Leicester Stun London Lions at the Buzzer - BBL Round Up, Week 9 - Hoopsfix.com
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Leicester Stun London Lions at the Buzzer – BBL Round Up, Week 9

By on November 26, 2018
JR Holder

It was a big weekend in the BBL with a number of marquee match-ups, as Leicester stunned London at the buzzer, and Royals got their revenge on Eagles, who went 0-2 on their trip to the capital.

Here’s a round up of all the action:

Friday 23rd November

BBL Championship
London Lions 96-78 Esh Group Eagles Newcastle
London Lions extended their lead at the top of the BBL Championship with a statement 96-78 win over Esh Group Eagles Newcastle, at the Copper Box.

The scores were level at the end of the first quarter and half-time, but the Lions began to make their move late in the third to take control before pulling away with a dominant display in the fourth, led by a 30-point, 14-rebound, 4-assist, 4-steal outing from Ladarius Tabb – and one huge windmill:

Justin Robinson was dominant in the first half on his way to 17 points and 8 assists, Jordan Spencer had a 10-point, 11-assist double-double and Dzaflo Larkai finished with 12.

Rahmon Fletcher had 22 points and 6 assists, Victor Moses 16 points and Darius Defoe 14 for Eagles, who collapsed in the fourth.

Box score.

BBL Championship
Leicester Riders 86-77 Plymouth Raiders
Leicester Riders took an 86-77 win over Plymouth on Friday night at home, taking their winning streak against Plymouth to 23 consecutive games.

The Raiders – who were without both Josh Wilcher and Joonas Jaarvelainen – went into half-time with the lead off the back of a 28-point quarter. However, the Riders put up 29 points of their own in the third and were able to close out a convincing win.

JR Holder fired in 27 points in the win for the Riders with an impressive 6 of 11 shooting from 3-point range with five other players also hitting double figures in points, as DeAndre Burnett added 9 assists with his 10 points. Riders registered 28 dimes on the game.

Rashad Hassan 24 point and 9 rebounds to lead Plymouth against his old team, Donte Nicholas had 20 points, 7 rebounds and 7 assists, whilst Devontavius Payne added 13.

Box score.

Saturday 24th November

BBL Championship
London City Royals 98-81 Esh Group Eagles Newcastle
London City Royals got revenge for their 50-point defeat in the first match up, with a 98-81 win over London City Royals to end their losing streak.

The Royals improved to 4-3, despite losing Will Neighbour to injury inside the first minute. Despite trailing at the break, the Royals began to heat up in the third quarter as they poured in 36 points – including four consecutive three-pointers – to take control and that proved the difference as they held on for a big win.

Orlan Jackman stepped up against his former side with 26 points along with 13 rebounds and four assists, while Matthew Bryan-Amaning also added a double-double with 17 points and 11 boards and three other players hit double figures.

“Anytime you lose by 50, any competitor will tell you, the next time you play them you’re going out for revenge,” Head Coach Junior Williams said.

“…We planned and prepared for this, when you do that well, it will go the way you expect it go. From last time we played them, we’re more healthy, our practices have been more intense. We’ve got the guys that can execute game plans – yeah, to some people it might be a big like ‘yeah you beat Newcastle’ but for us, this is how it is supposed to be – not in an arrogant way, but for us, with the talent we have, that’s how it should be.”

Victor Moses had 23 to lead Newcastle, Rahmon Fletcher had 16 and 8 assists, whilst Darius Defoe added 17.

Box score.

BBL Championship
Bristol Flyers 82-79 Worcester Wolves
Bristol Flyers beat Worcester Wolves for the second time this campaign, with an 82-79 come-from-behind win in Bristol on Saturday.

Flyers trailed by as many as 10 points in the fourth quarter, but responded emphatically with 17 unanswered to lead 71-64, the last nine of those for Jalan McCloud, who finished with a game-high 31.

They still required his last minute heroics after falling behind, as he banked a jump shot to put them up 78-77 with 45s left before seeing the game out.

Fred Thomas added 14 and 8 rebounds, Tevin Falzon had 12 and 10 rebounds. Adam Thoseby’s 20 points, 6 rebounds and 5 assists led Worcester, with DeShawn Freeman adding 20 points and 15 rebounds.

Box score.

Sunday 25th November

BBL Championship
London Lions 63-65 Leicester Riders
Leicester Riders stunned league leaders London Lions with a 63-65 win at the buzzer courtesy of JR Holder at the Copper Box.

With the score tied at 63 and seven seconds remaining, Holder dribbled down the clock before driving left and finishing with a high arching lefty floater off the glass as time expired.

A 13-2 start to the second put the Lions ahead in a low-scoring first half before the Riders took over in the third to take control. London forced late turnovers as they rallied to tie the game before Holder sealed the victory.

Riders were led by 22 from DeAndre Burnett, Holder added 10 and Conner Washington 9, whilst Ladarius Tabb and Justin Robinson led the Lions with 18 and 13 points, respectively.

Both teams entered with just one league defeat and the Riders’ victory moves them to 5-1 as the Lions drop to 9-2 as their winning run ends.

Box score.

BBL Championship
Cheshire Phoenix 87-93 Bristol Flyers
Bristol Flyers completed a double-winning weekend as they backed up Saturday’s home win with a 87-93 road success against Cheshire Phoenix.

Cheshire had led by as many as 11 as they enjoyed a strong spell in the middle periods, but the Flyers hit back in the fourth with a 27-point quarter whilst keeping their opponents to under 20 points for the first time in the game.

Fred Thomas had 26 to lead Bristol, Jalan McCloud had 20 and Lewis Champion added 11.

Daniel Norl top scored with 20 for Cheshire, whilst Dii’Jon Allen-Jordan had 19 points, 7 rebounds and 7 assists.

Andreas Kapoulas’ side end November in second place – two wins behind the Lions – with a 7-2 record, while it was another defeat for Cheshire as they drop to 4-6.

Box score.

BBL Championship
Manchester Giants 91-84 Surrey Scorchers
Manchester Giants claimed their first home win of the season as they defeated Surrey Scorchers, 91-84, on Sunday.

The Giants never trailed in the contest, making a strong start and they were able to hold off a late fightback from the Scorchers through the 3-point shooting of Caylin Raftopoulos, who led the visitors with 20 points on 6-of-7 from deep.

Willie Clayton had another big game against Surrey, following up his Cup performance, with 27 points along with 14 rebounds and three assists on 12-of-14 shooting, with four other players in double figures, led by 18 from Callum Jones.

Quincy Taylor added 18 for Surrey, Tayo Ogedengbe 14 and Jordan Williams a 12-point, 12-rebound double-double.

The Giants improve to 3-4 as they levelled the league head-to-head with the Scorchers, who are now 2-8.

Box score.

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