The weekend proved to be a turning point for many sides, producing some shock results in both the Cup and League fixtures, as each side now has at least one defeat to their name. The Guildford Heat inflicting the Newcastle Eagles' first defeat of the season, in a pulsating 102-98 overtime win at Guildford Spectrum on Saturday. 'LA' Aaron Drakeford was the man for the Heat, jointly leading their scorers with Mike Martin, as they had 23 points each, whilst Julius Joseph and player-coach Chad McKnight had 17 a piece.
After being on a team that beat Newcastle for the first time in four years, McKnight said: '"It was a great game. Newcastle Eagles are always a tough team to play and it was hard fought by both sides, but we stuck it through to the end. We've let a couple of games slip recently in the fourth quarter so to grind it out and get the win is pleasing. It is the first time in four years that I have beaten Newcastle and to do it for the first time as a coach is particularly satisfying."
A busy night of BBL action did not stop there, as the Sheffield Sharks snatched a 92-93 win over the Worthing Thunder in the first round of the cup, to set up a second round tie against the Everton Tigers in the Steel City. They are also now clear at the top of the BBL Championship, as both of their nearest rivals in the league both lost on Saturday. The Tigers came out the wrong side of a cross-town rivalry game at the Cheshire Jets, losing 101-92, thanks to a big third quarter from the home side, and the Jelson Homes DMU Leicester Riders were crushed 67-89 at home by the Marshall MK Lions.
Meanwhile in Cup action on Saturday evening, the Worcester Wolves and the Airwaves Plymouth Raiders will join Sheffield in the second round as they both scraped through their games, as the Wolves beat the Essex Pirates 71-78, meaning they now face the Jelson Homes DMU Leicester Riders in the quarter finals, and the Raiders saw off PAWS London Capital 85-80.
Friday night saw the Guildford Heat lose 79-75 to the Marshall MK Lions in the Cup, meaning that the Lions now face the Raiders in the quarter final, thanks to Skipper Dru Spinks nailing two free throws. Back to the BBL Championship, and the Sharks ran away 85- 75 winners at home to the Glasgow Rocks, thanks to an outstanding performance from Mike Cook (22 points).
The Newcastle Eagles notched another win against last season's title rivals, the Everton Tigers, beating the Merseyside outfit 98-81 at the Metro Radio Arena. The outstanding performer for the Eagles was British forward Darius Defoe, who led all scorers with 26 points personal.
To conclude a weekend of surprising results, two of the teams nearer the bottom of the BBL Championship had victories, as PAWS London Capital scored their first win of the season, heaping misery on the Jelson Homes DMU Leicester Riders, beating them 85-82, and the Essex Pirates recorded their fist road win in the BBL, with an 82-88 victory over the Worthing Thunder.
Source: www.bbl.org.uk
