Trophy, Patrons Cup and Shield Final Line Ups Set - NBL Round Up, Week 18 - Hoopsfix.com
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Trophy, Patrons Cup and Shield Final Line Ups Set – NBL Round Up, Week 18

By on January 31, 2019
Alex Roberts

The Trophy, Patrons Cup and National Shield finals are set after a weekend of semi-final action, along with regular season league play.

Here’s a round up of everything that happened:

NBL Division 1

Thames Valley Cavaliers 75-53 Barking Abbey Crusaders
Thames Valley Cavaliers climbed into third place in the table with a 75-53 win over Barking Abbey Crusaders.

With BA leading after the opening period, Thames Valley opened the second on an 8-0 run and dominated the period before the break to take a 13-point lead into halftime. They would extend their lead to as many as 29 in the second half as the damage had been done.

Abdoulaye Sylla had a 21-point, 10-rebound double-double to lead Cavaliers, Elliott Defreitas had 19 points and 8 rebounds, whilst Martelle McLemore finished with 17 and 9 rebounds.

Jonathan Brown was the only player to reach double figures for BA with 13 points, whilst Ade Adebayo and Nathaniel Powell added 9 each, the latter adding 11 rebounds. New signing Kyle Carey also made his debut, having left the London City Royals at the start of the season after sustaining an injury.

“It was a tough one for us playing against a team with the quality of Thames Valley,” BA Head Coach Lloyd Gardner commented.

“I thought we started brightly, then we hit a spell that we got disappointed by. They got on a run and we were unable to stop it. I was disappointed that mentally we defeated ourselves, didn’t give ourselves a chance to get back into the game and when you’re playing a team with shot-makers like Thames Valley have, that makes it really difficult.”

Box score.

Nottingham McDonalds Hoods 69-97 Team Solent Kestrels
Team Solent Kestrels bounced back from their Cup Final defeat last weekend in resounding fashion with a 69-97 rout of Nottingham McDonalds Hoods on the road.

Herm Senor II dominated on his way to 36 points, 6 rebounds and 5 assists on 14-of-19 shooting, as Kestrels used a 17-0 run in the second to blow the game open. Senor scored 16 points in a five minute stretch in the third quarter to add insult to injury, as Solent cruised to a 12-2 record, still atop of the table.

Travis Charles added 17 points and 8 rebounds, whilst Louie Kirkman had 12 points.

Solent Head Coach Matt Guymon commented:

“I thought it was a brilliant performance from our guys and a great response after last weekend’s disappointment. Our ball movement and spacing was excellent as well as our defensive intensity for large spells of the game. We hope to build on this moving forward as we hit a tough run of games.”

For Nottingham, Tintin Watts had 14 points to lead the scoring, whilst Kieran Wright added 12.

Box score.

Derby Trailblazers 76-58 Team Newcastle
Derby Trailblazers recovered from a slow start to pull out a 76-58 win over Team Newcastle.

After conceding 25 points in the first quarter, Derby Trailblazers held Team Newcastle to just 32 points in the remainder of the game, whilst forcing 26 turnovers which were turned into 27 points.

Matt Ward-Hibbert led the Trailblazers efforts with 21 points, Malcolm Smith and Isa Brandon added 18 each and Oli Stanley finished with 9 points.

“It was nice to finally get a home win and also to produce a good home performance,” Derby Head Coach Matt Shaw commented.

“After the first six minutes where we weren’t that great and they shot the ball well, I thought we defended very well and made them really earn any points they got.

“The press in the second half caused them problems; we forced them into a lot of turnovers including several shot clock violations. The press also seemed to give us energy and helped us on the offensive end too.”

Team Newcastle were led by 15 from Nikola Urli, Eric Stafford joined him in double digits with 11, whilst Onyekachi Nzerem had 7.

Box score.

Worthing Thunder 81-68 Leicester Warriors
Worthing Thunder registered an 81-68 win over Leicester Warriors, improving to 12-3 in second place in Division 1.

Warriors, who are now 5-11 in 12th place, were undone in the second quarter where they allowed 33 points to trail by 17 at the half. Despite multiple fightbacks, it was too little, too late, as Worthing cruised to the win.

Jorge Ebanks’ 30 points on 12-of-18 shooting led Worthing, whilst Alex Owumi had 15 points and 8 rebounds and Brendan Okoronkwo finished with 12.

“Playing a team like Leicester who have had a string of good recent performances is always going to be a challenge especially when you consider their league standing,” Worthing Player-Coach Josh Goddard commented.

“They had nothing to lose and showed that they wouldn’t be beaten easily especially in the third quarter.

“That being said, our main guys took care of business to start the game which allowed for a much greater rotation from the bench giving some players the court time they need and some the rest they needed before heading to Bradford the next day.”

Leicester were led by 24 points, 16 rebonds and 4 assists from Raphell Thomas-Edwards, with Taylor Johnson adding 15 points.

Box score.

