Riders & Sharks clinch Quarter Final slots, Royals streak ends

Manchester Giants 70-88 B. Braun Sheffield Sharks (12-18, 32-38, 48-69)
(Giants – Dickerson 25, J. Jones 15, Mulmore 12; Sharks – Lewis 22, Koch 18, McKnight 17)

Worcester Wolves 74-70 Bristol Flyers (19-17, 28-40 49-60)
(Wolves – Edwards 17, Hughes 17, Bouwknecht 13; Flyers – G.Thomas 20, Champion 14, Bradley 11)

Newcastle Eagles 69-76 Leicester Riders (25-18, 41-35, 57-59)
(Eagles – Morsell 22, Defoe 11, Mitchell 11; Riders – Nelson-Henry 20, Wright 19, Cartwright 12)

Both Leicester Riders and B. Braun Sheffield Sharks secured their slot in the BBL Cup Quarter Finals Friday night, whilst the winning streak of London City Royals came to a dramatic end.

The Sharks took an away win against the Manchester Giants, 70-88, with Nick Lewis leading the scoring with 22 points whilst Mackey Mcknight managed to pick up a double-double of 17 points, 10 rebounds.

It was another tight game for Worcester Wolves and Bristol Flyers tonight as the Wolfpack came out on top with a four point win, 74-70, having trailed for much of the game. Mark Hughes and Cortez Edwards combined for 34 points and thanks to some big plays from Maarten Bouwknecht in the fourth quarter, the Wolves were able to secure the home win.

Leicester Riders were able to book their slot in the BBL Cup Quarter Finals, and avenge their previous loss to Newcastle Eagles, by defeating the toon side 69-76. Newbie Darien Nelson-Henry was key to the Riders’ third consecutive victory, leading his team with 20 points and six rebounds whilst Kyron Cartwright came close to picking up a triple-double with 12 points, eight rebounds and nine assists.

And the capital was rocking Friday night for the London derby, as London City Royals had their 6-0 winning streak snapped by their close rivals London Lions, 100-99. With just four minutes remaining in the fourth quarter, many probably expected the Royals to emerge victors, holding a 13 point lead. As the final minute of play approached the Lions had brought the crowd to their feet as they cut the margin down to just two points and when Romero sinked a huge three point shot, the Copper Box just about exploded.

Despite a couple last minute chances from the Royals, the Lions were able to hold onto the one point lead all the way until the final buzzer, picking up their second win of the season.