BCB WEEK 3: TROPHY FINAL CONFIRMED; OLARERIN GOES ON POINTS FRENZY

Reading Rockets Victor Olarerin put on the scoring outburst of the season so far, and the two BCB Trophy Finalists we confirmed at the end of another weekend of action.

Here is this week’s recap.

Key Storylines

• BCB Trophy Final is set 
• Victor Olarerin explodes for 51 in Rockets' win
• Manning clutch as Cavs top Trailblazers

Recap

The BCB Trophy Final is set after the two semi-finals took place this weekend.

Yorkshire Dragons booked their spot in the showpiece game after beating the courageous Falkirk Fury 93-77 north of the border.

A closely contested battle at the break was broken open in the second half as the Dragons, who had beaten the Fury in pool play, sprang free and established a double-digit lead en route to victory.

Corey Johnson led Yorkshire with 30 points, supported by 26 from Manchester-based guard Jordan Whelan.

Facing the Dragons in the Trophy Final will be the City of Birmingham Rockets, as they beat the Milton Keynes Breakers 79-71 in a pulsating last four battle.

It was a game in which the Rockets led for the vast majority of the game, with their lead peaking at 19 points. But they always seemed to find the Breakers in their rearview mirror, only to break away when it mattered.

Eric Donaldson led a balanced scoring attack for Birmingham with 17 points, and Ronald Blain secured a double-double of 12 points and 10 boards.

DaShawn Jackson and Xavier Wilson each had 15 points for MK, with the latter pulling down 11 rebounds in the defeat.

In the Championship, Victor Olarerin snapped the BCB single-game scoring mark as the Reading Rockets lifted themselves to a 103-87 win over Essex Rebels.

The London-born guard went for a whopping 51 points, along with seven rebounds, five assists and four steals in unquestionably the performance of the season thus far.

Zain Poorman and Malik Bryant both added 14 points for Reading, who shot 52 percent from the field. Kyron Martin led the Rebels with 22.

London Cavaliers left it until the last minute to take a slender 93-90 victory over the Derby Trailblazers.

A clutch three-pointer from Juan Manning gave the Cavs a 91-90 lead with 1:02 to play. Derby had a chance to retake the lead, but AJ Roberts stripped it off Mo Walker, leaving Marquel Beasley free to convert the easy lay-up with 40 seconds left to seal the win.

Evan Oliver had a chance to take the game to overtime with 10 seconds left, but his triple missed its mark. Daniel amassed 22 points for London, with Beasley adding 20.

Oliver led five Derby players in double figures with 19 points, including five three-pointers.

Fresh off their BCB Trophy semi-final success, Yorkshire Dragons made it a double-winning weekend by toppling the Loughborough Riders 94-73.

Nick Lewis continues to reign terror across the league as he poured in 24 points and dished out 12 assists, narrowly missing out on a triple-double with eight rebounds.

Worthing Thunder hit 12 three-pointers as they secured an 89-78 victory over the Bristol Hurricanes.

Bode Adeluola hit five of those 12 triples on his way to 22 points, helped along by 20 from Elijah Maynard, with Thunder shooting 42 percent from deep. James Claar had a game-high 28 points along with 13 boards for Bristol.

Nottingham Hoods got the better of the Hemel Storm 89-79 in the Midlands thanks to 26 points from Tyrone Williams, as the Hoods spoiled Taylor Johnson’s return to the Storm, as he hit 26 as well.

Newcastle Knights were ruthless in their 101-62 win at the Bristol Flyers II. Max Matthews and JaRon Thames both had 21 points for the Tyneside outfit.