National Cup, Semi-final
Chester Jets  96  (28,52,78)  (Gregory 28, Thomas 21, Davis 15)
Thames Valley Tigers  76  (21,40,57)  (Williams 20, Bowman/Nurse 17)

Chester Jets remain on course to retain the National Cup thanks to a 96-76 semi-final victory over the Thames Valley Tigers at Ponds Forge International Sport Centre in Sheffield. 

The Jets led from start to finish, opening up an early 15-2 lead in the opening four minutes of the game, and a 9-0 run midway through the second to take the score out to 44-30.  The second half saw Chester extend their lead to twenty points in the third at 70-50 off the back of a 13-2 burst. 

The Tigers were unable to stage a comeback down the stretch, which allowed Chester to ease to the victory.  Kenny Gregory led all scorers with 28 points for the Jets, while Ed Williams led the Tigers scoring with 20.

“I’m very pleased to be in the Final,” said Jets’ boss Robbie Peers. 

“We are about trying to compete for trophies. We were there last year and we are back in the Final this year.”
 

Kinder London Towers  80  (13,35,58)  (Warren 21, Myers 19, Dixon 17)
Brighton Bears  84  (23,34,60)  (Blalock 21, Duck 16, Davis 15)

Brighton Bears secured their place in the final of the National Cup after an 84-80 victory over the Kinder London Towers in the semi-finals. 

After a poor run of results, Bears coach Nick Nurse was delighted to put one over his old team  in such a vital tie. 

“This ranks right up there as one of the biggest
wins ever, because of what it means to the fans and this whole organisation.

“It was as tough a week as I have ever had going into the game, but we showed a lot of mental toughness. 

"It means a lot and getting to a final is reward for the last 15 months hard work, our first final in our second year!”
 

A closely fought match throughout saw the Bears take the early advantage with an 8-2 run at the end of the first to lead 23-13.  

The Towers - without Cup-tied Shaheen Holloway - came back with a 15-2 tear of their own at the start of the second to take a 28-25 lead, and ultimately led 35-34 at the half. 

The second half was close all the way, but the Bears kept their noses in front with a 9-2 burst to lead 75-68 with three minutes remaining.  

London got to within two points at 82-80 with 22 seconds remaining, but John O'Connell
missed the three-pointer to win the game, and Brighton held on to the win. 

Ralph Blalock bagged a joint game-high 21 points for the Bears.  Kendrick Warren also hit 21 points for the Towers, and pulled down 12 rebounds.