BBL December Highlights
Worcester go second
Last Updated: December 31, 2011 10:42am
BBL Championship
Prestige Homes MK Lions 92 (20,46,72) (Bolds 33, Pedroso 21, Gil 16)
Worcester Wolves 103 (28,56,76) (Gordon 29, Freeman 26, Kazlauskas 18)
Richie Gordon and Tommy Freeman fired Wolves to victory over Prestige Homes MK Lions as the visitors recovered from being hammered at home to Jelson Homes DMU Leicester Riders only 48 hours earlier.
The pair were on fire throughout the game with Gordon managing to harvest a stunning double-double of 29 points and 16 rebounds as Wolves got back to winning ways and avenged a heavy loss to Lions at the end of last month.
The visitors showed no signs of a hangover from their dismal home result against Riders during the opening exchanges as they raced out of the blocks to leave the home team trailing in their wake.
Led by Gordon and Freeman, they surged into a double digit lead inside five minutes as back-to-back triples by Freeman and Arnas Kazlauskas made it 17-4 in their favour.
The Lions needed a response since they were in serious danger of being blown away early and as usual, it was Demarius Bolds to the rescue as the guard launched a rescue mission to keep his team in contention.
He drained a three-pointer with seven seconds of the quarter remaining to reduce the deficit at 28-20 although early in the second period, it was still Freeman and Gordon making hay for Wolves.
With the away team leading 38-26, the duo had combined for 29 of those points and whilst looking comfortable, Wolves coach Paul James will have been relived Kazlauskas also joined the party with a big contribution ahead of half-time to ensure they still led 56-46 as they left the court.
It proved to be essential as the Lions came roaring back at the start of the second half with a quick-fire 15-7 burst which made it a one-shot game after Daniel Northern converted for the home team to reduce the gap to 63-61, although it was his great work on the glass which made a big difference.
While Worcester composed themselves and briefly streaked away to another double-digit lead, some good work by Stefan Gill and Nuno Pedroso ensured Lions came back again and only trailed 76-72 going into the final ten minutes of action.
But, they just couldn’t get over the hump in the last quarter and with Sherrad Prezzie-Blue pulling the strings before eventually finishing with a double-double of 16 points and 10 assists, Wolves managed to ease away for an important win to keep themselves on the fringes of the title race.
The loss was tough on Demarius Bolds and Daniel Northern with the former racking up 33 points and the latter pulling down 20 rebounds.
BBL Championship
Glasgow Rocks 72 (19,34,51) (Huffor 19, Green 15, Cranston 14)
One Health Sharks Sheffield 64 (16,32,47) (Reinking 21, Dobbins 15, Tuck 10)
A near double-double by Danny Huffor helped Glasgow Rocks bounce back from successive losses and post an important 72-64 success against play-off rivals One Health Sharks Sheffield.
Huffor scored 19 points and pulled down 9 rebounds at Kelvin Hall to inflict a fifth league loss of the season on the Sharks.
The hosts started strongly with eight of the first ten points in the contest which gave them some early confidence and while Sharks tied the game up shortly before a dunk by Justin Dobbins put them 14-12 in front, Rocks finished the period as they started.
A triple by Gareth Murray helped them to a 19-16 first quarter lead and when Huffor scored five points in a row early in the second period, the Rocks found themselves with an eight point advantage.
However, the Sharks then tightened their grip defensively by holding their hosts scoreless for almost six minutes and also posted a 12-0 run to move in front.
Thankfully for home fans, Deaundre Cranston finally broke the drought and with Mychal Green and Huffor sharing eight points during the last 90 seconds of the half, Rocks held a slender 34-32 advantage heading to the locker rooms.
Both teams continued their struggle for supremacy during the third quarter and it was still the Rocks who prevailed at 51-47 heading into the final quarter where they would eventually make a decisive break.
Still in control at 63-56 with four minutes remaining, the hosts scored seven points without reply and that effectively sealed the win – despite being without the services of experienced duo Sterling Davis and EJ Harrison.
At least the Coach Davis will have gleaned satisfaction from seeing his side win again having lost three of their last four games and it was a solid and efficient contribution by Cranston which went a long way to securing victory.
