Hemel Upset Worthing in 2OT - NBL Round Up, Week 19 - Hoopsfix.com
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Hemel Upset Worthing in 2OT – NBL Round Up, Week 19

By on February 7, 2019
TrayVonn Wright

Another action packed weekend in the NBL saw games across all divisions, with no bigger result than Hemel’s 2OT win over Worthing Thunder, making it back to back wins after the addition of former BBL player TrayVonn Wright.

Here’s a round up of all the action:

NBL Division 1

Derby Trailblazers 102-93 Essex Leopards
Derby Trailblazers protected home court with a 102-93 win over Essex Leopards, improving to 10-7 in fifth place in the table, behind a big performance from Malcolm Smith.

Smith went for 38 points, ably supported by Tre Wilford’s 18 points, 9 rebounds, 3 assists and 8 steals, and 26 points from Matt Ward-Hibbert. Kayne King had 7 points, 8 rebounds and 9 assists.

Essex registered 32 turnovers on the game, in large part by Derby’s 23 steals.

Head Coach Matt Shaw felt that was a key factor in the Trailblazers success:

“It was a really pleasing win, particularly after the run they’ve been on recently. I thought our press worked pretty well again and we really forced them into a lot of turnovers and that was critical for us picking up the win.

“Malcolm was phenomenal yet again. We sometimes take it for granted just how well he plays, but they simply couldn’t stop him. It was also good to see Matt is clearly getting back to full fitness, because he’s put two great back to back performances together for us and it makes such a difference when he’s knocking down shots like he did this evening.

“Tre had another kind of those stat sheets he loves to produce; just making plays happen in a variety of ways and to get so many steals is huge. Another big factor was that having given up four offensive boards in the first quarter we restricted them to just two more in the remainder of the game. When you can limit teams to just one shot per offence can be critical and proved to be so.”

A 19-point, 10-rebound double-double from Sam Newman led Essex, with 16 points, 12 rebounds and 5 assists from Lee Hodges and 15 points from Rory Winter.

“I think we were a little rusty in the Derby game. Turnovers really hurt us and they had guys who punished our errors that we had in the game” Essex Head Coach Tom Baker commented.

“We showed we can score at will and this has been a strong characteristic of our season. We need to make sure we remain focused on the defensive end.”

Box score.

Manchester Magic 69-97 Team Solent Kestrels
Team Solent Kestrels registered a comfortable 69-97 win over the struggling Manchester Magic in a top of the table versus bottom of the table clash.

It was Manchester who landed the first blows, jumping out to an 8-0 lead and leading by one after the opening period. However, a 15-7 Kestrels run to close the half, sparked by Travis Charles and Tayo Oyefusi put Solent up 9 at the break. Two more big runs on either side of the final quarter break were enough to put Solent clear on their way to victory.

Kestrels were led by Travis Charles’ 22 points and 6 rebounds, whilst Herm Senor II added 21 points and 9 assists and Chris Scarlett had 15 on 5-of-9 from three point land.

TSK Head Coach Matt Guymon was pleased with his side’s performance on the road:

“It took us a while to adjust to Manchester’s size as they were able to get a number of easy paint scores early on. We were fortunately able to regroup at half time, which saw us play with better defensive intensity and faster offensive pace. It was great for us to get a number of contributions across the board yet again.”

Manchester forward Richard Bell had 23 points to lead all scorers to go along with 11 boards whilst Ryan Lewis had 20 points as the only other player in double figures for the hosts.

Box score.

Hemel Storm 85-79 Team Newcastle
Hemel Storm held off Team Newcastle for an 85-79 victory to open up their double-header weekend.

Having opened a 21 point lead in the opening stages of the fourth, Hemel appeared to be cruising, but Newcastle responded with a flurry of three-pointers to pull within four before a pair of Leome Francis free throws and a big dunk dunk from new signing TrayVonn Wright sealed the outcome.

Blayne Freckleton had 21 to lead Hemel, Wright finished with 20 points, 11 rebounds, 3 assists and 2 blocks, whilst Leome Francis had 15.

