Three of the four BBL Cup semi-finalists were confirmed on Friday with Bristol Flyers advancing to the final four just six weeks into their first top-flight campaign.

Flyers showed no signs of damage to their confidence following three straight defeats as they held off Worcester Wolves’ 8-0 fourth-quarter run to win on the road and advance.

Doug Herring was the star of the show as he scored a game-high 32 points including some key plays down the stretch to stifle the hosts’ momentum and complete a famous victory in front of the BBL TV cameras.

Sheffield Sharks reached their third straight BBL Cup semi-final after rallying late to beat Cheshire Phoenix 91-84 at EIS Sheffield.

Sharks trailed by a single point after David Aliu converted two free throws with 2:48 to play before Zachariah Gachette connected on a two-point jump shot that sparked a decisive 11-3 run to close the game.

Taylor King scored 27 points for Phoenix but it wasn’t enough.

Newcastle Eagles avoided a BBL Cup upset by improving in the second half to overcome Leeds Force 83-66 at Sport Central and book their spot in the semi-finals.

The league leaders led the BBL’s bottom club by just three points at half-time but found another gear after the break to open up a 15-point lead midway through the third quarter thanks to three of Charles Smith’s game-high 22 points.

Sunday was a day of second halves in the BBL Championship, with Glasgow Rocks overcoming a 21-point halftime deficit to snatch a win against Durham Wildcats in Newton Aycliffe and Cheshire Phoenix torching up Bristol Flyers in the second part of the game at Northgate Arena.

Trailing 51-30 against Wildcats at the interval, Rocks raced back into the game late in the fourth quarter to upset the hosts 83-81 after Omotayo Ogendengbe’s baskets secured the comeback victory, as the Scottish side improved to a 3-3 record.

JaJuan Smith led Rocks with 26 points, 11 rebounds and six assists, while Christopher Jones and Ralp Bucci collected 20 points each for Durham.

Elsewhere, Phoenix, now 3-4, eased past Flyers 92-72, after closing out the third quarter with a 15-0 run to decide the outcome of the game. It was the fourth loss in a row for Bristol.

Taylor King was the top scorer of the game with 29 points and 11 boards, while Doug Herring had 25 points in a losing effort.

Source: British Basketball League

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