Nate Reinking top scored in the game with 21 points for the losing team while Mike Tuck claimed a double-double of 10 points and 16 rebounds.
……………………………………………….
Raiders cage Tigers
BBL Championship
UCP Marjon Plymouth Raiders 102 (22,39,67) (Jones 18, Rowe 18, Ojo 15)
Mersey Tigers 82 (23,36,59) (Hesson 23, Douse 21, Otten 14)
UCP Marjon Plymouth Raiders moved up into fifth spot in the BBL Championship after their superior strength-in-depth helped cage Mersey Tigers and seal a 102-82 success.
There was little to separate both teams in an entertaining opening half which saw plenty of lead changes and both sides struggling to make a decisive run to break the game open.
It was the visiting team who found themselves in front at the end of the first quarter with a slender 23-22 advantage having shown their intent to shoot the ball from downtown right from the outset.
Thankfully for Tigers coach Tony Garbelotto, they managed to do so with Myles Hesson drilling home three of four attempts in the first 20 minutes with one of those putting his team into a surprise 29-22 lead early in the second quarter.
It fired a real warning to the hosts who visibly picked up their game sensing they couldn’t allow the visitors to further enhance their advantage. Raiders tightened up defensively and it made a big difference as they held Tigers to just seven points in almost eight minutes ahead of the interval.
Led by Jeremy Bell and Paul Williams they completed a 10-point turnaround in the period, outscoring their opponent 17-6 on a run which handed them a 39-36 advantage heading for the locker rooms.
There was a sense of déjà vu for fans inside the Pavilions at the start of the second half as Hesson made yet another triple to tie the game up within seven seconds of the restart.
Raiders then looked to have made their bid to move clear with a 12-4 burst to re-establish control at 51-43. However the visitors refused to lie down and stunned home fans when they poured in 13 quick-fire points with David Aliu putting Tigers 56-55 in front.
It was to be a false dawn and the superior size and depth of the home team proved important as they finished with 12 of the last 15 points in the quarter to take a 67-59 lead into the last ten minutes.
As hard as they tried, Tigers couldn’t recover as Raiders eased to another important BBL Championship success with six players making double digits.
Frontcourt duo Anthony Rowe and Paul Williams were the pick of the bunch. The pair finished well around the hoop with Williams just missing out on a double-double by one rebound.
Myles Hesson was the standout for the losing team after finishing with 23 points courtesy of some terrific perimeter shooting which saw him make five of his six attempts.
…………………………………….
Riders tame Wolves
Last Updated: December 29, 2011
BBL Championship
Worcester Wolves 75 (27,45,54) (Gordon 18, Freeman 16, Kazlauskas 13)
Jelson Homes DMU Leicester Riders 99 (23,40,66) (Rundles 29, Wierzbicki 23, Hardy 15)
The Jelson Homes DMU Leicester Riders saw out 2011 with a crucial 99-75 defeat of top-four rivals Worcester Wolves.
In the process the Riders inflicted a first home league defeat of the season on the Wolves, halted a run of consecutive away losses for themselves and moved ahead of Glasgow Rocks into third place.
The Riders effectively won the game with a startling 18-point swing in the space of five minutes in the third quarter; they were inspired by Cameron Rundles who scored 16 of his 29 points in the third, adding 11 rebounds and 5 assists, while Bradd Wierzbicki scored 23.
The Riders had gone 18 days without seeing action, and it was 11 for the Wolves, but neither side showed much rust in a high-scoring encounter – one that the Wolves controlled in the first half.
Sherrad Prezzie-Blue got the scoring underway with a triple as Riders committed two early turnovers before Rundles got them going with their first score, two minutes in.
Richie Gordon added three points and a triple from Arnas Kazlauskas saw the Wolves up 11-6 with four minutes played.
Five straight points from Wierzbicki tied the game and, although the Riders couldn’t get in front after Tommy Freeman’s three-pointer, the teams remained close, tied at 13 and 20, before the hosts led 27-23 at the first quarter buzzer helped by another Prezzie-Blue triple.
And the Wolves pushed on steadily in the second stanza, edging their lead out to eight points at 37-29 on another Prezzie-Blue score after three minutes.
