BBL 2017/18 Season - Weekend Twenty Two (23rd - 25th February)

(George Beamon returned from injury to lead a short-handed Worcester Wolves side to victory over Plymouth Raiders with 34 points, 9 rebounds, 6 assists & 2 steals, thanks to BBL Official for the photo)


Friday 23rd February
BBL Championship
Bristol Flyers 90-100 Surrey Scorchers
Newcastle Eagles 114-73 Leeds Force
Worcester Wolves 95-84 Plymouth Raiders
Cheshire Phoenix 100-88 Manchester Giants
Leicester Riders 75-64 Sheffield Sharks

Sunday 25th February
BBL Championship
Surrey Scorchers 111-94 Cheshire Phoenix
Plymouth Raiders 76-88 Bristol Flyers

BBL Championship Standings
1. Leicester Riders Played 22 Won 20 Pct .909 Pts 40
2. Newcastle Eagles Played 20 Won 15 Pct .750 Pts 30
3. Glasgow Rocks Played 23 Won 15 Pct .652 Pts 30
4. Surrey Scorchers Played 24 Won 13 Pct .542 Pts 26
5. Sheffield Sharks Played 20 Won 12 Pct .600 Pts 24
6. Worcester Wolves Played 21 Won 12 Pct .571 Pts 24
7. London Lions Played 19 Won 11 Pct .579 Pts 22
8. Bristol Flyers Played 21 Won 11 Pct .524 Pts 22
9. Cheshire Phoenix Played 19 Won 9 Pct .474 Pts 18
10. Plymouth Raiders Played 22 Won 5 Pct .227 Pts 10
11. Manchester Giants Played 21 Won 3 Pct .143 Pts 6
12. Leeds Force Played 22 Won 1 Pct .045 Pts 2

It was business as usual at the top of the BBL Championship standings as Leicester Riders saw off a tough Sheffield Sharks to end up winning by nine points to go ten points clear at the top, whilst Newcastle Eagles went back into second place after thumping bottom side Leeds Force by 41 points.  Biggest movers of the weekend were Surrey Scorchers, who moved into fourth spot after picking up two wins at the weekend, netting 100 points on the road at Bristol Flyers before netting another 111 points in a home win over Cheshire Phoenix.  Both Flyers and Phoenix did record wins in their other games this weekend though, Flyers downing local rivals Plymouth Raiders whilst Phoenix got the better of strugglers Manchester Giants in their local derby.  Raiders, who are also struggling, lost both their weekend games after they had lost at Worcester Wolves on Friday night.

Here are your fixtures for next weekend
Friday 2nd March
BBL Championship
Leeds Force vs Surrey Scorchers
Newcastle Eagles vs Worcester Wolves

Saturday 3rd March
BBL Championship
Bristol Flyers vs Cheshire Phoenix

Sunday 4th March
BBL Trophy Final (at Glasgow Emirates Arena)
Leicester Riders vs Sheffield Sharks


This weekend sees the second trophy of the season up for grabs as Riders and Sharks go head to head in the BBL Trophy Final in Glasgow.  The teams played only last weekend and it was the Riders who came out on top 75-64 so can the Sharks gain revenge and defeat the best team in the BBL currently.  Should be a cracking final no doubt.

BBL 2017/18 Season - Weekend Twentyone (14th - 18th February)

(Cheshire Phoenix and Sheffield Sharks do battle, thanks to BBL Official for the photo)

Wednesday 14^th February

BBL Trophy Semi Final First Leg

London Lions 81-90 Leicester Riders

Friday 16^th February

BBL Championship

Leeds Force 79-107 Sheffield Sharks

Surrey Scorchers 109-88 Manchester Giants

Worcester Wolves 83-86 Glasgow Rocks

BBL Trophy Semi Final Second Leg

Leicester Riders 92-65 London Lions (Riders won 182-146 on aggregate)

