BCB WEEK 10: KNIGHTS CLEAR AT THE TOP AFTER MIXED WEEKEND FOR READING
A mixed weekend for the Reading Rockets up north this weekend allowed the Newcastle Knights to push clear at the top of the BCB standings.
City of Birmingham Rockets’ home clash with the Hemel Storm was postponed due to an injury backlog. A fixture change will be announced in the coming weeks.
Key Storylines
- Newcastle Knights breath easily at the summit
- Reading Rockets miss chance to go top as they split their northern trip
- London Cavaliers bounce back emphatically against Bristol Flyers II
Recap
Newcastle Knights (9-1) enjoyed a double-winning weekend as they beat one of their closest title rivals in a crunch game on Sunday.
But first, the Knights defeated a desperately short-handed Derby Trailblazers (5-3) 94-85.
Newcastle would gain the edge in the second quarter after falling behind in the first, and, with the Trailblazers limited by several injuries, they were unable to mount a comeback.
Hafeez Abdul hit nine three-pointers for a 42-point, 11-rebound double-double to lead Newcastle. Jai Pathmarajah had 19 for Derby.
The Tyneside outfit followed that with a pivotal 95-93 victory over the Reading Rockets (7-1)
JaRon Thames got the clutch bucket with less than five seconds to play to give Newcastle the win. Cooper Creek had a chance to win it for the Rockets, but was unable to do so. Thames would end with 28 points on 9-for-12 shooting and eight assists.
Jax Bouknight buried four triples en route to 22 points for Reading.
A short-handed Rockets side started the weekend brightly as they overcame the Yorkshire Dragons (7-3) 97-85 with Londoner Victor Olarerin leading the way for the Berkshire outfit.
A vicious first quarter, where the Rockets exploded out of the gates, left them with a comfortable 32-18 advantage going into the second quarter, and Yorkshire never recovered.
Reading led from start to finish against one of the most exciting teams in the league. Olarerin would end with 29 points and eight rebounds. He struggled from the field, going 9-for-22, but his attacking play sent him to the foul line several times, where he went 9-for-10.
Jordan Whelan ended with 29 points for the Dragons, who have now lost back-to-back games for the first time this season, having won six straight.
The London Cavaliers (6-4) rebounded superbly from last weekend’s disappointment, beating the Bristol Flyers II (0-9) 79-47.
After a fairly even first ten minutes, the Cavs raced clear in the second, holding the Flyers to just 10 points in the second to pull away and holding Bristol to just 26 percent from the floor, despite only shooting 40 percent themselves.
Daniel Braster led London with 19 points and 11 rebounds, with Mekhi Collins flirting with his own double-double with eight points and 16 rebounds. Nassim Ladjimi paced Bristol with 13.
Loughborough Riders (3-7) needed overtime to edge the Bristol Hurricanes (1-9) 92-88 in a thriller in the south-west.
Denzel Ubiaro tied the game at 80-80 with under two minutes to play, and, incredibly, neither side could break the deadlock needed. However, in a fiercely contested extra period, the Riders had the edge, leading by as many as five points to seal the win.
Michael Joiner had a game-high 36 points, along with seven rebounds, shooting 66 percent for Loughborough.
Milton Keynes Breakers disposed of the Worthing Thunder 98-64 on the south coast after a third-quarter ambush.
Already leading by 12 but not home and dry, the Breakers moved up a gear with a 28-6 third period to leave a short-handed Thunder side in the dust. Chase Thompson had 25 points for Milton Keynes. Matthew Bryan-Amaning had 14 for Worthing, who lose their third game out of their last four.
Essex Rebels (5-6) made it two wins in a row after beating the Nottingham Hoods (3-7) 85-76 in Colchester.
Miles Brown led the Rebels with 21 points and seven assists, supported by Tom Child’s 17 points, six rebounds and seven assists.