Manchester Magic 64-72 Barking Abbey Crusaders
Barking Abbey bounced back from Saturday’s loss with a 64-72 win over bottom of the table Manchester, who continue to look for their second win of the season.

BA led from start to finish but it wasn’t as straight forward as they would have liked; Manchester fought back from a double digit deficit to pull within three heading into the final quarter before BA held them scoreless for over five minutes to seal the win.

Jonathan Brown went 8-of-10 from the field for 21 points to lead BA, Ade Adebayo had 13, whilst Nathaniel Powell had his second double digit rebound game of the weekend as he hauled in 16.

“I was really pleased with the defensive effort today,” BA Head Coach Lloyd Gardner said.

“I thought outside of the third quarter we were superb on the defensive end, really took the challenge that Manchester brought to us. It’s always a tough place to come, even with their league record at the moment, which I don’t think is reflective of how good they are. So it was great for us to come through after playing a great first half, rocky spell in the third, and then recovered really well in the fourth.”

Manchester were led by 19 points from Andre Gayle, and a 12-point, 13-rebound double-double from Richard Bell.

Box score.

National Trophy Semi-Finals

Bradford Dragons 82-89 Worthing Thunder
Worthing Thunder punched their ticket to the National Trophy final with an 82-89 win over Bradford Dragons on the road.

Leading by five at the half, strong third quarter from Worthing, where they registered 26 points, allowed them to take a double-digit lead into the final period and hold on for the win.

Zaire Taylor led Worthing with a game-high 25 points, Alex Owumi had 18, whilst Jorge Ebanks finished with 16.

“Playing Bradford away for the third time this season comes with both positives and negatives seeing as both teams know personnel and strategies of the other,” Worthing Player-Coach Josh Goddard told Hoopsfix. ”

“At Worthing we’re locked in solely on winning championships this season as we look to build on last season’s success. With the team we have at the moment, we know what it takes to win, we have some of the best players in the league, any of whom could have a spectacular night, however, we’ve been playing really good team basketball recently and I think that helped us secure our spot in the final.”

Andreas Lycoudis and Rihards Sulcs led Bradford with 20 points each, whilst Ricky Fetske finished with 18.

Box score.

Reading Rockets 66-91 Loughborough Riders
Loughborough Riders booked their place in second major final this season with a 66-91 rout of a short-handed Reading Rockets side.

Riding high after their Cup title last weekend, Worthing knocked down thirteen triples, with four straight in the second quarter overturning an early deficit to give them a lead and they would never look back, setting up a finals match up with Worthing at UEL Sportsdock on February 10th.

Reigning Cup MVP Lucien Christofis’ led a balanced Loughborough effort with 19 points, Hosana Kitenge had 17 points and 8 rebounds, whilst Alex Roberts had 16 points, 7 rebounds and 9 assists.

“A pleasing performance, especially on the defensive end,” Loughborough Head Coach Mark Jarram commented.

“The last time we played Reading we didn’t do a good job executing the game plan or scouting report and they took advantage of that. This time guys were locked in and that allowed the team to build confidence and open the game up. A shared production throughout as always which is pleasing to continue.

“It’s obviously great to make our second final of the season and we want to make sure we do not take that for granted. We are fully aware of the fire power Worthing have and we must ensure our defence is a priority on the day. Nothing changes, we will try to play the same brand of basketball that helped us reach the final. We must ensure we put a consistent performance for 40 minutes, but most importantly we must enjoy it!”

AJ Carr had 23 points to lead Reading, with Trae Pemberton adding 15, as Sydney Donaldson and Danny Carter were held to a combined 4-20 shooting.

“Full credit to Loughborough who put on a clinical display on both ends of the court,” Reading Head Coach Alan Keane commented.

“The game really got away from us in the second half where Loughborough turned up the intensity. We simply gave up too many points in the paint, gave up a lot of offensive rebounds and went away from our game plan in critical moments. It was enjoyable to watch the style of game Loughborough executed and we wish them best of luck in the final.”

Box score.

NBL Division 2

Liverpool 76-72 Sussex Bears
Liverpool kept their unbeaten record in the league intact, with a 76-72 come-from-behind win over Sussex Bears to improve to 11-0 atop of the NBL Division 2.

Leading for the majority of the contest, Sussex had a fourth quarter collapse, as Liverpool dominated the period 22-7 to take their first lead with four minutes remaining before holding on for the win.

“We came out really slow and passive and Sussex took the lead early,” Liverpool Head Coach Delme Herriman commented.

“They led nearly the whole game until we finally stepped up our D in the fourth.”

Mark Rangeley had 17 to lead Liverpool, Tyme Regent-Bascombe and Jack Hudson had 14 each. Sussex were led by 20 points and 13 rebounds from Cordaris Townes, but he did have 8 turnovers, with Tomas Seduikis had 18.

Box score.

Myerscough College 72-64 London Greenhouse Pioneers
Myerscough College improved to 5-6 on the season with a 72-64 win over third placed London Greenhouse Pioneers, their second win of the season against the London side.