Saturday 17^th February

BBL Championship

Bristol Flyers 82-74 Worcester Wolves

Sunday 18^th February

BBL Championship

Cheshire Phoenix 77-82 Sheffield Sharks

Latest BBL Championship Standings

1.       Leicester Riders Played 21 Won 19 Pct .905 Pts 38

2.       Glasgow Rocks Played 23 Won 15 Pct .652 Pts 30

3.       Newcastle Eagles Played 19 Won 14 Pct .737 Pts 28

4.       Sheffield Sharks Played 19 Won 12 Pct .632 Pts 24

5.       London Lions Played 19 Won 11 Pct .579 Pts 22

6.       Worcester Wolves Played 20 Won 11 Pct .550 Pts 22

7.       Surrey Scorchers Played 22 Won 11 Pct .500 Pts 22

8.       Bristol Flyers Played 19 Won 10 Pct .526 Pts 20

9.       Cheshire Phoenix Played 17 Won 8 Pct .471 Pts 16

10.   Plymouth Raiders Played 20 Won 5 Pct .250 Pts 10

11.   Manchester Giants Played 20 Won 3 Pct .150 Pts 6

12.   Leeds Force Played 21 Won 1 Pct .048 Pts 2

Riders were not in league action at the weekend as they had the small matter of a BBL Trophy Semi Final two legged tie against London Lions, and after a close battle in the capital on Wednesday which saw the midland side take a nine point lead into the second leg, they thrashed the Lions by 27 points in the second leg to set up a final against Sheffield Sharks on March 4^th in Glasgow.  That leads us nicely onto the Glasgow Rocks, who overtook Newcastle Eagles, who were not in action this weekend, into second spot and go eight behind Riders, after they won a nail biter in Worcester against the Wolves.  However they were dealt a blow today when Rocks head coach Tony Garbelotto resigned from his post.  A statement from the club said the following “Glasgow Rocks Head Coach, Tony Garbelotto, has resigned from his role with immediate effect for personal reasons. The Glasgow Rocks would like to thank Tony for all his efforts while in Glasgow and wish him all the very best for the future. Assistant coach, Darryl Wood, will be stepping into the Head Coach role for the remainder of the 2017/18 season with the assistance and support of the Rocks senior players. The Rocks will not be making any further comment and ask everyone to respect that this resignation was made for personal reasons.”  Sheffield Sharks are into fourth after two wins on the road, whilst Wolves drop to sixth after loosing both games this weekend. 

Here are next weekend’s fixtures

Friday 23^rd February

BBL Championship

Bristol Flyers vs Surrey Scorchers

Leicester Riders vs Sheffield Sharks

Newcastle Eagles vs Leeds Force

Worcester Wolves vs Plymouth Raiders

Cheshire Phoenix vs Manchester Giants

Sunday 25^th February

BBL Championship

Surrey Scorchers vs Cheshire Phoenix

Plymouth Raiders vs Bristol Flyers 

BBL 2017/18 Season - Weekend Twenty (7th - 11th February)

(action from Bristol Flyers stunning win over Glasgow Rocks on Saturday evening, thanks to BBL Official for the photo)

Wednesday 7th February

BBL Trophy Semi Final First Leg

Worcester Wolves 86-86 Sheffield Sharks 

Friday 9th February

BBL Championship

London Lions 85-97 Worcester Wolves

Newcastle Eagles 83-100 Cheshire Phoenix

Sheffield Sharks 92-98 Leicester Riders

Manchester Giants 94-62 Leeds Force

Saturday 10th February

BBL Championship

Bristol Flyers 80-76 Glasgow Rocks

Sunday 11th February

BBL Championship

Plymouth Raiders 63-86 Glasgow Rocks

Cheshire Phoenix 73-86 Leicester Riders 

BBL Trophy Semi Final Second Leg

Sheffield Sharks 75-66 Worcester Wolves (Sharks won 161-152 on aggregate)

BBL Championship Standings

1. Leicester Riders Played 21 Won 19 Pct .905 Pts 38

2. Newcastle Eagles Played 19 Won 14 Pct .737 Pts 28

3. Glasgow Rocks Played 22 Won 14 Pct .636 Pts 28

4. Worcester Wolves Played 18 Won 11 Pct .611 Pts 22

5. London Lions Played 19 Won 11 Pct .579 Pts 22

6. Sheffield Sharks Played 17 Won 10 Pct .588 Pts 20

7. Surrey Scorchers Played 21 Won 10 Pct .476 Pts 20

8. Bristol Flyers Played 18 Won 9 Pct .500 Pts 18

9. Cheshire Phoenix Played 16 Won 8 Pct .500 Pts 16

10. Plymouth Raiders Played 20 Won 5 Pct .250 Pts 10

11. Manchester Giants Played 19 Won 3 Pct .158 Pts 6

12. Leeds Force Played 20 Won 1 Pct .050 Pts 2

Leicester Riders have now built up a ten point cushion to second placed Newcastle Eagles in the Championship after the Midlands outfit took two wins this weekend.  They had to come from behind in a Friday night thriller at Sheffield Sharks, eventually winning that one by six, and then they had to come from behind again to defeat Cheshire Phoenix by an eventual 13 points to record another two points on the road.  This was after Phoenix had netted 100 points on the road against the Eagles on Friday night to stun them with a 17 point win.  Worcester Wives had a mixed few days, losing to The Sharks over two legs in the BBL Trophy Semi Finals, but they did sandwich a magnificent 12 point win over London Lions at the Copperbox in London, lifting themselves into fourth spot in the Championship.  Glasgow Rocks are now level on points with second placed Eagles after they recorded a comfortable 23 point win at Plymouth Raiders, this after they had lost at Bristol Flyers the night before so it was a good bounce back from that.  And finally the bottom two went head to head in the North West on Friday Night and Manchester Giants thrashed Leeds Force by a massive 32 points, it was the Giants third win of the season and Force's 19th loss in twenty games.   It was a woeful result for the Yorkshire side it has to be said.

