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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.

I'm no longer familiar with the III teams, but here is a quick write-up of their Finals.

Likely Close

III.2 JA Miami vs Ilex Inferno - each team has one loss on the season. Inferno won their one game (at home) during the regular season, but JA Miami having the home court in the playoffs could be crucial. Both teams have spent a few seasons in III and are looking to return to II.

III.3 Scunthorpe Devils vs Soaring Eagles - the Devils pulled off an upset vs a 22-0 in the previous round, and their reward is a home series due to a +4 PD vs the Eagles. Both teams put up strong ratings so whichever team progresses will have a chance of surviving in II next season.

III.5 Pillow B.C. vs Follow_me - Pillow won by a point in the previous round, while Follow_me comfortably defeated FC Southampton. Both these teams were in II.I last season, and both went 21-1 this season so it's possible they might both promote regardless of the result.

III.16 BC Alpha Aliens vs KS Gornik Walbrzych - I expect Alpha Aliens will be too good, they went 22-0 and with home court their team is likely too strong (they've also done well on B3 predictions this season, well done!). KS Gornik Walbrzych have made nice progress since their manager took over, and in another league may have been able to promote.


Likely One-Sided

III.I Rythern Reapers vs Green Death1982 - the Reapers went 22-0 and will therefore return to II at the first time of asking. They will also likely win this series.

III.4 North Walsham Vipers vs Spalding United - Spalding went 22-0 and should be making a return after two seasons in III.

III.11 Bolton vs Ucla bruins - bruins look inactive and much weaker. Bolton have only been playing a month and already look headed for a promotion.

III.12 The JECC Dunkers vs Forest Rangers - Dunkers are in the same situation as Bolton - much better team going against an inactive team after only playnig a month. Going up to II so early will be tough for these teams, but hopefully they can enjoy the experience regardless of results next season.

III.13 Sussex Bears vs Limmipool Panthers - as you might have guessed, these teams have been playing about a month. The Bears look more balanced and have the home court so I'm expecting them to progress. The Panthers did have a nice win in the previous round though, away from home and using GDP to full effect.

III.14 London Daredevils vs Stevenage Deers - a 22-0 record for the Daredevils, which the manager can take full credit for as they've been in charge all season. This should be a comfortable victory over an inactive new team.

III.15 Colchester Tempests vs Furious Eleven - Tempests had a home win over LUFC in the previous round, two managers active on the Discord with decent teams for the newcomer III leagues. Furious Eleven are also not bad, but are unlikely to be competitive.

Bots - III.6 to III.10

Game 1 of the finals has taken place, with home teams taking control of the series. Here's a round up of how it went.

EBBL
Arsenal 98 comfortably claim game 1 in the EBBL finals with a 90-77 win over Team Nook, mainly in part to a 35-19 third quarter win. Nook’s SG Ul-Haq fell to an injury just 10minutes in to the game which at first didn’t look to de-rail them but once Bergkamp’s team got in at HT they were able to gameplan better against a team missing one of their key players. Chi Siong top scored for Arsenal with 19 points, while Melnik also added 17 points and 13 rebounds. Kamarzaev had a game high 21 points for Nook on an efficient 8-12 shooting. Georgas did add 20 points of his own as Ul-Haq’s replacement, but that came on an inefficient 8-27 shooting.

Game 2 will be hosted by Team Nook who need to perform much better if they are going to force a game 3. Nook will be at full strength as Ul-Haq has recovered from his injury. Bergkamp’s team are now 1 win away from their 3rd EBBL title.

In the only relegation series to go to game 3, T20 Cricketers were able defeat Roaring Lions 89-75 to retain their EBBL status for next season. Duchert proved to be a great playoff purchase for T20 as he came up with 27 points, 12 rebounds and 5 blocks in the victory. The Lions looked towards their NT star Cassell to lead them to a win, but he struggled shooting only 6-20FG. Former NT player Redding top scored for the Lions with 16 points, but overall their offence struggled to score. Roaring Lions have been relegated.

Division II.1
Galaxy Walkers won by 21 points, led by their MVP Svejstrup who had another strong stat line with 24 points, 6 rebounds, 2 assists, 2 steal and 2 blocks. De Bodt also had a strong performance for the Walkers with a 19 point, 16 rebound double-double while adding 4 assists as well. New jersey2’s star, Birtwhistle, scored 30 of his teams 68 points, but it took him 28 shots to reach that mark. Only Manzano was able to add double digit scoring for new jersey2 as they shot 26% from the field.

New jersey2 have a big ask to turn the series around given they have to overturn a 21 point loss in game 1 in to two wins, but anything can happen in BB if the luck falls your way.

Division II.2
Van Orshaegen missed a game tying 3 pointer at the buzzer as Borac Basket maintained HCA in the series with a 97-94 win over Gophers. Kurtiss shot 10-14FG for a team-high 24 points for Borac which proved crucial in the win. MVP Lianjie had a game high 29 points for Gophers but they came up just short. Borac’s star MacNeish struggled with 8-23 shooting but he offered 9 rebounds, 3 assists and 3 steals to help Borac pick up the win.

Game 2 is big for both teams, as this game shows that the series can go either way. Both teams will be desperate to win game 2. Borac don’t want to risk a one game showdown, while Gophers need to win to keep their season alive.

Division II.3
Osmaston produced the offensive performance of the finals so far as they scored 136 points on 59%FG on their way to a massive 53 point win over Camden Kings. MVP Samuel had 33 points for Osmaston on 11-16FG (7-93FG) in 29 minutes, showing why he was almost unanimous MVP of the league. Relinque and Johnson also added 20 points each on combined 13-19 shooting. Otvos did match Samuel’s 33 points, but it took him 32 shots to reach that mark as he was a -44 in the game for Camden.

It's a big ask for Camden to overturn a 53 point loss, but they head home for game 2 where they will fight as hard as they can to get a win and force a game 3.

Division II.4
Durham Wasps are one win away from the division II.4 title, and an unbeaten season as they beat BC Newmarketas 102-84 behind 24 points, 18 rebounds and 3 blocks from Zelinka. Young star Forrest scored 23 points and added 8 rebounds on 9-16 shooting. Vasseur and Jucys both had 23 points each for Newmarketas, but they couldn’t overcome the 31 rebound deficit in the end. Wasp were able to grab 24 offensive rebounds in the game which is where Zelinka profited mostly from.

Game 2 is hosted by BC Newmarketas as they look to upset Wasps’ quest for an unbeaten season. If they are to succeed the tactical choices from Newmarketas will need to be much better than in game 1.