BBL Play-Off, semi-final (2nd leg)
Bristol Flyers (179) 82-81 (152) Manchester Giants (26-18, 47-42, 66-63)
(Flyers: Miller, 17; Bell III, 16; King, 11 – Giants: Fletcher/Roberson, 19; Williams, 18; Lewis, 8)
BBL Play-Off, semi-final (2nd leg)
Leicester Riders (153) 74-70 (140) B. Braun Sheffield Sharks (22-17, 42-34, 57-53)
(Riders: Jackson, 25; Nelson-Henry, 18; Whelan, 12 – Sharks: Ramsey, 19; Glasgow Jr., 13; Nelson, 8)
Bristol Flyers stamped their ticket to the BBL Play-off Semi-finals for only the third time in club history taking an 82-81 victory at home over the Manchester Giants, taking a 179-152 aggregate.
Among four Bristol players in double-figure scoring, Thomas Bell III was a vital fixture on the defensive end also rounding up the second-leg matchup with 16 points, four rebounds and six steals.
The game started off strong for the Flyers, who opened up an early 9-0 lead behind the hot shooting of Marcus Delpeche and Mike Miller, on their way to combining for 27 points on the night.
Giants managed to weather the storm and battle back, thanks in part to the scoring efforts of Tajh Green, who got the Giants scoring tally underway with a clean stuff from the baseline.
Maintaining their momentum, the Flyers held a firm 25-18 lead by the end of the first quarter.
In the second quarter, both teams traded blows as they battled for control of the game. Bristol continued to shoot efficiently from beyond the arc, with V.J. King and Jelani Watson-Gayle turning up when needed.
However, the Giants refused to waiver, with Rahmon Fletcher and Anthony Roberson spearheading the charge.
Exploiting Bristol’s intense defensive appetite, the Giants found themselves at the free-throw line considerably – finishing the first half going 14/17 from the charity stripe.
A last minute burst from the Flyers prevented a Giants takeover, holding a narrow 47-43 hedge, but the game was far from over.
A rollercoaster second half, the Giants constructed a competitive start, though would struggle to put a dent in their 26-point deficit sustained in the first-leg game, leaving them with a mountain to climb.
However, the Manchester team came out fighting and kept the game close during the second half.
Dirk Williams made a crucial three-pointer to get the game tied up. Despite a quieter first half than usual for Williams, the electrifying shooter finished with 18 by the time the buzzer sounded.
Roberson provided additional ammunition to Manchester’s comeback efforts, navigating past the Bristol defence with great technical ability.
However, the Flyers responded with a vengeance, Bell III sinking a contested three-point shot to regain the lead.
An entertaining three-pointer exchange emerged with the lead swaying for both teams.
Fletcher finished off the third quarter with a clean drive and stop jumpshot, but trailed to the Flyers at the third quarter, 66-63.
A big put-back dunk from Roberson reignited Manchester’s comeback quest, but a hasty Flyers run built up to a 10-point advantage, with the score lingering at 77-67 midway through.
Nate Robinson made his minutes count off the bench for Manchester, delivering a crafty left-to-right reverse finish, but it was to only be a consolation basket, as the Flyers continued to keep hold on a sizable lead.
Manchester carved out an honourable scoring run in the closing minutes, but the chance to go to the semi-final stage was put beyond the pail, as the Flyers clamped down defensively, getting the job done on home court.
The Giants’ campaign reaches it close, while the Flyers will look to make it deeper in the BBL playoff run.
Leicester Riders are heading to the BBL Semi-finals after a slim 74-70 win over the B. Braun Sheffield Sharks, taking a comfortable 153-140 victory on aggregate.
A slim but textbook victory for the Riders, Zach Jackson’s shooting catapulted Leicester to victory, accumulating 25 points, nine rebounds, and two steals.
The game started with a battle of the bigs, with Bennett Koch and Darien Nelson-Henry squaring off after an intriguing first-leg game. In this second leg, it was Nelson-Henry who struck harder, collecting the opening six points for the Riders at Morningside Arena.
Riders got off to an early lead, but the Sharks were quick to bite back, trading baskets and keeping the game tight, including a thunderous steal and dunk courtesy of acrobatic Sharks guard Jalon Pipkins.
Clutch plays by Devearl Ramsey kept the Sharks within reach of the Riders, who entered the second-leg game with a slim nine-point lead on aggregate.
But Nelson-Henry assured the home crowd that his last playoff run would be a good one, dropping eight points in under five minutes of floor time.
A convincing start, the Riders edged out the Sharks in the opening quarter, 22-17.
The second period started much like the first, the Riders built up a steady lead, before the Sharks mounted the pressure.
Forcing another turnover, Sa’eed Nelson came up with a big-time and-one play, making it a tied game.
Kipper Nichols continued to dabble in a bit of everything for the Sharks, scoring seven points, grabbing four rebounds, and dishing out three assists before the halftime break.
But it was Riders’ Zach Jackson who stole the show in the first half, going 7-8 from the floor, while Nelson-Henry continued delivering blows in the low-post to Sheffield.
Riders held firm at halftime, with a 42-36 lead over the Sharks.
A change in pace for the Sharks saw them come out on top during the third quarter, outsourcing the Riders by two points.
Sheffield craftily found openings to score and put a halt to Leicester’s pull-away lead, with Sharks captain Rodney Glasgow Jr. coming up with a handful of skilled finishes.
But, the Riders kept their foot on the gas. Jackson continued to pour in points, racking up 23 by the conclusion of the third quarter, while Jubril Adekoya helped himself to points from the charity stripe.
A second and-one move from Ramsey finished the penultimate quarter, to provide Sheffield a boost, but Leicester remained ahead, holding a 57-53 lead.
Leicester’s Nelson-Henry and Sheffield’s Glasgow Jr. tallied up the points for their respective sides to start the final quarter, with both sides going full-force.
A 9-0 run for Leicester, ignited by a pair of tough Kimbal MacKenzie buckets enabled the Riders to extend to a double-figure advantage.
Ramsey was able to drop successive three-point efforts in the closing minutes, finishing with 19 points to his name.
Yet, Leicester continued to power on through, completing a 2-0 sweep of the Sharks, with a slim four-point victory.
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