A 16-7 second quarter shut-out by Bristol ultimately turned the tide in their favour, however there were nervous moments for the Flyers as a 7-0 run by the Saints in the final minute made the tie interesting. But it wasn’t to be for the Saints, as their title ambitions crumble.
David Thomas led Bristol with 21 points and 13 rebounds, cancelling out a three-way effort from Disraeli Lufadeju, Connor Murtagh and Will Self, who all posted 10 points for the Saints.
Bristol solidified their title success the following day by downing Encon Derbyshire Arrows (15-7) 102-89 thanks to 19 points from Tre Thomas. Hamza Ibrahim deserves credit as he scored 36 points for Derbyshire in a losing effort, which drops them out of the playoff picture.
Leicester Warriors might have missed out on the title but will look forward to the post-season as they concluded their league campaign last week finishing with a 17-5 mark.
Around the North, Cardiff Met Archers (10-12) ended their season on a high as Dan Flaherty had 28 points to lead the Welsh side to an 82-73 win over Teesside Lions (7-13) at Archers Arena.
And St Helens Saints ended their regular season on a high, beating Cardiff City (2-18) 89-67 to finish second, condemning their Welsh counterparts to bottom in the North.
The title might be wrapped up in the North, but down South, it’s going down to the final day with Team Solent Kestrels and Barking Abbey the final two teams competing for the crown.
Solent (19-2) were forced to work hard against a Greenwich Titans (10-11) side but edged an 83-77 win thanks to big performances from Russell Gariepy (21pts, 10reb, 8ast) and Isa Brandon (22pts, 11reb, 7ast).
Antonio Hughes paced the Titans with a game-high 23 points.
Barking Abbey (18-2) stayed in the hunt for the title as they swept a short-handed Barnet Bulldogs (10-12) aside 82-58. Ilias Taiwo led Barking Abbey with 17 points and nine rebounds as they led from start to finish.
But London Stars (17-4) were dealt a damaging blow on their final hurdle on Sunday, as Greenwich Titans completed their three-game week with a stunning 101-96 win over the title hopefuls.
A double-double of 29 points and 11 rebounds from Lanre Ayinla would prove to be perhaps his most significant stat of the season as the course of the title race now moves solely to Solent and Barking, who meet at Barking Abbey School on the final day next Saturday.
Elsewhere, Essex Rebels II (4-17) defeated Westminster Warriors (4-18) 87-76 down the bottom of the table and Greenwich Titans started their busy week on Thursday with a 94-84 loss at home to London Elite (13-9).
Milton Keynes Breakers completed their fairytale first season in WNBL2 with a 67-50 victory over their closest rivals Bromsgrove Bears 67-50 at Bletchley to secure top spot in Pool I.
Sarah Round posted 21 points to lead the Breakers as they established an eight-point lead after one, and after getting pegged back in the following period, exploded out the gates following the break, holding the Bears to just 17 points in the second half.
The Breakers followed it up less than 24 hours later with a 63-40 win over Nottingham University Wildcats.
In Pool II, Team Solent Kestrels completed a miraculous top-four finish by thrashing East London Phoenix 67-32 to win the head-to-head and leap into third spot to make the post-season.
Starting February with a 6-6 record, Solent looked destined to end the season on a whimper, however the signings of Andrea Kurkowski, Jodi Jerram and Earleesha Jackson have propelled the south coast outfit to five wins in their final six games.
Kurkowski led Kestrels with 17 points and nine rebounds, as they sealed the vital head-to-head over the Phoenix, who beat Solent 92-63 back in December.
Elsewhere, Stevenage Royals Women beat London Elite 56-52 as London’s playoff fate was sealed. London All Stars will head into the post-season as Pool II winners.
Greenwich Titans 84-94 London Elite
Cardiff Met Archers 82-73 Teesside Lions - LIVE STATS
Bristol Academy Flyers II 70-68 St Helens Saints - LIVE STATS
Barnet Bulldogs 58-82 Barking Abbey - LIVE STATS
Team Solent Kestrels 83-77 Greenwich Titans - LIVE STATS
Stevenage Royals Women 56-52 London Elite
Cardiff Met Archers 53-76 City of Birmingham Rockets
London Cavaliers II TBC-TBC Hemel Storm
Milton Keynes Breakers 67-50 Bromsgrove Bears
Team Solent Kestrels 67-32 East London Phoenix
London United 91-83 East London Phoenix
Northamptonshire Titans 74-102 Birmingham City University
Plymouth Raiders 72-59 Portsmouth Force
Bristol Academy Flyers II 102-89 Encon Derbyshire Arrows - LIVE STATS
Cardiff City 67-89 St Helens Saints
London Stars 96-101 Greenwich Titans
Westminster Warriors 76-87 Essex Rebels II
Milton Keynes Breakers 63-40 Nottingham University Wildcats
Oxford Hoops 98-74 Crawley Storm
Cheshire Wire 89-74 Manchester Kings
University of East Anglia 65-103 Birmingham City University
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Words by John Hobbs
Picture: Bristol Flyers
