NBL D2&3 recap: COB Rockets seal D2 double, MK Breakers & Teesside champs

The NBL and WNBL are now moving towards the final month of the regular season - with four champions already crowned.

City of Birmingham Rockets have enjoyed a stellar season, picking up the D2M North and D2W Pool 2 regular-season honours.

In D3, Milton Keynes Breakers and Teesside Lions have bagged the East and North top spots with perfect records.

There is still plenty more to play for - here’s the latest story across tiers two and three of the NBL and WNBL, with the regular season finishing line now in sight. 

WNBL Division Two  

WNBL National Cup semi-finalists City of Birmingham Rockets have sealed pool 2 of the WNBL Division Two, their 10-1 record with a game to play means they can't be caught by second place Bromsgrove Bears.

The Rockets sealed the double over the Bears for the season in February and the Midlands side can now sit back and wait for the post-season.

With each pool's winner and runner up being guaranteed a post season spot, plus the two best third placed teams, Bromsgrove (7-2) and Cardiff City (6-4) will still be pushing hard to finish the season strong.

Pool 1 is less clear cut. Sheffield Hatters II are still top of the pile at 8-0, but with Stockport Lapwings (7-1) and Manchester Mystics II (7-2) both close behind, it's still a wide open race.

Not only that, of Sheffield's four remains games, they still have to host the Mystics and take a trip to Stockport!

Cobham Cobras are currently top of Pool 3, but that may not stay the case between now and the end of the regular season.

The Cobras closed the season with a 6-3 record, but second place University of Nottingham Wildcats (5-2) are just two points behind with two game still to play.

Cobham do have the head-to-head tiebreaker over the Wildcats, meaning any dropped points over the coming weeks by Nottingham will seal top spot for the Surrey side.

NBL Division Two 

City of Birmingham Rockets have continued their dominance across the North conference, and at a perfect 20-0 have now sealed top spot and the regular season title.

The Rockets have taken on all comers this season and will undoubtedly go into the playoffs with the belief that they can add further accolades to their 2022/23 haul.

With the top four in both conferences making the playoffs, St Helens Saints (14-2) and Worcester Wolves (13-6) both look well set for a top three spot, potentially leaving Bristol Hurricanes (11-5), Bristol Academy Flyers (10-9) and Derbyshire Arrows (9-11) to battle for the North's final place.

The South conference is London Elite's to lose as things stand. Currently sat with a 16-3 record, two points ahead and with a game in hand on second place Brighton Bears (15-5), Elite can win out to claim the title over the coming weeks.

One of those remaining three games is against third place Ipswich (13-6), which will be a tough test, but Elite won 83-74 in Suffolk when the teams met last December.

Both Ipswich and Greenwich Titans (13-6) are well placed to make the post season at present, though any kind of slip up would open the door for the likes of Team Solent Kestrels II (11-8), East London All-Stars (11-8) or Richmond Knights (10-9) to make a run at the playoff spots.

NBL Division Three 

There's a mixed bag in D3, with some leagues already wrapped up and some still up for grabs. With each league's winner and runner up plus the two best third placed teams making the post season though, it's still all to play for.

In the South West, Cardiff Met Archers (14-1) look close to sealing top spot, with only fourth place Cardiff City (10-3) able to catch the fellow Welsh outfit due to their games in hand. Portsmouth Pink Street (12-5) and Exeter Spartans (10-5) are out of the title running in second and third respectively, but will keep battling for a post-season place.

In the South, it's been a season to remember for Cobham Cobras. At 17-1, they sealed top spot long ago and will be a forced to be reckoned with once we begin knockout basketball.

Worthing Thunder II (11-6), London United (11-4) and Surrey Scorchers II (10-6) are all still scrapping for a top three place.

The North West conference is wide open. Myerscough Academy II (14-2), Tameside BC (14-4), Manchester Swarm (13-3) and Liverpool BC (13-4) all have a path to top spot in the coming few weeks.

Myerscough are set to play Tameside and Liverpool as part of their last four games, creating further opportunity for change at the top.

Heading North, Teesside Lions have sealed top spot  - and pulled in impressive home crowds - remaining spotless on the year with a 14-0 record, with just four more wins needed for a perfect 18-0 season.

Tees Valley Mohawks (11-4) can still match Teesside on 28 points but don't own the head-to-head with the Lions to unseat them at the top, whilst Calderdale Explorers (11-5) currently sit in third.

All eyes in the Midlands will be on top side Loughborough Riders II (12-2) as they host second place Birmingham City University (11-4) on 19 March.

Third place Derby Trailblazers II (11-4) will no doubt be watching that game with interest, eager to make a move up the standings since once team will be dropping points.

The London conference remains a two-horse race between UEL London Lions (14-1) and CoLA Southwark Pride (13-3), though UEL's statement 89-74 road win against their title rivals last Sunday gives the Lions the all important head-to-head tiebreaker between the two.

Finally, the East conference contains Milton Keynes Breakers, who at 16-0 have sealed the #1 spot. They sealed the deal with a huge 107-54 victory over the Canterbury Crusaders in their impressive maiden season with three games to spare.

University of Hertfordshire Storm (13-3) pushed MK all the way, but the Breakers spotless form over the last month was enough to win it.

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