BBL Week 7 Headlines – Gladiators edge Riders, Surrey survive OT

By Bradley Gains on October 31, 2023

Image credit: British Basketball League

The picture is still pretty clear at the top of the British Basketball League standings, but there were some fierce battles among the chasing pack in the latest round of action.

Moore wins big battle for Caledonia

Clifton Moore was the Gladiators hero on Sunday as they claimed a dramatic 84-83 victory over Leicester Riders. The American scored the game-winner in the final seconds with Pat Whelan having led the charge against his former side with 24 points and five assists in the win.

Scorchers too hot for Patriots on the road

Surrey Scorchers doubled their win tally for the league season as they outlasted Plymouth City Patriots 105-110 in an overtime thriller. Padiet Wang top scored with 22 points on 8-10 shooting with Justin Robinson adding 20 points from the bench as a triple from Josh Steel sparked a decisive 8-3 stretch in the extra period.

It could have been a perfect weekend for Lloyd Gardner’s side as they had led by 23 points away at Leicester on Friday night before seeing their huge advantage wiped out in an eventual 94-86 defeat with 20 points and 11 rebounds for Miryne Thomas.

Flyers edge top four battle

Bristol Flyers maintained their place in second spot with an important 74-70 success over Cheshire Phoenix. The third quarter proved pivotal as Bristol gained control with a 27-11 period and had 22 points in the win from Tevin Olison, while Brad Greene posted 15 points and 13 rebounds.

Elsewhere, London Lions continued their perfect start by beating Newcastle Eagles 86-99 on the road with Gabe Olaseni just missing out on a triple-double with a 13-10-9 statline. Sheffield Sharks got back to .500 as they defeated Plymouth 55-67 in an early midweek clash.

Results: Patriots 55-67 Sharks, Riders 94-86 Scorchers, Flyers 74-70 Phoenix, Eagles 86-99 Lions, Patriots 105-110 (OT) Scorchers, Gladiators 84-83 Riders

Standings: Lions 11-0; Flyers 7-3; Gladiators 5-2; Phoenix, Riders 5-4; Sharks 5-5, Eagles 3-6; Giants 2-6; Scorchers 2-7; Patriots 1-9

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