Despite the visitors narrowing the deficit to three points on Wierzbicki’s triple midway through the period, the Wolves responded with an 8-0 burst, holding the Riders scoreless for four minutes while Kazlauskas made 6 points, for a double-digit lead at 45-34.
But a pair of late three-pointers from Wierzbicki kept the Riders in touch at 45-40 at the half.
The third quarter started in a slower fashion, providing few clues for what would come, as the Riders maintained their push and got back to within one at 47-46 on Ayron Hardy’s dunk, only for the Wolves to respond with five points, including a Callum Jones triple.
From that point Rundles took over and gave the Riders their first lead of the game, and one that they would hold for the remainder.
His two three-pointers lit up a 12-0 burst to make the score 58-52, before he made three further scores soon after to give the Riders a double-figure lead of their own at 66-54 heading into the fourth quarter after a five-minute 18-point swing. Rundles had an amazing 16 points in the third, a quarter that his team won 26-9.
The Riders only pushed on in the fourth quarter, with Rundles scoring two more three-pointers in the early exchanges to dampen any hope of a comeback among the home fans. The lead peaked at the final score as the Riders scored 33 fourth quarter points.
………………………………………
Raiders rock Glasgow
Last Updated: December 19, 2011
BBL Championship
UCP Marjon Plymouth Raiders 94 (27,48,74) (Bell 26, Williams 19, Jones 16)
Glasgow Rocks 67 (19,30,45) (Wedemire 19, Huffor 16, Bunyan 12)
Plymouth Raiders ensured it was a miserable weekend for Glasgow Rocks, whose title challenge took a heavy blow as they crashed to a second road loss in two days.
The home team completed a convincing 94-67 victory although there was little sign of what was to unfold during the first eight minutes or so, when despite a big loss at Worcester the night before, the Rocks started well.
In fact, they looked confident and assured at 19-19 with a couple of minutes to go until the end of the first quarter but then fell apart as Raiders turned things up a notch – much to the delight of their supporters inside the Pavilions.
Showing they mean business when it comes to winning silverware this year, it was another a strong display with Jeremy Bell making the Raiders tick offensively and setting the tone at the other end of the floor with some stellar defensive work.
Raiders completed a devastating 17-2 run either side of the first quarter break to lead 36-21 and it left the stunned Rocks with a mountain to climb but with the home side controlling the boards and scoring both inside and out, a fight-back never looked likely.
Anthony Rowe, Lehmon Colbert and especially Paul Williams out-muscled the Rocks in the paint while the scoring of Bell and shooting of James Jones only showcased the talent of the Raiders who stepped on the gas to move 48-30 up at the interval.
The second half was little more than a procession as Raiders engaged cruise control and ensured they not only won the game in convincing fashion, but also moved into the thick of the BBL Championship race.
Bell poured in 26 points and impressed defensively with six steals while centre Paul Williams posted a fine double-double of 19 points and 11 rebounds, a feat also achieved by Lehmon Colbert who finished with 10 points and 10 boards
………………………………………..
Sharks on the charge
Last Updated: December 18, 2011
BBL Championship:
Durham Wildcats 71 (24,36,52) (Capocci 18, Bucci/Flaherty 14)
One Health Sharks Sheffield 90 (23,54,71) (Langhurst 27, Dobbins 22, Babalola 15)
The One Health Sharks Sheffield claimed a 71-90 victory over the Durham Wildcats at the Newton Aycliffe Leisure Centre on Saturday night.
The result moved them level on points with the Glasgow Rocks into fourth position in the BBL Championship table.
The opening quarter saw both sides trading baskets throughout the period with the lead changing hands on a number of different occasions, but it was the home side who held the early lead as they ended the period strongly and held a slender one-point lead at 24-23 at the end of the first stanza.
In the second quarter however the Sharks established control from the outset as they broke the game open with a 14-0 tear to take the score out to 28-42 midway through the second period.
An Olu Babalola basket took the score out to 32-52, but the Wildcats finished the half strongly as they netted four of the last six points to head into the locker rooms trailing 36-54 at the half.
A 10-2 burst from the Sharks, including back-to-back three-pointers from Jimmy Langhurst, took the score out to 40-66 midway through the third quarter and despite a resilient effort from the Wildcats to try and get themselves back into the contest the Sharks held onto a 19-point advantage at 52-71 heading into the final stanza.