For Team Newcastle, Eric Stafford led with 20 points and 10 assists, Fran Urli had 15, whilst Alei Wol and Onyekachi Nzerem had 12 each.

“Despite the loss we are staying positive,” Newcastle Head Coach Ian Hewitt said. “We did a great job defensively against a very talented offensive team. Trayvonn Wright is a great addition to the league.

“We fought back well in the final quarter and I expect us to take that attitude and fight to the 10 remaining games.”

Box score.

Worthing Thunder 98-67 Bradford Dragons
Worthing Thunder completed a clean sweep of victories over the Bradford Dragons, with a 98-67 victory on Saturday evening.

It was the second victory for Worthing against Bradford in as many weeks, with the same result in their Trophy semi-final fixture last weekend.

Bradford jumped out to a 9-0 lead before Thunder woke up, claiming the lead and dominating the second quarter to take a comfortable lead they wouldn’t give up the rest of the way.

Jorge Ebanks shone with 32 points, 5 rebounds and 6 assists for Worthing, Zaire Taylor finished an assist short of a triple double with 21 points, 10 rebounds and 9 assists and Alex Owumi added 21.

Rafael Saipe led Bradford’s scorers with 19 points, whilst Ricky Fetske record a double-double with 13 points and 14 rebounds.

Bradford head-coach, Chris Mellor lamented his teams poor first half performance, stating:

“We had a disastrous second quarter at both ends of the court and even though we won the second half it was an almost impossible task, being that many points down at the break.”

Box score.

Reading Rockets 63-89 Leicester Warriors
Leicester Warriors improved to 6-11 with a 63-89 win over Reading Rockets on the road behind another dominant performance from Raphell Thomas-Edwards.

Thomas-Edwards finished with 34 points, 18 rebounds and 5 steals to lead Leicester, who were also boosted by the return of guard Carl Pearson and new signing Taylor Johnson, who finished with 22 points. Warriors knocked down 10 three-pointers, as they held off Reading until the final buzzer.

“A very good performance by Leicester who are hitting a real good patch,” Reading Head Coach Alan Keane said.

“Raph Thomas-Edwards and new import player Taylor Johnson makes them a different team. We lost our way late in the third due to poor defence and stagnation on offence. Full credit to Leicester who punished our lacklustre approach.”

AJ Carr scored 24 points for Reading, Trae Pemberton had 18 points, with Sydney Donaldson having 8 points, 8 rebounds and 6 assists. New signing Tanner Kuehn scored 6 points on his Rivermead debut.

Box score.

Loughborough Riders 92-74 Barking Abbey Crusaders
Loughborough Riders opened up their double-header weekend with a 92-74 win over Barking Abbey.

Loughborough took control in the second and third quarters, before thwarting an attempted rally by BA in the fourth.

Niall Harris had 22 points, 9 rebounds and 5 assists to lead Loughborough, Lucien Cristofis had 21, whilst Alex Roberts had 17 points, 5 rebounds and 4 assists.

Kyle Carey had 20 points, 8 rebounds and 4 assists on 9-of-9 shooting for BA, Jonathan St Hilaire joined him in double figures with 13, whilst Ade Adebayo had 7 assists with his 8 points.

“Today I thought we got beaten by the better side,” BA Head Coach Lloyd Gardner said.

“I didn’t think we played our best basketball of the season, but having said that I thought we had some really good spells, especially early in the first half when I thought we played some really good basketball.

“We just didn’t pull it together for a full 40 minutes. Costly mistakes at the wrong times really hurt us today, we backed up turnovers with turnovers, or periods of play at one end with bad play at the other end.

“I thought we fought, got back into the game in the fourth quarter, I thought we had a chance to really make a push but we just didn’t take when it was there, to make it interesting.

“Against a team like Loughborough who have been playing so well recently you have to take that opportunity when it’s there and I don’t think we did today.”

BA fell to 6-10 in tenth place in the table.

Box score.

