London seal final play-off spot as regular season concludes

The quarter-final line-up for the BBL play-offs has been finalised as the regular season came to an end this weekend.

London Lions claimed 8th spot in dramatic style with a last-gasp win in Manchester to reach the play-offs.

The visitors raced out to an early lead and looked in control before the Giants mounted a valiant fightback to draw level late in the fourth before London‘s deadline day signing Rod Brown broke their hearts. The guard, who moved from Plymouth in February, layed the ball in, in the dying seconds to finish with 18 points in the nail-biting 87-85 victory. Tayo Ogedengbe led the way for the Lions with 25 points in a winner takes all battle for the final play-off place.

Manchester were down by as many as 21 points in the second quarter but compiled a 19-3 run in the final quarter to give themselves hope before falling just short. Jeff Jones’ men then finished the season on a high with their third straight win on the road after a 114-92 success in Durham to seal 9th place on their return to the BBL after James Jones top scored with 24 points.

The battle for a top four place had involved four team for several weeks and was finally settled after Glasgow and Surrey picked up the necessary victories to cement their places. Plymouth go into the post-season having lost four games in a row and now face a trip to Scotland in the play-offs for the second straight season.

The Raiders first lost to Worcester, who had a double-win over the weekend to finish their campaign in style, and then fell to a tight defeat against Surrey, who prevailed in overtime. Gavin Love’s men went down 106-69 at home on Saturday before the agonizing 101-99 defeat beyond regulation came 24 hours later as Travis Holmes continued his hot streak for the Heat with 27 points.

Surrey sealed fourth place with their overtime win and now face Worcester in the play-offs. Paul James’ men enjoyed a comprehensive win against Plymouth to end their campaign on a high having ended the unbeaten streak of Leicester the previous day. The Wolves had six players in double figures against Plymouth while Arturas Masiulis had a 19 point haul in their last home game of the season.

With the Championship title already wrapped up, Rob Paternostro rested several key stars in the 86-58 defeat against Worcester with several members of the uni team fielded. However, the big stars returned on Sunday for their final league game and Leicester completed a perfect season at home with their 17th win in front of their home fans after beating Newcastle 86-75. The Eagles took the opportunity to rest some of their big names with Damon Huffman, Charles Smith and Joe Chapman all absent as Darius Defoe stepped up with 32 points.

Newcastle completed their home campaign with a 93-80 win over Glasgow to delay their third place finish as Huffman exploded for 36 points on 6-9 shooting from 3-PT range. The Eagles had suffered a defeat in Sheffield earlier in the week as the Sharks were victorious 80-70 in a play-off dress rehearsal. The BBL Trophy winners then finished their season with an 85-72 win in Cheshire to move a game over the .500 mark after double-doubles from Demetrius Jemison (20-10) and Mike Tuck (18-15).

Mersey Tigers became the first BBL team to go a whole season without a win after being beaten by Durham and Glasgow over the week-end. The Tigers lost 87-100 to the Wildcats in their final home game before suffering their 33rd league defeat in Scotland as the Rocks secured third spot with a 90-57 win on Sunday.

Play-Off Quarter-Finals:

Leicester Riders (1) v London Lions (8)
Newcastle Eagles (2) v Sheffield Sharks (7)
Glasgow Rocks (3) v Plymouth Raiders (6)
Surrey Heat (4) v Worcester Wolves (5)

Semi-Finals– Highest remaining seed v Lowest remaining seed while the other two teams play each other.

All ties played over two legs until the Final at Wembley Arena on 28th April.

Leicester Riders claim BBL Championship

RIDERS SEAL TITLE; TOP FOUR BATTLE INTENSIFIES & GIANTS GAIN INITIATIVE IN PLAY-OFF RACE

Leicester Riders clinched the BBL title for the first time in the club’s history after extending their winning streak in the league. Rob Paternostro’s men sealed their second trophy of the season in front of their home fans with a 93-70 win against Durham on Saturday before a 95-65 win in Mersey the following day. The champions had six players in double-figures against the Wildcats, led by Anthony Rowe’s 15 points whie Yorrick Williams top scored against the Tigers with several uni players featuring.

Newcastle did their part in delaying the inevitable with an impressive win in Worcester which also secured second spot as Charles Smith exploded for 40 points in the 102-87 success. The Eagles then won again on the road on Sunday after beating Sheffield 88-80 in a close fought encounter. Atiba Lyons’ men came into that match on a high after wins over Glasgow (62-52) and Plymouth (72-78) during the week to make it six in a row. Sheffield and Newcastle meet again tonight (Tuesday) in the league and will also clash in the play-offs.

Despite another loss against Sheffield, Glasgow are still favourites for a top four finish after two home wins against Surrey and Worcester. EJ Harrison had a 24 point haul in the 98-70 win over his former-side Heat before Sterling Davis led from the front in the 88-69 win over the Wolves despite a 28 point haul from Alex Owumi.

