NEW-LOOK HEAT FLAME OUT
- Updated: December 4, 2011
Guildford Heat’s roster revamp proved to no avail as they lost 98-93 to Worcester Wolves.
It was the eleventh consecutive defeat to start this season for the Surrey side who had added Drew Lasker and Mike Copeland since their last outing, a month ago.
However Sherrad Prezzie-Blue hit 24 points as Worcester picked up their second win inside 24 hours to remain in the thick of the BBL title race.
They sit two points ahead of Newcastle Eagles who edged out Glasgow Rocks 89-85 to stay top of the BBL.
Sterling Davis’ men nearly pulled off a stunning upset after trailing by 19 at half-time before storming back to lead in the fourth quarter.
But the Kelvin Hall outfit – led by 23 from Mychal Green – fell away in a thrilling finish as Newcastle stayed two points clear at the top of the table.
“Again we didn’t put four quarters together against the Rocks,†said Eagles coach Fab Flournoy. “Our energy was good early and our zone caused them trouble in the first half. That said in the second half they made virtually every hustle play going and their shooters made some shots. We lost our poise for a time but regained it and closed the game out efficiently. Joe [Chapman] made some big plays for us at the end to close the game.”
Chapman hit a game-high 27 points for the Eagles who wrapped up the win from the foul line in the final minute.
And Davis was furious despite the rally. “That was a chance lost. We were really lackadaisical in the second quarter and that cost us. We stepped it up after half-time but we left ourselves with way too much to do against a team like Newcastle.â€
Plymouth Raiders crushed Leicester Riders 84-62 after breaking open a tight contest in the latter stages.
A 6-0 run by Raiders gave them a double-digit lead at 27-17 and Gavin Love’s team maintained control up to half time. Jeremy Bell was providing a stream of assists for his colleagues as Plymouth went in at the break 37-27 on top.
Raiders were helped by keeping Great Britain captain Andrew Sullivan scoreless during the opening 20 minutes.
Plymouth moved out to 53-40 with two minutes remaining in the third quarter before Riders managed to get back to 53-46 with just the final period to play.
Lehmon Colbert capped off a 25-10 run too give Raiders an unassailable cushion.
Cheshire Jets held off a furious last quarter rally by Durham Wildcats to secure a 93-90 victory at the Northgate Arena.
The Jets, led by 22 points from Bill Cole, had been in front by nine points in the final stanza but some excellent offensive play by the visitors saw the lead trimmed to 85-84 before Jets pulled away again.
The Wildcats scored 35 points in the fourth quarter but six points from Adam Brown in Jets last eight points sealed the match.
Earlier a Colin O’Reilly three had helped Cheshire to lead 23-17 at the end of the first quarter – a margin they would maintain up to half time when the score was 44-38.
Jets controlled the third quarter without ever establishing a double-digit advantage, but still took a healthy 64-55 margin into the last ten minutes of action before being forced to hold on.
Worcester maul Tigers
Saturday night in the BBL Championship saw wins for Worcester Wolves, who take a share of second spot in the league table, and Sheffield Sharks.
The Wolves bounced back from two straight league defeats by recording a 93-84 win over the Mersey Tigers, remaining unbeaten at home in the league. They were led by 30 points from Tommy Freeman, while Sherrad Prezzie-Blue scored crucial second half baskets as the Tigers attempted a remarkable comeback for the second night in a row.
A dominant first quarter, which the Wolves won 30-13 after closing it with a 13-3 surge, gave the hosts a commanding early position. But the Tigers stemmed the flow in the second period, in turn holding their hosts to just 13 points, as they worked their way back to 38-30 with a little over three minutes to play and narrowing the gap further to 43-37 at the break.
And the comeback was almost complete as they carried that momentum into the second half and got to within one point at 50-49. But Prezzie-Blue steadied the ship for the Wolves, responding with a three-pointer, before another triple soon after saw the lead back out to 60-54 and consecutive Freeman baskets rounded off a 7-0 run to restore the double-digit margin at 64-54. That proved enough, despite the Tigers getting back to within five in the fourth quarter.
Elsewhere, the Sharks won two in a row in the BBL Championship after overpowering the Durham Wildcats to win 93-77, using bursts around the half time break to spur the victory.
Justin Dobbins led the way with a double-double of 20 points and 11 rebounds, supported by inside partner Mike Tuck’s 20 points and 9 boards.
The teams had been hard to separate in the early exchanges, tied at 30 after 15 minutes, before the Sharks made a crucial run prior to half time. They scored 7 straight points, including a Nate Reinking three-pointer, for a 30-36 lead; and they still led at the half, 43-39, with Reinking adding another triple
The visitors started the second half in similar fashion with another 7-0 run to take their lead to double-digits at 39-50 on Olu Babalola’s score, with Dobbins making a three-point play. The Wildcats made a go of it in the fourth quarter, narrowing the deficit to 8 on Ralph Bucci’s three-pointer, but the Sharks remained composed as Tuck scored twice and Jimmy Langhurst made a three to see the game out.
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