Mate Okros led Myerscough with 20 points, whilst Bradley Kaboza had 19.

Pioneers were led by 15 points from Khyle-Andres Diaz, with 10 apiece from Theo Deleligne and Max Hufschlag.

Box score.

Ipswich 77-80 East London All-Stars
East London All-Stars held on for a 77-80 road win over Ipswich, climbing back to .500 at 5-5 on the season.

A 53-point first half gave East london a double digit advantage at the break before an Ipswich fightback that did see them tie the game but never quite able to get over the hump.

Kyle Gouveia led East London with 28 points and 10 rebounds, Jonathan James added 12 points, while Brian Nguru had 9.

Ethan Price led five players into double digits for Ipswich, with 14 points, 14 rebounds, 3 assists, 5 steals and 4 blocks, Cameron Hawes added 14 points, and Jed Robinson finished with 13 points.

Box score.

London United 90-69 London Westside
London United pulled away in the third to prevail 90-69 over London Westside in a battle of two capital-based teams.

Daniel Szatkowski led London United with 24 points, Modestas Krasauskas added 22 points, and Dovydas Rudik had 17 points.

Wilson led Westside with 25 points, Morris had 16 points and Mbye finished with 13 points and 9 rebounds.

United are now 5-5 on the season, whilst Westside fell to 2-9.

Box score.

Derbyshire Arrows 94-84 Greenwich Titans
Derbyshire Arrows improved to 4-8 with a 94-84 win over last-placed Greenwich Titans (2-8).

Joseph Baugh led Arrows iwth 29 points, 4 rebounds, 4 assists and 3 steals, whilst Callum McKenzie had 20 points, 11 rebounds and 4 assists and Osemwegie Eboigbe had a 16-point, 13-rebound double-double.

Arturo Noha-Pascual led Greenwich with 22, whilst Jake Murphy had 17.

Box score.

Patrons Cup Semi-Finals

Liverpool 85-95 Westminster Warriors
Westminster Warriors got a 85-95 upset win over Liverpool to book their spot in the Patrons Cup final.

Westminster avenged their close league loss to the league-leaders, as they got an advantage in the third which they would ride to victory.

Juan Manning went for 30 points, 5 rebounds, 3 assists, 3 steals and 2 blocks to lead Westminster, Justin Hitchman had 16 points, with Florian Damptey having 13 points and 8 rebounds.

Jack Hudson led Liverpool with 20 point, David Ulph had 17 points and Mark Rangeley chipped in 13 points.

“After a tough close game the night before we just couldn’t get over the hump against a hot shooting Warriors team,” Liverpool Head Coach Delme Herriman said.

“Their big players stepped up when it mattered most, unfortunately some of ours didn’t.”

Box score.

London Greenhouse Pioneers 94-99 Ipswich
Ipswich set up a Patrons Cup final meeting with Westminster after registering their own upset, 94-99 over London Greenhouse Pioneers.

Ipswich fought from behind, and held Greenhouse scoreless for the final two minutes of the game to overturn the deficit and pull out the win. Ethan Price came up with some huge plays on his way to 32 points, 10 rebounds, 3 assists and 4 steals, whilst Cameron Hawes had 22 points and 5 steals. Rabi Fai had 15 points and Veron Eze finished with 13.

Khyle-Andres Diaz led Pioneers with 28 points, Francesco Rinaldo had 17 and Theo Deleligne finished with 14.

Box score.

NBL Division 3

Sheffield Sabres 85-91 Stoke-on-Trent Knights
Birmingham Mets 81-75 Charnwood College Riders
Calderdale Explorers 76-79 Sheffield Hallam Sharks
Barking Abbey 70-102 London BC Medelynas
Bristol UWE Flyers II 92-75 Cardiff City
Swindon Shock 87-89 Team Solent Kestrels II
Derby Trailblazers II 76-67 Team Birmingham Elite

National Shield Semi-Finals

London BC Medelynas 89-74 Team Derby Spartans
Essex Blades 98-121 University of Chester

NBL Division 4

Warwickshire Hawks 70-65 City of Birmingham Rockets
Birmingha Mets II 82-85 Mansfield Giants
Charnwood College Riders II 76-83 Coventry Flames
Newcastle Eagles U23 111-78 Stockport Falcons
Myerscough College II 61-56 Tameside
Canterbury Academy Crusaders 55-71 London Thunder Lewisham
Richmond Knights 78-71 Southwark Pride
Canterbury Christ Church Saints 73-86 Anglia Ruskin University
Gloucester Saxons 59-87 Huish Taunton Tigers
City of Birmingham Rockets 77-86 Charnwood College Riders II (OT)
Cheshire Wire 61-92 Kingston Panthers
Barrow Thorns 72-104
London United II 83-73 Westminster Dragons
Hemel Storm II 59-78 Chelmsford Lions
RCT Gladiators 76-80 Bristol Hurricanes
Cardiff Met Archers II 58-83 Oxford Stealers

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