Essex Leopards 83-75 Manchester Magic
Essex Leopards picked up their seventh league win with an 83-75 win over Manchester Magic, who remain reeling at the bottom of the table.

A strong third quarter proved enough for Essex, who jumped out to a 17-5 lead to open the game before letting Manchester back in.

Sam Newman again led the way with 23 points, 6 rebounds and 4 assists, while Asante Sandiford and Chuck Duru each had 17 points along with 7 and 6 boards, respectively.

“Sunday’s game tested us in different ways. Losing Lee [Hodges] early on in the game made it tough for us to get a hold in the game.

“Testament to the guys, we found a way to get through and kept our playoff push going which is the most important thing. We will work this week on the things we need to improve and be ready for another double header this weekend.”

Captain Sam Newman was pleased with how the Big Cats bounced back after the loss at Derby:

“Although not the two wins we were hoping for we showed toughness and the ability to pull together during adversity against Manchester and get the job done,” he said.

“We need to keep working and get prepared for another two tough games next weekend.”

Jonathan Barnes had 20 points and 9 rebounds to lead Manchester, Ryan Lewis had 19 points and 8 rebounds, whilst Richard Bell had 17 points and 10 rebounds, but Magic fall to 1-16.

Box score.

Loughborough Riders 92-74 Nottingham McDonalds Hoods
Loughborough Riders made it two wins from two on the weekend with a 92-74 win over Nottingham McDonalds Hoods.

Alex Roberts had 22 points, 5 rebounds and 4 assists to lead Loughborough, Lucien Cristofis had 18 and Nial Harris had 11 points, 6 rebounds and 6 assists, as Loughborough pulled away in the third quarter.

“Two good wins, very similar games,” Loughborough Head Coach Mark Jarram said, reflecting on the weekend.

“Another week of shared production, many guys in double digits over the two games. We stayed relentless and I think we were able to open both games up in the second halves stringing together multiple stops.”

Delaney Powell had 20 to lead Nottingham, Luke Mitchell 18 and Cole Welle 17 points, 9 rebounds and 4 assists, as Hoods fell to 7-9 in eighth place.

Box score.

Worthing Thunder 109-114 Hemel Storm (2OT)
Hemel Storm picked up the win of the weekend with a 109-114 double overtime victory over second-placed Worthing Thunder.

Guard Bode Adeluola produced an incredible individual performance playing the full 50 minutes of the contest and leading his side with 41 points, scoring 15-of-19 attempts and 9-of-11 from the free-throw line, along with 11 rebounds, 2 assists and 2 steals.

Blayne Freckleton had 18 and Leome Francis 17 points and 11 rebounds.

Hemel’s new 6’ 7” American signing TrayVonn Wright added 14 points and 8 boards before fouling out with six minutes of the first overtime period left.

Nothing could separate the two sides in a game that featured 21 lead changes. Jorge Ebanks – who finished with 32 points and 12 rebounds for Worthing – converted with 22 seconds left in regulation to force the first OT, as Brendan Okoronkwo forced the second OT with a lay up.

Foul trouble was the story of the second overtime period, with both teams in the penalty it came down to converting at the stripe. Hemel went 10-of-12 in the final five minutes, a crucial contribution to their final tally as they made the foul shots they needed down the stretch to pull away and record an impressive victory.

“We just refused to lose this weekend but especially on Sunday,” said a delighted Storm Head Coach Robert Youngblood.

“Worthing is one of the hardest places in the League to go and get a victory but we showed what we are made of. I thought we played with a lot of heart.”

And Associate Head Coach Dave Titmuss added: “We’ve been working on some technical adjustments in training which paid off and of course Bode was on another level – amazing – but everyone played an important role.”

The two victories move Storm out of the relegation zone and into twelfth place in the table with a 5-9 record as they battle to win a place in the play-offs.

Zaire Taylor’s 33 point, 11 rebound, 10 assist triple double goes to waste for Worthing, who fell to 13-4 on the season.

Box score.

