Division II.1
Reds BC couldn’t pull off another upset as they fell 86-74 against Galaxy Walkers. MVP Svejstrup showed why he was the MVP with 32 points on 12-20 shooting, 9 rebounds, 5 assists, 2 steals and 2 blocks which Reds had no answer to.
New jersey2 shot 69% from downtown as a strong 2nd half performance got them the away win over Detroit Pistons I. Birtwhistle led the way with an amazing all round performance, finishing with 28 points (11-15FG), 6 rebounds, 9 assists and 3 steals. Eagles and Allen also added 50 points. Zeegers also had a big game with 28 points and 20 rebounds, but the rest of the Pistons struggled to help with the scoring.
I’m the only game between the two teams this season, new jersey2 came out on top in a 71-70 win. Walkers will be looking to their MVP to lead them to the title.
Division II.2
Borac Basket were happy to see star man MacNeish return from injury ready for their conference finals matchup with BC Zalgiris, he finished with 12 points, 7 rebounds, 4 assists, 2 steals and 3 blocks. But it was again u21 star Bunce top scoring for Borac with 13 points in 15 minutes which proved crucial in a low scoring 75-59 win. Kian Tat had a game high 24 points for Zalgiris but had no support from his teammates.
Gophers comfortablely dispatched off Lancaster City 124-92 as league MVP Lianjie again leading the way with 25 points. Van Orshaegen added 24 points on 8-12 shooting for Gophers. Ferrandon had a game high 29 points for Lancaster but that came on 30 shots. Gophers hit 17 3 pointers in the victory as they scored freely.
Borac Basket will have home court advantage for the finals against Gophers, and will hope MacNeish can regain his game shape after his return from injury. Borac won the only matchup this season by 15 points, but with MVP Lianjie in great form Gophers will still be in with a shot of winning the title.
Division II.3
SF Acker hit 7 from 7 from downtown for a game high 32 points along with 6 rebounds and 6 assists, as Camden Kings came out 98-93 winners over Gauson. Gauson we’re able to grab 19 offensive rebounds, but we’re unable to make it count on the scoreboard. Oslak had a chance to tie the game with 3 seconds remaining but his 3 pointer came up empty.
MVP Samuel shot 8-10 for Osmaston, but it was Relinque who top scored with 28 points. CWA Fury fought hard to stay in the game, but a poor 3rd quarter gave Osmaston a lead that they couldn’t recover from. The league leaders, Osmaston showed their defensive prowess holding CWA Fury to only 76 points, which gave them an easy target to beat with their own offensive output.
Camden picked up a 4 point home win over Osmaston earlier in the season but will need to pull off an away win if they want to promote back to the EBBL.
Division II.4
BC Newmarketas once again scored 125+ points as they shot 56% FG in a 128-93 win over Trefas Team. MVP Vasseur dominated all round with 35 points, 4 rebounds, 6 assists 2 steals and a block with 0 turnovers, and he was well backed by De Flor and Jucys who combined to add 53 points. Shirin shot 12-18 for 30 points of his own, but Trefas couldn’t keep up with the scoring of Newmarketas.
Durham Wasps are two games away from a perfect season after a 95-83 win over Olympiacos 1925. It looks like the season could have ended early for Wasps when Olympiacos had a 9 point lead heading in to the final period, but Durham showed championship mentality and pulled off a 32-11 4th quarter to comeback and win the game comfortably. O’Malley had a game high 26 points for Wasps in the win.
Durham Wasps’ next challenge will be to slow down a red hot Newmarketas offence, but I’m sure the Wasps are up for the challenge given they had the leagues best defence.