In the final quarter the home side tried desperately to get themselves back into the game and an 11-2 run from the Wildcats closed the deficit to 11 points at 67-78 with 4:44 remaining in the game, but that was as close as Durham would get as the Sharks held off the fightback and secured the all-important victory.
Langhurst followed up his high scoring performance last night with another stellar performance as he netted a game-high 27 points for the Sharks, while Mike Capocci led the scoring for the Wildcats with 18 points.
…………………………………………….
Wolves roll over Rocks
Last Updated: December 18, 2011
BBL Championship
Worcester Wolves 87 (30,48,66) (Freeman 23, Gordon 18, Kazlauskas 16)
Glasgow Rocks 65 (21,37,51) (Wedemire 18, Green 13, Murray 12)
Worcester Wolves claimed an 87-65 victory over Glasgow Rocks to move level with Newcastle Eagles at the top of the BBL Championship table.
In the opening quarter at Worcester University both sides traded baskets but it was the home side who got their noses in front by the end of the stanza as they ended the quarter leading 30-21.
In the second period the Wolves continued their strong start to the game thanks to a 10-0 burst to take the score out to 40-21.
An 8-1 response from the Rocks got them to within 12 points at 41-29, but the Wolves maintained their advantage for the remainder of the half to head into the locker rooms leading 48-37 at the half.
In the second half, the Wolves continued to extend their advantage in the early exchanges of the third quarter, but the Rocks tried valiantly to keep themselves in touch.
Gareth Murray hit back-to-back three pointers to close the deficit to nine points at 60-51 before the home side bagged the final six points of the quarter to head into the final stanza leading 66-51.
In the final period both sides tried to force the issues at the offensive side of the ball and despite the Rocks resilient efforts, they were unable to close the gap significantly to trouble the home side as the Wolves picked up the all-important victory.
Tommy Freeman led all scorers in the contest with 23 points for the Wolves, while Andrew Wedemire led the scoring for the Rocks with 18 points.
“I was not surprised that we won tonight’s game,” said Wolves head coach Paul James. “We showed our mental toughness, spirit and guts to pick up the victory tonight after last night’s performance.”
……………………………………………..
Wolves devour Eagles
Last Updated: December 17, 2011
BBL Championship
Newcastle Eagles 86 (24,47,64) (Smith 37, Chapman 17, Thomson 15)
Worcester Wolves 94 (21,38,51) (Freeman 33, Prezzie-Blue 23, Gordon 20)
Worcester Wolves came out on top in the battle of the early pacesetters in the BBL Championship, inflicting the first league defeat of the season on the Newcastle Eagles with an 86-94 come-from-behind victory at Sport Central on Friday evening.
The Eagles had lead by 13 points at 64-51 heading into the final stanza, but 17 points from Tommy Freeman sparked the Wolves into life in the opening three minutes of the final period to take the score out to 70-71.
The Wolves continued to find the basket for much of the quarter and opened up a significant 74-83 lead with three minutes left.
Back-to-back three-pointers from Joe Chapman trimmed the deficit to just three points at 80-83, but that was as close as the Eagles would get for the remainder of the contest as the Wolves secured victory from the foul-line.
Earlier in the game, both sides had traded baskets throughout much of the opening quarter with the Eagles ending up on top 24-21 at the end of the period.
The second quarter saw the home side begin to put their mark on the contest as some big three-pointers from Smith and Chapman helped the home side into a nine-point lead at 47-38 heading into the locker rooms at the half.
In the second half the home side continued to stretch their lead throughout the third period, but could never fully finish off the Wolves’s resilience before Freeman’s fireworks in the final quarter turned the contest on its head and handed the Wolves the all-important victory.
In a high scoring contest, Freeman led the Wolves in scoring with 33 points, but it was Charles Smith who led all scorers in the game with an impressive 37-point haul for the Eagles.
……………………………………..
Sharks crush Lions
Last Updated: December 17, 2011
BBL Championship
One Health Sharks Sheffield 85 (28,44,65) (Langhurst 26, Dobbins 18, Reinking 15)
Prestige Homes MK Lions 66 (13,37,51) (Bolds 18, Gill 15, Crawford/Pedroso 8)
One Health Sharks Sheffield moved up to fifth position in the BBL Championship table thanks to an 85-66 victory over the Prestige Homes MK Lions at the EIS, Sheffield on Friday night.