NBL Division 2

Sussex Bears 72-71 London United
London United missed a free throw in the dying seconds to allow Sussex Bears to escape with a 72-71 victory.

Dan Szatkowski made the first and missed the second on the game’s final possession, as Sussex improved to 7-5 in fourth place.

Cordaris Townes had a game-high 26 points, with 11 rebounds, 3 steals and 2blocks, while James Felstead supported with 14 points, 10 rebounds and three blocks.

United were led by 21 points Szatkowski, and 20 points, 14 rebounds from Tomas Butrimas, but they fell to 5-6 in seventh place.

Box score.

London Westside 74-76 Myerscough College
Myerscough College stole a 74-76 win over London Westside with some clutch play down the stretch.

Down two entering the final stages, Myerscough’s Mate Okros converted on a floater to tie it up with 8.5 seconds left, but David Walsh got a steal and Rayon Brown drew a foul; knocking down both shots to steal the win.

Mate Okros led Myerscough with 22 points, while Sanmi Fajana had 14 points, as the North-West side moved back to .500 at 6-6 in fifth place.

Wilson had 26 points on 11-of-17 shooting to lead Westside, while DJ Morris had a double-double of 16 points and 11 rebounds.

Box score.

Ipswich 79-86 Derbyshire Arrows
Derbyshire Arrows led from start to finish in a 76-89 victory over Ipswich.

Joseph Baugh had 29 points and 15 rebounds to lead Derbyshire, while George Brownell supported with 24 points. Callum McKenzie finished with a near triple-double of 13 points, 13 rebounds and 9 assists.

Jed Robinson paced Ipswich with 22 points, while Ben Winter came off the bench to add 20 points, 5 rebounds and 7 assists.

Coach Jonny Kelly’s side improved to 5-8 on the season and jump into eighth place.

Box score.

East London All Stars 72-81 Liverpool
Liverpool continued their unbeaten run with a 72-81 win over East London All-Stars to climb to 12-0.

Liverpool pull away in the third for the win, as Jack Hudson led the scoring with 26 points, 5 rebounds and 5 steals, whilst Kaphel Ulett-Waul had 26 points of his own.

East London were led by 21 points from Jonathan James, while Brian Nguru added 15 points, but the All-Stars fell to 6-7.

Box score.

London Greenhouse Pioneers 68-88 Westminster Warriors
Westminster Warriors registered a 68-88 win over London Greenhouse Pioneers, their fourth consecutive loss in all competitions.

Justin Hitchman led Warriors with 20 points, while Juan Manning had 15 points, 6 rebounds, 8 assists and 3 steals.

Mariano Lussenhoff came off the bench to lead Greenhouse with 20 points, 12 rebounds and 3 steals, joined by Max Hufschlag with 13 points.

Box score.

NBL Division 3

Team Birmingham Elite 86-65 Calderdale Explorers
Stoke on Trent Knights 85-89 Sheffield Hallam Sharks
Team Derby Spartans 101-78 Sheffield Sabres
University of Chester 97-80 WLV Albion
Essex Blades 106-99 (OT)
Oxford Brookes University 70=74 Barking Abbey
Cardiff City 81-102 Bristol UWE Flyers II
WLV Albion 64-87 Stoke on Trent Knights

NBL Division 4

Northants Thunder 77-72 Nottingham Trent Hoods
Warwickshire Hawks 83-71 Charnwod College Riders iI
City of Birmingham Rockets 78-80 Birmingham Mets II
Newcastle Eagles U23 114-84 Barrow Thorns
Chelmsford Lions 82-63 London United II
London Thunder Lewisham 77-53 Canterbury Christ Church Saints
Bristol Hurricanes 76-70 Surrey Rams
Tameside 112-52 Stockport Falcons
Cheshire Wire 57-81 Myerscough College II
Liverpool Stars 107-108 Doncaster Danum Eagles (OT)
Richmond Knights 81-84 Canterbury Academy Crusaders
Southwark Pride 85-61 Westminster Dragons
Hemel Storm II 70-66 Anglia Ruskin University

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