BBL
Championship
TCS
Chester Jets 90 (16,41,57) (Davis 23, Myers 21, Moore 15)
Westfield
Sharks Sheffield 83 (20,42,61) (Yanders 27, Petteway 18, Davis 16)
(after
overtime - 77-77 at the end of regulation)
TCS Chester Jets
started their campaign with a thrilling 90-83 overtime victory over last
year's Playoffs Champions the Westfield Sharks Sheffield.
The Jets looked to
have the points in the bag after forcing daylight between the sides late
in regulation to lead 77-72 before Sharks guard Rob Yanders notched up
the final 5 points of normal time to force the extra period. Once in overtime
the teams traded early baskets before a 9-2 burst for the Jets saw them
home. Yanders led all scorers with 27 points.
Springfield
Honda Newcastle Eagles 82 (26,47,72) (Hyatt 25, Walker 21, Bridge 16
Scottish
Phoenix Honda Record Rocks 85 (10,32,72) (Macintosh 25, Perre 16, Bradford
13)
(after
overtime - 72-72 at the end of regulation)
If every game the
Scottish Rocks and Newcastle Eagles play in this new BBL season contains
the excitement of their first, then their support is in for a nerve-jangling
eight months ahead.
Dead and buried when
they trailed by 19 points in the third quarter on their visit to Newcastle,
Steve Swanson’s men produced a stunning riposte to ultimately prevail 85-82
in overtime at the Metro Arena
Swanson rang the
last minute changes by cutting summer signing Gavin Smith and drafting
in rookie Demaija Stewart to shake up his line-up. And the relative estrangement
of his re-shaped squad shone through in the opening exchanges as the hosts
rattled off 14 straight points to grab a convincing early cushion.
Ahead 47-32 at half-time,
Fab Flournoy’s men widened the cushion to 60-41 soon after the break but
sparked by point guard Lamont McIntosh, the Scots stormed back at the start
of the fourth quarter with a 10-0 flurry as Newcastle’s scoring dried up.
It was the American who proved both hero and villain at the end of regulation
play when he first nudged the Rocks ahead before missing an opportunity
to break a 72-72 tie in the closing seconds.
Yet in the final
reckoning, the rookie came up trumps as he notched up a game-best 24 points,
sealing an improbable fightback with three foul shots in the dying seconds
for the Rocks.
Newcastle's new signing
Andrew Sullivan did not play after his clearance failed to come through.