The Sharks led almost from tip-to-buzzer and back-to-back three pointers from Jimmy Langhurst and Nate Reinking sparked an 11-0 run for the Sharks to take the score out to 13-4.
The home side continued to extend their lead throughout the remainder of the opening period and lead by 15 points at 28-13 at the end of the first quarter.
The second quarter saw the visitors begin to get themselves back into the contest and a 9-0 tear midway through the period trimmed the deficit back to seven points at 36-29.
Both sides continued to trade baskets through to the interval as the home side maintained their seven point lead at 44-37 heading into the locker rooms at the half.
A 10-2 start to the third quarter from the Sharks took the score out to 54-39 midway through the period.
The Lions tried valiantly to get themselves back into the game but could not close the gap significantly prior to the end of the third quarter as they trailed by 14 points at 65-51 heading into the final stanza.
In the final period Demarius Bolds cut the gap to 12 points at 65-53 with the opening basket of the quarter, but that was as close as the visitors would get for the remainder of the contest as the home side put the exclamation point onto the victory thanks to a 18-1 burst to take the score out to their biggest lead of the game at 83-54 with three minutes remaining.
The Lions tried desperately to close the gap, but were unable to prevent the Sharks picking up the impressive victory.
Langhurst led all scorers in the contest with 26 points for the Sharks, while Bolds maintained his strong offensive production with a team-high 18 points for the Lions.
……………………………………
Heat warm up at last
Last Updated: December 17
BBL Championship
Mersey Tigers 76 (20,36,51) (Douse 20, Hesson 19, Otten 11)
Guildford Heat 82 (18,42,62) (Martin 22, McLemore/Ogedengbe 18)
Guildford Heat finally broke their duck as they picked up their first in the BBL Championship win of the season with an 76-82 victory at the Mersey Tigers at the Knowsley Leisure and Culture Park on Friday evening.
Both sides traded baskets in the early exchanges, but it was the Heat who made the first break thanks to a 9-2 burst to take the score out to 8-15 midway through the opening period.
The home side responded immediately however as they ended the quarter the stronger as they netted 12 of the last 15 points in the period to lead 20-18 at the end of the first quarter.
A three-pointer from David Aliu kept the Tigers in front at 29-22, but the visitors took control of the period from that point on as an 18-2 burst from the Lions took the score out to 31-40, but the home side bagged five of the last seven points in the half to head into the locker rooms trailing by six points at 36-42 at the half.
A strong start to the second half from the Heat saw the visitors open up a commanding 20-point lead at 42-62 as they outscored their hosts 20-6 in the opening seven minutes of the third quarter.
The Tigers were not to be outdone as they repeated their strong showing from the end of the second quarter to secure a 9-0 tear to end the third quarter trailing by 11 points at 51-62 heading into the final stanza.
In the final period the Heat maintained their double-figured advantage and lead by as many as 16 points at 56-72 with seven minutes remaining in the game.
The Tigers showed a tremendous amount of resilience and began to claw their way back into the contest as a Myles Hesson basket sparked a 13-1 burst to trim the deficit right back to just four points at 69-73 with 2:42 remaining.
This was however as close as the home side would get as the Heat held on and secured victory from the foul-line to record their first Championship win of the season. Mike Martin led all scorers in the contest with 22 points for the Heat, while Kris Douse led the scoring for the Tigers with 20 points.
……………………………..
Raiders into final
Last Updated: December 11
The UCP Marjon Plymouth Raiders will go up against the Newcastle Eagles in the battle for the first piece of silverware of the season despite going down 82-89 in the second leg of their semi-final with the Worcester Wolves at the Plymouth Pavilions on Sunday afternoon.
The Eagles and Raiders will meet to decide the winners of the BBL Cup at the NIA, Birmingham in the January.
With the home side leading by 28 points after the first leg 24 hours earlier, they carried on in that vein thanks to a 10-3 start to the second contest, but the Wolves tried desperately to claw their way back into the game and ended the quarter the stronger to trail by three points at 19-16 after the opening period.