Worcester dented Plymouth’s hopes after a big 89-69 home win on Friday night which preceeded the Raiders‘ defeat at home to Sheffield. Surrey moved back into the top four on Sunday with a close fought 98-92 win over London after 30 points from Travis Holmes and can seal a top four spot with a win against Plymouth which is likely to be a play-off encounter too with their positions.

Manchester Giants have their play-off fate in their own hands now after London‘s loss having recorded a convincing win against Mersey at the weekend. Jeff Jones’ men host London Lions in a pivotal clash before travelling to Durham knowing two wins will set up a last eight clash with the league champions in the play-offs.

Results:

TUE 26th- Sheffield Sharks 62-52 Glasgow Rocks; Worcester Wolves 87-102 Newcastle Eagles; FRI 29th- Worcester Wolves 89-69 Plymouth Raiders; Glasgow Rocks 98-70 Surrey Heat; Mersey Tigers 67-93 Manchester Giants; SAT 30th- Plymouth Raiders 72-78 Sheffield Sharks; Leicester Riders 93-70 Durham Wildcats; SUN 31st- Sheffield Sharks 80-88 Newcastle Eagles; Surrey Heat 98-92 London Lions; Mersey Tigers 65-95 Leicester Riders; Glasgow Rocks 88-69 Worcester Wolves

The Weekend: Riders Edge Closer to Championship

Leicester Riders are now just virtually one win away from the BBL title after a stunning overtime win in Manchester took their unbeaten streak in the league to 14 games.

Jay Couisnard forced OT with a THREE on the buzzer after Leicester had trailed the Giants by as many as 20 points before nailing the game-winner with another clutch triple at the death. The BBL Cup Final MVP led the way with 31 points as the Riders battled on in the absence of Zaire Taylor and Jorge Calvo.

STAT:

.@ridersbball were 1/18 from 3PT range before making three consecutive triples to force OT. #theBBL

— Buzzer Beater (@Buzzer_BeaterUK) March 24, 2013

24 hours earlier, Rob Paternostro’s men continued their perfect home record in the league this season with their 13th win on their home floor, beating the Glasgow Rocks 84-71. Leicester used a strong third quarter as a platform for their success and were led by a 24 point haul from Drew Sullivan.

Another benefactory of the Leicester win against Manchester were the Sheffield Sharks – who became the seventh team to qualify for the play-offs. However, Newcastle now have to beat Worcester on Tuesday to avoid losing their crown despite wins over Durham (96-92) and Mersey (92-69) this weekend despite the absence of Kareem Maddox and Damon Huffman.

The battle for the top four intensified over the weekend with Plymouth and Surrey doing double-duty to capitalise on Glasgow‘s loss to Leicester and Worcester‘s double blow. The Raiders claimed third with a 98-92 win in Cheshire following a 93-79 victory at home to the Tigers on Friday. Javarris Barnett had a 28 point showing against the Phoenix, who were already out of contention for the play-offs after a loss to Surrey two days earlier.

It was a good weekend for Surrey as they bounced back from successive defeats last week to record a double victory. Travis Holmes continued his fine run of form with a 30 point haul in the 108-84 home win against Cheshire and a game-high 26 in Durham when the Heat won 99-87 in front of the Sky cameras.

STAT: Travis Holmes has now scored 100 points in his last three games for Surrey following a 44 point haul last Sunday.

The weekend was nearly a Giant one for Manchester before their heart-breaking loss against Leicester on Sunday. Jeff Jones’ side are still in the hunt for the play-offs after they pulled off an impressive 91-82 in Worcester as David Watts returned to haunt his former side with 29 points. The Wolves had seen their seven game win streak come to an end the day before when Sheffield continued their own win streak with a 78-73 success after a strong first half.

February Statistical Review in the BBL

35 games played. 16 victories on the road. 2 unbeaten teams. Two 40 point hauls. A double-OT thriller and a BBL Trophy semi-final.

The Molten BBL Coach of the Month award was given to Paul James after guiding his Worcester Wolves side to 5th in the league after six wins from six in February. Worcester have boosted their top four hopes with five straight wins in the league and also progressed to the last four of the BBL Trophy. The 94-88 victory in Newcastle was their stand-out win but the Wolves have also completed double-duty for the last two weekends in which a victory was achieved after two additional periods against the London Lions. Alex Owumi (16p/10r/8a) and Carlos Fernandez (14p/10r/7a) both came close to achieving the rare feat in the BBL of a triple-double.

Rob Paternostro came close to winning the award for the second month running as the Leicester Riders also went 6-0 in February to maintain their place at the top of the standings. The Riders set up a semi-final clash with Worcester after going to Guildford to beat Surrey Heat 82-66. The league leaders’ defence continues to make a difference and Leicester managed to hold their opponents to an average of 60 points a game during the month and winning by 14.1 points on average.

