The new-look Guildford Heat were led by their player-coach Chad McKnight to a strong 82-74 win over the Everton Tigers, as the American playcaller led all scorers with 20 points personal. American rookie Kenny Langhorne continued to announce himself to the league with 18 points, and veteran British pair Mike Martin and Julius Joseph were once again prominent on the score sheet with 17 each.
The last ten minutes saw a fired up Guildford outscore the Tigers 21-15, sealing the 8 point win, and McKnight was delighted as his side continue to take British Basketball by storm: 'Tonight was another good win' he said. 'We lost at the Tigers two weeks ago in the last two minutes, so we were keen to come out strong and have a good first quarter. At half time though, I had to tell the guys to control the game, which they did, and this is what led to a good team win.'
Other notable results in the league include the Worcester Wolves 98-80 win over PAWS London Capital. After going down 84-83 at the Tigers the night before, Chuck Evans' side bagged their first win in BBL Championship action, as they were led by Lithuanian guards Evaldas Zabas (25 points) and Vidmantas Uzkuraitis (24 points). This was not the only 'L' for Capital this weekend, as they then went down in a low scoring 50-62 encounter as they hosted the Worthing Thunder.
The Thunder themselves were bouncing back from a tense 101-106 loss against the Jelson Homes DMU Leicester Riders the night before, who were led by high scoring trio Tack Minor (36 points and 10 assists), Bradd Wierzbicki (24 points) and Jason Johnson (22 points).
The Airwaves Plymouth Raiders will want to move on from this weekend as quickly possible as Gary Stronach's side search for their first win goes on. After being beaten 102-80 at home by the Marshall MK Lions on Saturday night, their misery was compounded by a 55-67 at the hands of the Sheffield Sharks, who overcame the disappointment of a 84-74 defeat in a top of the table clash with the Newcastle Eagles on Friday night.
The Eagles went on from a powerful performance against the Sharks, to record a hard-earned 99-72 victory over BBL newcomers Essex Pirates on Sunday. This puts them top of the BBL Championship table, whilst the Sharks remain on their tail in second place, thanks to their come-from-behind win over the Raiders.
Finally, BBL Cup Action continued on Sunday, as the Cheshire Jets secured the last quarter-final berth in the competition. They beat the Glasgow Rocks 73-78 away from home. A 9-2 burst from the Jets late in the fourth quarter proved to be key, but Rob Yanders stroked a three ball to put his side in contention at 73-76, only for Colin O'Reilly to close out the game from the foul line.
Source: www.bbl.org.uk
