Meanwhile in NBL2, it’s all change at the top in the South, with London Stars and Team Solent Kestrels now occupying the top two.
London Cavaliers II (4-4), formally Thames Valley, ushered in a new era with a 70-42 win over Endeavour Ipswich Basketball II (4-6).
Racing to a 20-4 lead after the first quarter, London never looked troubled as their stifling defence and solid execution was on point throughout, entering the fourth quarter ahead 53-28 and refusing to take their foot off the accelerator.
Ines Urman led the Cavs with 15 points, supported by Rebecca Ruzsa’s 13.
London All Stars (9-0) still top WNBL2 Pool II, as they breezed past Stevenage Royals Women 72-44, winning all four quarters to sit pretty at the summit.
Emily Taylor exploded for 36 points as Hemel Storm (5-4) created breathing room in the final 10 minutes to beat Team Solent Kestrels (4-5) 72-54 on the South Coast.
Leading 56-47 heading into the fourth, Hemel led, but were unable to shake off a stubborn Solent resistance until a 17-6 last quarter finally put the game to bed with Taylor unstoppable.
Anna Mendez led Solent with 15 points.
London Stars (11-2) are top of NBL2 South following a convincing 98-69 win over basement side Endeavour Ipswich Basketball (0-12).
Nojus Zajankauskas led the way with 24 points with Timothy Nwankwo adding an impressive double-double of 14 points and 13 rebounds as the Stars used a strong first half where they led 60-37 to coast to victory.
Charlie Smythe had 15 points for Ipswich who still await their first win of the season.
Team Solent Kestrels (10-1) are not far behind in second as they defeated Richmond Knights 87-64 at Solent Sports Complex.
Russell Gariepy led the way with 27 points to further boost their promotion hopes and dent Richmond’s, who suffer a second straight loss.
The Stars and Kestrels make up the top two, as NASSA (10-3) suffered an 84-73 loss to neighbours London Elite (7-5). Romario Spence dropped a game-high 24 points to lead Elite.
A 35-18 first quarter set the tone for Barnet Bulldogs’ (4-8) 84-78 win at Westminster Warriors (2-11). Brandynn Manning led the Bulldogs with 29 points.
Greenwich Titans (5-6) suffered a setback to their playoff hopes, as they narrowly lost 88-85 to the Cobham Scorchers (4-9).
Leicester Warriors (11-3) were made to sweat in the last minute but snuck away with a 95-92 win over Myerscough Basketball Academy (4-7) to stay second in NBL2 North.
Joshua-Jai Williams-Clifford hit the game-winning three with two minutes to play, but they had to get several stops to avoid overtime. Harry Godwin had a chance to take the game to the extra period in the dying moment but couldn’t get his three to fall.
Malik Legania led all scorers with an impressive 36 points for Leicester.
St Helens Saints (10-0) remain unbeaten but sit in third due to playing less games than the top two. They beat Teesside Lions (4-6) 85-72. Connor Murtugh paced the Saints with 25 points.
Teenager Jack Walton had a game-high 20 points as he led Manchester Magic (7-5) to an 85-71 road win to Cardiff Met Archers and Worcester Wolves (3-8) are just outside the playoff places, as they beat Bristol Basketball United (BBU) (3-9) 81-62.
Cardiff Met Archers 71-85 Manchester Magic - LIVE STATS
Leicester Warriors 95-92 Myerscough Basketball Academy - LIVE STATS
Worcester Wolves 81-62 Bristol Basketball United (BBU) - LIVE STATS
London Stars 98-69 Endeavour Ipswich Basketball - LIVE STATS
Westminster Warriors 78-84 Barnet Bulldogs - LIVE STATS
London Elite 84-73 NASSA
Team Solent Kestrels 87-64 Richmond Knights - LIVE STATS
London Cavaliers II 70-42 Endeavour Ipswich Basketball II#
Team Solent Kestrels 72-54 Hemel Storm
London Thunder 38-69 Oaklands College Wolves II
Crawley Storm 76-64 Bracknell Cobras
Cardiff Met Archers II 72-94 Plymouth Marjon Patriots
Surrey 89ers 80-66 Plymouth Raiders
Portsmouth Force 70-68 Brighton Bears
Greenhouse Sports 53-86 CoLA Southwark Pride
St Helens Saints 85-72 Teesside Lions
Stevenage Royals Women 44-72 London All Stars
Plymouth Marjon Patriots 63-83 Bath Basketball
Tameside Vikings 98-77 Tees Valley Mohawks
Derby Trailblazers II 71-86 Oaklands Wolves
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Main image credit - Harry Collins
Words by John Hobbs