A Lehmon Colbert three-pointer for the home side helped the Raiders extend their lead to seven points at 24-17, but the Wolves stepped up their intensity and bagged a 7-0 run of their own to tie the game at 24-24.
Both sides continued to trade baskets for the remainder of the half and a pair of free-throws from Tommy Freeman for the Wolves with 20 seconds remaining saw the Wolves and Raiders end the second quarter in a stalemate locked together at 39-39 heading into the locker rooms at the half.
In the second half the Wolves began strongly with a 10-2 start to the third period to take the score out to 41-49 and the visitors maintained their advantage for the majority of the quarter, but a Jeremy Bell basket and pair of free-throws from Michael Ojo trimmed the deficit to just three points at 55-58 heading into the final stanza.
In the final quarter the Wolves tried desperately to overturn the full deficit from the first leg but they could not open a lead of more than eight points in the final period as the Raiders saw off the challenge to progress into the Cup Final in the New Year.
Ojo (pictured) led the scoring for the home side with 23 points, but it was Gordon who led all scorers in the game with 34 points for the Wolves.
Lions up to fifth
The Prestige Homes MK Lions moved themselves up into fifth position in the BBL Championship table thanks to a hard-fought 86-75 victory over the Cheshire Jets at the Northgate Arena on Sunday evening.
A 10-2 start to the contest from the Jets saw the home side take an early advantage in the game. A Colin O’Reilly three-pointer extended the home side’s lead to 10 points at 21-11, but the visitors came storming back into the contest as they bagged 10 of the next 14 points to end the opening period trailing by just four points at 25-21.
The second quarter saw the visitors move themselves into a strong position thanks to an impressive 13-1 burst to take the score out to 35-43 with less than two minutes remaining in the half.
The Jets tried to close the gap before the interval but were unable to do so as the Lions headed into the locker room leading 39-47 at the half.
In the second half both sides traded baskets throughout much of the third period that saw the Lions maintaining their advantage despite a resilient effort from beyond the arc by Adam Brown but the visitors held it off to lead 57-64 heading into the final stanza.
In the final period another Brown three-pointer sparked the Jets into life with an 8-2 burst to trim the deficit to just two points at 67-69 midway through the quarter, but the Lions ended the Jets hopes of a remarkable comeback with a game-breaking 12-2 tear to take the score out to 69-81 with less than two minutes remaining in the contest and the visitors held on for the all-important victory.
Demarius Bolds (pictured) led all scorers in the game with an impressive 29-point haul for the Lions, while Brown led the scoring for the Jets with 25 points personal.
Rocks go third
Meanwhile, Glasgow Rocks moved up into third position in the BBL Championship table thanks to a 99-94 victory over the Guildford Heat at the Kelvin Hall on Sunday evening.
The result also means that the Heat remain the only side in the BBL without a victory to their name in the League.
Both sides traded baskets in the early going of the contest, but it was the Heat who took the early advantage in the game thanks to a 7-0 burst to take the score out to 9-15.
The Heat maintained their advantage at five points thanks to a Mike Copeland three-pointer to give them the lead at 18-23 before former Rocks player Copeland suffered an injury on court causing a long stoppage to the game with 1:19 remaining in the first quarter.
The Heat finished the quarter strongly as they bagged the final five points of the period to lead 20-28 at the end of the quarter.
A 10-1 start to the second quarter for the Rocks gave them a slender one-point lead at 30-29 within the first couple of moments of the period. Both sides traded baskets before an 8-2 run for the home side took the score out to 44-40 and the Rocks maintained their advantage for the remainder of the half to lead 54-50 heading into the locker rooms at the end of the second period.
In the second half the visitors tried valiantly to close the deficit significantly in the third period and got to within five points at 75-70, but a Mychal Green three-pointer helped the Rocks bag five of the last seven points of the quarter to lead 80-72 heading into the final stanza.
In the final period both sides traded baskets for much of the opening exchanges of the quarter before the visitors got themselves on a 6-0 run to get to within three points at 94-91 with 1:22 left in the game, but five points from Gareth Murray secured the victory for the Rocks.
Mychal Green (pictured) led all scorers in the game with 32 points for the home side in the victory, while Tayo Ogedengbe led the scoring for the Heat with 22 points personal.
