BBL Weekend Round Up

It was an action packed weekend in the British Basketball League, which saw Jelson Homes DMU Leicester Riders close in on their first BBL Championship regular season title.

Friday night seen the Plymouth Raiders hold off a late comeback from the Newcastle Eagles to win 76-71 and move up to third place in the BBL Championship table.

Raiders seized control early on, going on a 21-3 tear to take a 29-11 lead inside of the first quarter.

A 17-6 run late by the Eagles late in the game made it 69-66 midway through the final period following a three-pointer scored by Charles Smith.

But Raiders kept Eagles from getting any closer, allowing them to convert just one field goal and three free throws in the final five minutes.

Raiders’ Andreas Schreiber led all scorers with 26 points, in addition to 14 rebounds and a pair of blocked shots.

Matt Schneck scored 13 points for Raiders and had 16 rebounds to complete a double-double, while Darius Defoe led the Eagles scorers with 14 points.

In Friday’s other game, BBL Trophy winners Sheffield Sharks strengthened their play-off hopes with an 80-71 victory over Cheshire Phoenix.

The Sharks remain eighth in the BBL Championship table with 20 points from 25 games, with a group of three teams that includes Phoenix, with two fewer points and having played more games, sitting just below them in the table.

Leicester Riders opened up a four-point lead at the top of the BBL Championship after coming from behind to snatch a 79-76 victory over Surrey Heat on Saturday.

The Riders trailed by double-figures for much of the contest, but a dominant 27-6 run towards the end of the final period turned the game on its head.

The scores were tied at 76-76 with just three seconds left when Travis Holmes fouled Jay Couisnard, who held his nerve to land the winning points from the free-throw line.

Leicester’s Drew Sullivan led all scorers with 26 points while adding 11 rebounds, and Couisnard finished with a 23-point haul.

Holmes replied with 24 points for the Heat, who remain sixth in the table and 10 points adrift of the leaders.

Meanwhile, Sheffield Sharks enhanced their play-off hopes with a 79-63 victory over London Lions.

The game was in the balance until the Sharks embarked on a 27-6 run, with Mike Tuck leading the scorers with 25 points.

Leicester soared six points clear at the top of the BBL Championship table after cruising to a 78-66 victory over Plymouth.

Jay Couisnard was again in excellent form for the Riders a day after landing the winning points in a dramatic late win over Surrey Heat.

Couisnard, who nailed three free-throws with three seconds left on Saturday, led all scorers with a superb 34-point haul against the Raiders.

The win was Leicester’s 23rd in 25 games this season, leaving them three wins ahead of closest rivals Newcastle.

Sunday saw the Plymouth Raiders slip to fourth behind Glasgow Rocks, who romped to a convincing 83-65 win over struggling Manchester Giants at Emirates Arena.

In Sunday’s other game, Surrey Heat suffered their second defeat of the weekend in a high-scoring contest against Cheshire Jets.

The Jets emerging with a 104-100 victory, just their 10th in 30 matches, while Surrey remained sixth in the table.