BBL Championship
Caledonia Gladiators 91-76 Plymouth City Patriots (18-24, 42-49, 67-64)
(Gladiators: Burns, 24; Bailey, 22; Fraser, 14 – Patriots: Dusha, 24; Williams, 13; Hassan, 12)
Cheshire Phoenix 90-61 Surrey Scorchers (22-16, 43-33, 66-43)
(Phoenix: Teague, 19; Jack, 18; Evans, 15 – Scorchers: Taylor, 16; Wang, 13; Jacdonmi, 8)
Caledonia Gladiators triumphed with a 91-76 win over a spirited Plymouth City Patriots side at the Emirates Arena on Sunday afternoon.
A
significant impact off the Gladiators bench, guard Jordan Burns was electric
from beyond the arc, on his way to a game-high 24 points, draining seven
triples and shooting 8-18 from the field overall.
There were also significant contributions from David Sloan and Jeremiah Bailey, as they combined for 32 points and 19 assists for the winners.
Bailey’s
quick tally of 10 points got the game swinging in the host’s favour early on.
Not
to be discounted, Plymouth City mounted a solid attack to test the Caledonia
defence.
The
latest recipient of the BBL Player of the Month, Elvisi Dusha put on a typical
high-scoring display, amassing 24 points on 7-13 from the field, along with
five rebounds and five assists.
Providing
the visitors with an edge early on, big man Rashad Hassan had a smooth touch
around the elbow, converting confidently over the close-out defence.
Protecting the Plymouth basket, Markedric Bell’s two early blocks defined an explosive first-quarter performance by the visitors.
Able
to get danger man Bailey in early foul trouble, the stage looked set for the
Patriots to pull away, as they led after the first quarter.
The
second though marked the beginning of Burns’ exemplary shooting, converting two
identical three-pointers from the left wing.
Despite
Burns’ sudden heat check, the occasional careless defence from Caledonia cost
them, as Bell, an athletic finisher, was left wide open under the basket for a
simple two-handed jam.
Rectifying their earlier lacklustre defence, Caledonia centre Patrick Tape provided a thudding block to set up a fast-paced transition offence setting up Burns again for a triple.
Thanks
to a hatful of important possessions, the hosts headed to the locker room ahead
by a whisker.
It
was the turn of Sloan to continue the pace for the Caledonia attack, bounding
past his defenders to set up Ali Fraser for a crafty finish at the
basket.
Not
to be deterred, rookie Patrick Lanpikeun provided a deep three-point effort to
keep Plymouth City’s chances alive.
Burns’
threes continued to pour in heading into the last period, working effectively
with Tape’s imposing screens to free up space for the sharpshooter.
Fraser
Malcolm’s fearlessness in gathering valuable points off a tough offensive
rebound characterised a well-rounded Gladiators side eager to see out the game.
Capped off by a Prince Onwas three-pointer, the hosts were all smiles as they recorded a second consecutive victory in front of their home crowd.
In the day’s second fixture, the Cheshire Phoenix eased past the Surrey Scorchers 90-61.
Playing
for the second time this weekend, the Scorchers were hopeful to scratch their
second victory for the season but were cut short by an electrifying Phoenix
team.
Accumulating
18 and 19 points, respectively, Maceo Jack and Tahjai Teague put on a shooting
clinic, able to get buckets from all areas of the floor.
The
game got off to a steady start, with Surrey’s Padiet Wang breaking the deadlock
with an athletic southpaw finish at the rim.
Finding
his groove early on, Teague allowed the Phoenix to begin tearing away at the
Surrey defence, with Marcus Evans splitting the Scorchers’ players to reach the
basket.
Quincy Taylor’s leadership and quick thinking enabled Surrey to forge some good attacking possessions. Ryan Martin’s defensive stop allowed Taylor to go off to the races for an easy layup.
However,
Phoenix’s spree of points put them firmly in front as the half-time buzzer
sounded.
Similar
to the first half, Phoenix trickled in more deep-range efforts, with even post
player Will Neighbours chalking a pair of uncontested threes.
An
undisturbed, fast-paced Phoenix offence, delightfully summarised with a
behind-the-back pass from Jamell Anderson to set up Lloyd Daniels for a corner
three, triggered a roar from the Ellesmere Port Sports Village.
Scorchers
unable to find a way back in, the Cheshire team came out on top, taking their
total wins up to seven, while Surrey regrettably became the first team this
season to log double-figures in the losses column.
