BBL Week 12 Headlines: Gladiators double up on drama, Scorchers triumph

Image credit: British Basketball League

Teams are starting to bunch up towards the top of the table behind London Lions, who suffered yet another defeat in the latest British Basketball League action.

Gladiators enjoy big weekend double

Caledonia Gladiators pulled off two huge league wins this past week as they defeated both Bristol Flyers and league-leading London Lions. Gareth Murray’s side headed to the Copper Box on Sunday and came away with a 94-100 triumph in overtime as Pat Whelan led the charge with 26 points, eight rebounds and seven assists.

The Gladiators had first beaten Bristol 85-82 in another dramatic encounter with Ian Dubose hitting a big three down the stretch, while Fahro Alihodzic and Lukas Palyza both scored 17 points.

Scorchers triumph in the North-East

Surrey Scorchers landed a significant victory as they defeated an in-form Newcastle Eagles side 88-93 on the road to close the gap on the top eight. Two-time league MVP Justin Robinson produced a vintage display for the visitors with a 26-point haul to lead Surrey to their sixth success of the campaign.

Flyers edge Sharks

Bristol bounced back from an earlier defeat to hold off a surging Sheffield Sharks with a couple of big defensive stands securing a 78-76 success in overtime. Trejon Jacob top scored with 20 points, while the visiting Sharks threatened to erase an eight-point deficit in the final minute of the extra period before Bristol held on.

Elsewhere, there was further disappointment for Leicester Riders as they dropped to 7-9 with two more defeats: first going down by 10 at home to London, 79-89, before losing 87-83 away at Cheshire Phoenix with Laquincy Rideau posting a triple-double of 22 points, 10 rebounds and 10 assists.

Results: Gladiators 85-82 Flyers; Eagles 88-93 Scorchers; Riders 79-89 Lions; Flyers 78-76 (OT) Sharks; Lions 94-100 (OT) Gladiators; Phoenix 87-83 Riders

Standings: Lions 15-3; Phoenix 11-5; Gladiators 10-5, Sharks 9-7; Eagles 9-8; Flyers 9-9; Riders 7-9; Scorchers 6-11, Giants 4-11; Patriots 2-14

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