Here are next weekends fixtures

Wednesday 14th February

BBL Trophy Semi Final First Leg

London Lions vs Leicester Riders

Friday 16th February

BBL Championship

Leeds Force vs Sheffield Sharks

Surrey Scorchers vs Manchester Giants

Worcester Wolves vs Glasgow Rocks

BBL Trophy Semi Final Second Leg

Leicester Riders vs London Lions 

Saturday 17th February

BBL Championship

Bristol Flyers vs Worcester Wolves 

Sunday 18th February

BBL Championship

Cheshire Phoenix vs Sheffield Sharks 

This week this the second two legged semi final take place in the BBL Trophy as London Lions and Leicester Riders go head to head to try and set up a final against Sheffield Sharks in Glasgow on Sunday March 4th.  Also two mouthwatering championship fixtures sees fourth against third on Friday evening in Worcester as Wolves hosts Sharks, and also on Sunday its BBL Cup winners Phoenix at home to Sharks.  Looks like another superb weekend of basketball coming up once again! 

BBL 2017/18 Season - Weekend Nineteen (2nd-4th February)

(action between Newcastle Eagles and London Lions in the BBL Championship on Friday evening, thanks to Newcastle for the photo)

Friday 2nd February
BBL Championship
Newcastle Eagles 82-85 London Lions
Sheffield Sharks 83-79 Cheshire Phoenix
Worcester Wolves 76-81 Leicester Riders
Glasgow Rocks 84-79 Bristol Flyers

Saturday 3rd February
BBL Championship
Leicester Riders 92-58 Manchester Giants

Sunday 4th February
BBL Championship
Leeds Force 76-101 Worcester Wolves
Plymouth Raiders 85-80 Sheffield Sharks
Manchester Giants 60-97 Newcastle Eagles

Latest BBL Championship Standings
1. Leicester Riders Played 19 Won 17 Pct .895 Pts 34
2. Newcastle Eagles Played 18 Won 14 Pct .778 Pts 28
3. Glasgow Rocks Played 20 Won 13 Pct .650 Pts 26
4. London Lions Played 18 Won 11 Pct .611 Pts 22
5. Sheffield Sharks Played 16 Won 10 Pct .625 Pts 20
6. Worcester Wolves Played 17 Won 10 Pct .588 Pts 20
7. Surrey Scorchers Played 21 Won 10 Pct .476 Pts 20
8. Bristol Flyers Played 17 Won 8 Pct .471 Pts 16
9. Cheshire Phoenix Played 14 Won 7 Pct .500 Pts 14
10. Plymouth Raiders Played 19 Won 5 Pct .263 Pts 10
11. Manchester Giants Played 18 Won 2 Pct .111 Pts 4
12. Leeds Force Played 19 Won 1 Pct .053 Pts 2

Leicester Riders have opened up a six point lead at the top now after they recorded a weekend double whilst Newcastle Eagles lost and won this weekend.  Riders sneaked past Worcester Wolves by just five points on Friday night but then thrashed the struggling Manchester Giants by 34 points 24 hours later, whilst the Eagles were stunned at home by three points by the fourth placed London Lions, but bounced back to beat the woeful Giants by 37 points on the road.  Third placed Glasgow Rocks are now just two points behind the Eagles after they won by just five points at home to Bristol Flyers, whilst Sheffield Sharks are into fifth now after defeating BBL Cup winners Cheshire Phoenix on Friday night, however they then lost to Plymouth Raiders, who hadn't won in the league since November.   And bottom side Leeds Force lost for the 18th time in 19 league games after they were thrashed by The Wolves in Yorkshire by 25 points, who put up 101 in the process.

Here are the upcoming fixtures
Wednesday 7th February
BBL Trophy Semi Final First Leg
Worcester Wolves vs Sheffield Sharks

Friday 9th February
BBL Championship
London Lions vs Worcester Wolves
Newcastle Eagles vs Cheshire Phoenix
Sheffield Sharks vs Leicester Riders
Manchester Giants vs Leeds Force

Saturday 10th February
BBL Championship
Bristol Flyers vs Glasgow Rocks

Sunday 11th February
BBL Championship
Plymouth Raiders vs Glasgow Rocks
Cheshire Phoenix vs Leicester Riders

BBL Trophy Semi Final Second Leg
Sheffield Sharks vs Worcester Wolves


This week sees the first semi final of the BBL Trophy take place, and ironically it brings together Worcester Wolves and Sheffield Sharks, who also met in the BBL Cup semis, with Wolves winning both legs in that one.  Sharks therefore will want revenge and stop their opponents from reaching both finals this season.  The First Leg in Worcester takes place on Wednesday with the return leg in Sheffield on Sunday.  Their are also seven BBL Championship games taking place over the course of the weekend two, with the bottom two meeting in Manchester on Friday evening.  Catch next weeks blog to see what happens in those games.