich vs East London All Stars
Ipswich confirmed their semi-final spot with a 77-66 win over East London All Stars.

Ipswich jumped out to an early lead, before holding off a late fight back from the East London side.

“Saturday was a tough game against a very hard working East London side but to lead wire to wire was satisfying,” Ipswich Head Coach John Ellis said. “Our young core continues to gel together well ahead of the league season, and we’ve been very encouraged by our team defence so far this year.

“Eivydas Aleksa was great for us pushing the pace, Colin Dockrell got us going early and Ethan Price absolutely dominated the backboards.

“We’re very pleased to have made it to the semi-finals of the Patrons Cup for the first time in three years. Every trophy is a target and we’re hoping to keep going in January.”

Eivydas Aleksa had 18 to lead Ipswich, with Colin Dockrell having 15, including some big late baskets.

East London were led by 17 from Dylan Whitbread.

Box score.

Sussex Bears vs London Greenhouse Pioneers
London Greenhouse Bears stole one on the road with a 70-74 win over Sussex Bears.

Francesco Rinaldi hit two huge shots down the stretch for the final margin, as London prevented Sussex from scoring for the final 2:44 of the game.

Rinaldi finished with 25 points, 7 rebounds and 5 assists for Greenhouse, with Diaz adding 12.

Sussex were led by 21 points and 11 rebounds from Tomas Seduikis.

Box score.

Westminster Warriors vs London Westside
Westminster Warriors are confirmed in the Patrons Cup semi-finals following an 88-74 win over London Westside.

Philip Lartey had 12 points to lead Westminster, with Jon J Johnson and Justin Hitchman adding 11 and 10, respectively.

A game-high 22 points from Theo Deleligne led Westside, while Ayodeji Jegede added nine and Stefan Campbell had eight.

Box score.

Division 2 Men

London United had few troubles picking up a 71-90 win over East London All-Stars at UEL on Sunday evening.

United pulled away in the second quarter and never looked back in the game, led by 18 points on 7-for-7 shooting from Daniel Szatkowski and another 18 from Dovydas Rudik.

East London saw 18 from Jonathan James and 16 from Seun Bashua-Olaofe, who also went 7-for-7.

Box score.

Division 3 Men

Team Derby Spartans 88-81 Birmingham Mets
University of Chester 82-60 Team Birmingham Elite
Sheffield Sabres 88-60 Calderdale Explorers
WLV Albion 58-66 Sheffield Hallam Sharks
Essex Blades 67-75 Cardiff City
Team Solent Kestrels II 94-53 Bristol UWE Flyers II
London BC Medelynas 108-106 Swindon Shock
Derby Trailblazers II 86-77 Charnwood College Riders

Division 4 Men

Nottingham Trent Hoods 125-42 Birmingham Mets II
Mansfield Giants 49-97 City of Birmingham Rockets
University of Nottingham 81-85 Warwickshire Hawks
Newcastle Eagles U23 76-83 Kingston Panthers
Doncaster Danum Eagles 91-90 Stockport Falcons
Liverpool Stars 75-62 Myerscough College II
Westminster Dragons 73-84 Chelmsford Lions
Canterbury Christ Church Saints 50-72 Southwark Pride
Bristol Hurricanes 94-78 Dorset Storm
Oxford Stealers 74-84 Surrey Rams
Northants Thunder 77-90 Charnwood College Riders II
Tameside 85-68 Cheshire Wire
London Thunder Lewisham 105-60 London United II
Anglia Ruskin University 59-62 Canterbury Academy Crusaders
Hemel Storm II 61-76 Richmond Knights
Cardiff Met Archers II 86-80 Gloucester Saxons

National Cup

London Westside picked up a 75-57 win over Nottingham Trent Hoods to advance.

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