BCB WEEK 2: WORTHING BRING THE THUNDER TO DRAGONS; ROCKETS EDGE HOODS

It was a rollercoaster weekend as the BCB Championship saw a double overtime thriller in the north-east, while there was drama in the midlands.

Elsewhere, Worthing Thunder grabbed a statement win to remain unbeaten, as do the Reading Rockets, who won on Sunday.

Key Storylines

• Knights prevail in double OT
• Birmingham cling on against Hoods
• Worthing send statement against Yorkshire

Recap

Newcastle Knights grabbed their first win of the season with an incredible double-overtime 128-123 victory over the Milton Keynes Breakers.

In a breathtaking contest that had drama, excitement and clutch plays, Newcastle fought back from a 27-point deficit through grit, determination and sublime execution on both ends of the floor.

Sam Trunley would force overtime with a basket with seven seconds remaining, and he got the Knights out of jail again, as his jumper with 25 seconds left forced a second overtime.

But in double OT, Newcastle pulled clear when it mattered with Trunley going for 30 points and Jaron Thames leading the way with 33 points.

Chase Thompson hit seven triples for his team-high 32 points for the Breakers.

City of Birmingham Rockets left it late to edge the Nottingham Hoods 87-84 with Luke Okosieme scoring with less than 20 seconds left securing the lead and Lucas Mcgregor icing the win from the line in the final moments.

Donell Nixon had the chance late on to force overtime for the Hoods, but his desperation three missed the mark.

Ronald Blain was the key component in the Rockets’ offence all-game long, as the American had 20 points on 8-for-11 shooting, eight rebounds and four assists. Eric Donaldson supported brilliantly with 18.

Sussex-born Elliot Bailey had a game-high 21 points along with six rebounds for Nottingham.

Staying in Sussex, Worthing Thunder convincingly dispatched of the Yorkshire Dragons 90-70 to go 2-0 in the Championship.

Conversely, the Dragons loss was their first of the season in all competitions as Worthing dominated them under the basket, outscoring Yorkshire 50-24 in the paint, and holding them to 31 percent from the field.

The majority of their field goal attempts for the Dragons came from three-point land, but despite hitting 11 triples, it came out of a whopping 37 attempts.

Elijah Maynard paced Worthing with 20 points and four assists, with Adrian Scarborough collecting another double-double with 16 points and 10 rebounds. Corey Johnson led all scorers in vain for Yorkshire with 22.

Marquel Beasley starred for the London Cavaliers as they beat the Essex Rebels 100-80.

Beasley led the Cavs with 23 points and seven rebounds, as they raced to an early 35-20 lead after one and never looked back.

Kyron Martin hit eight three-pointers for his game-high 24 points for Essex.

Derby Trailblazers’ Evan Oliver’s consistent scoring kept going, as he piled on 24 points on 9-for-15 shooting to dismiss Bristol Hurricanes in the south-west.

British veteran Raheem May-Thompson added 20 points and nine rebounds in Derby’s 89-77 success. James Claar secured a double-double of 23 points and 10 boards for Bristol.

Hemel Storm impressed as they convincingly beat Loughborough Riders 111-80, with Brayden Inger leading seven Hemel players in double-figures with 22 points and Sam Newman collecting the BCB's first triple-double with 11 points, 11 rebounds and 13 assists. He also dished out six steals in his haul.

Riders’ weekend was certainly one to forget, as they followed that loss with a 94-69 defeat to the London Cavaliers on Sunday afternoon.

Reading Rockets enjoyed home comforts as they beat the Bristol Flyers II 97-50 at Loddon Valley. Malik Bryant led the way with 18 points.