BCB RECAP: LOUGHBOROUGH OVERCOME ESSEX IN OT EPIC; HEMEL SURVIVE TO TO 2-0
Loughborough Riders secured an overtime win in Essex in what was a thrilling clash, while Hemel Storm scraped through to remain unbeaten as the second week of the BCB League concluded in style.
Key Storylines
- Riders edge Rebels after a period of overtime
- Storm overcome Cavs in nail-biting finale
- Hoods enjoy double-winning weekend
The Loughborough Riders had to ride their luck in regulation before edging past the Essex Rebels 101-99 after overtime in Colchester on Saturday.
Riders’ Simon Chamberlain levelled the game at 90-90 with 30 seconds left, and that was followed by a key defensive stop from Jalen Cook, who blocked a three-pointer from the opening round’s Player of the Week, Tre Baumgardner to force OT. From there, the Riders found life and secured the win despite a late flourish from the hosts.
Kurtis Henderson paced Loughborough with a mammoth 36 points, six rebounds and seven assists, helped by a double-double from Chamberlain with 30 points and 14 rebounds. Aliou Cisse had 21 points for the Rebels.
Hemel Storm overcame a second-quarter nightmare to eventually beat the stubborn London Cavaliers 86-83 in a nervy finish.
After leading 28-18 after the first, the Storm were suddenly ambushed by a rampant Cavs side in the second period, as they couldn’t miss from the field, outscoring Hemel 29-7 to lead 47-35 at the break. However, that was as good as it got for London, as the Storm regrouped and retook the lead late on, with Jabari Nurse settling the game in the dying seconds.
Brayden Inger led the winners with 27 points and six rebounds as Tom Baker's side remains unbeaten. Juan Manning led the Cavs for the second week in a row with 19.
It was a winning weekend for the Nottingham Hoods as they piled on more misery for Essex with a narrow 79-77 win on Sunday, despite another late surge from the Rebels that forced the Hoods to hang on. Cameron Kahn led the way for Nottingham with 17 points.
Less than 24 hours earlier, the Hoods defeated a spirited Bristol Flyers II side 98-71, with Kahn inspired – going for 35 points, nine rebounds and seven steals.
The Flyers’ weekend in the East Midlands was capped off with a 93-79 loss to the Derby Trailblazers on Sunday, with Malcolm Smith amassing 18 points and six boards for the Blazers. Shae Linton-Brown led all scorers for Bristol with 24.
Derby needed the win, as they were beaten 82-67 by the Milton Keynes Breakers the day before. Nickolas Woodard led MK with 20 points and five rebounds. Smith led all scorers in vain for Derby with 23.
September’s Player of the Month, Luke House, showed exactly why he earned that title as he erupted for 30 points for Newcastle Knights as they ousted the Bristol Hurricanes 109-93. House went an impressive 6-for-8 from three-point range, with Hafeez Abdul adding 25. The Knights, as a team hit 18 triples overall.
And the City of Birmingham Rockets needed a strong fourth quarter to beat the Worthing Thunder 97-74 at Nechells. With the game tied up at 62-62 after three quarters, the Rockets exploded in the final ten minutes, outscoring the south coast side 35-12 to take a double-digit win.
Former Thunder player Ronald Blain led the victors with a double-double, scoring 22 points and grabbing 11 rebounds. Eric Donaldson supported with 20. Joe Ostrowsky led Worthing with a game-high 23 points and four steals.