At the other end of the spectrum, Surrey are in a poor run of form having slipped to sixth place in the league after such a bright start with Creon Raftopoulos‘ men losing all four league games this month. Mersey Tigers also suffered defeat in every league game in February as their quest for a first victory drags on. Glasgow had enjoyed a five game winning streak before falling to a 76-72 defeat at home to Leicester but are still level on points with Plymouth. The play-off race continues with London, Sheffield, Manchester, Cheshire and Durham all battling it out for the seventh and eighth spots. Phoenix and the Wildcats both went 1-5 for February while the Lions picked up 8 points from seven games, the Giants won two from five and Sheffield maintained 8th place with a 2-1 record for the month whilst opening up a 14 point lead in their Trophy semi-final against Cheshire.

Newcastle Eagles’ Kareem Maddox claimed the Molten BBL Player of the Month for the second time after a dominant February, averaging 21.6 points per game along with 13 rebounds per game. The BBL rookie tied his season-high points tally with 29 against the Cheshire Phoenix and ended the month with a monster double-double of 26 points and 20 rebounds whilst adding four assists, three steals and four blocks to an incredible stat-line. Maddox is having a stellar season with the Eagles and the American currently averages 15.8ppg (20th) and 10.2rpg (2nd) but is yet to score from beyond the arc this season.

Charles Smith ran his team-mate close with an impressive month averaging 32.2 ppg in four games with a total of 128 points. The league veteran had a BBL season-high 49 points against Durham at the beginning of the month on 8-10 shooting from downtown whilst collecting 16 boards to complete a memorable performance. Smith went 100% from the free throw line in the four games and has now gone 28/28 from the foul line over his last 13 games. The Eagles‘ forward failed to connect from beyond the arc against Plymouth (0-3) but managed to net a total of 19 with a 52% success rate. Most recently, Smith carried Newcastle to a win in Surrey with a 33 point haul and 10 rebounds. Joe Chapman dished out 10+ assists in three games over January/February and leads the league in that category with an average of 7.6.

Michael Ojo was the other player in February to have a 40 point game in his outing against Cheshire and followed that outstanding performance with 61 points in his next two games against Glasgow and Surrey on his way to averaging 29.2 points per game during the month. The Raiders‘ guard also nailed all 27 of his free throw attempts and has now made 42 of his last 43 from the charity stripe. Chez Marks has dropped to second in the league scoring charts but still had an impressive month scoring 31 points on two occasions including helping the ‘Nix to a vital win against the defending champions in Newcastle.

Hulsen working hard to inspire Tigers’ first win

Hulsen drives to the basket. Image courtesy of psd-images.co.uk ©

Gael Hulsen is targeting a first win with the Mersey Tigers as they look to avoid an unwanted record in completing a season without victory.

The 22 year-old admits being in a ‘really difficult’ situation but is refusing to let the run of defeats get him down and is determined to lead his side to success.

“I can’t let my head down and stop working (just) because we lose! I give my best everyday at the gym and on the basketball court to help my team as much as I can,” Hulsen declared.

Two seasons ago, the Tigers were led to three trophies by Tony Garbelotto but are now a shadow of that treble winning side as they are rooted to the bottom of the league with a 0-24 record. However, Hulsen is confident Mersey are not too far away from getting a win under their belts although they lack consistency.

“We are a young side but we don’t need too many more things to get a win. We have many good sequences but many bad too and we need to play at a high level from the first second ’til the last,” added the under-23 Belgian international.

In his first season outside of his native Belgium, Hulsen has been impressed by the standard of the BBL insitsting it’s a ‘pleasure to play in a competitive league with many great players’. Having had limited roles with previous teams, Hulsen has taken on a lot of responsibility with the Tigers and was able to make an immediate impact on Merseyside following a warm welcome:

“When I arrived in Liverpool, I was immediately relaxed because the people were really nice and helpful.”

A 22 point display in his first game against Cheshire was a promising start to life in England as the Belgian was able to settle in quickly. Since his impressive debut, Hulsen has been a consistent threat for the Tigers and feels that this has made him a target that opponents look to contain.

“I think I’ve made good performances during this season but sometimes it’s difficult to score because I’m one of the threats on the team,” said Hulsen.

“The other coaches prepare their game to try and stop the different threats of the team.”

The versatile swingman repeated his 22 point feat against Glasgow Rocks in December when he recorded a season-best mark of 4-7 from 3-point range. Hulsen has scored 270 points in 23 league appearances so far at an average of 11.7 points per game whilst providing his team-mates with 3.3 assists per game.

Once the season finishes Hulsen is hoping to play during the summer and has cited Australia and New Zealand as possible destinations. As for next season, the youngster is undecided as it stands as to whether he will re-join the Tigers but says that coach Tony Walsh has been in contact about his future.

“I don’t know yet, we’ve talked with the coach and he’s ready to work another season with me but maybe another proposition will arrive and I will take the most interesting,” Hulsen admitted.

In recent weeks, Nathan Schall and Phil Wait have been snapped up from BBL opposition in order to add some experience to a youthful squad. Mersey‘s quest for a first win doesn’t get any easier next week as they take on the defending champions Newcastle Eagles at the Knowsley Leisure & Culture Park on Friday.

You can follow Gael Hulsen on Twitter: @HulsenGael