Leicester Warriors gained a big advantage at the top of the NBL2 North standings while Barking Abbey and Team Solent Kestrels lead a tightly contested South group.
Leicester Warriors (14-3) sit alone in pole position after they beat Bristol Academy Flyers II (13-2) 76-67 to send them into second place.
The Warriors had to come from behind to secure the win, which also seals the head-to-head between the two teams. They trailed by as many as eight points in the first half, Karl Brown’s side came out all guns blazing in the third quarter to take the lead, which they never relinquished.
Malik Legania led the winners with 24 points and 11 rebounds as they also secure the head-to-head over the two teams. David Thomas led Bristol with 22.
Encon Derbyshire Arrows (11-4) stay in third and keep themselves in the mix thanks to an 87-76 victory over Teesside Lions (4-9).
Hamza Ibrahim was simply unstoppable for the Arrows, as his 32-point, 15-rebound double-double tamed the Lions. Veteran Jamie Glen responded with 20 points for Teesside.
Cardiff Met Archers’ (5-9) revival continues as they hammered Worcester Wolves (5-10) 85-56. Dan Flaherty led a well-balanced Archers scoring attack with 18 points as all 12 Cardiff players registered a field goal.
Demi Babalola had 29 points to lead Manchester Magic (8-7) to a comfortable 102-61 success over basement side Cardiff City (1-10).
On Sunday, Myerscough Basketball Academy (7-7) made it three wins in a row as 21 points from Mark Rangeley saw them comfortably dispose of Bristol Basketball United (4-10) 91-56.
And St Helens Saints (10-2) got back to winning ways after two consecutive losses, as they defeated Liverpool (3-12). Connor Murtagh paced the Saints with 23 points.
In a closely contested NBL2 South, Team Solent Kestrels, London Stars and Barking Abbey lead the way and all collected wins this weekend.
A 61-23 first half proved to be enough for Solent (13-1) to breeze past Essex Rebels II 99-57 on the South Coast. Greg Durand (pictured top) went 5/8 from the floor for his 19 points to pace the Kestrels.
Meanwhile, 24 points from La'Quarne Sayles handed Barking Abbey (13-1) an 83-64 victory over London Elite (9-7) as they stay joint top.
London Stars (13-3) were also victorious over the weekend as they hammered Cobham Scorchers (5-11) 104-56.
Barnet Bulldogs’ (6-9) good run of form continues as they impressively beat NASSA (11-5) 98-93 to make it three wins in their last four games.
Chuck Duru exploded for 30 points to lead the Bulldogs as they hit 15 three-pointers, shooting an impressive 51% from distance.
Down at the bottom of the table, there was finally some joy for Endeavour Ipswich Basketball (1-14), as a 33-22 fourth-quarter surge helped them to an 86-77 win against the Westminster Warriors (3-14).
Ipswich hit 14 three-pointers, en-route to 49% from the field as Ellis Haggith hit a game-high 25 points for the winners, who stay bottom, but will be boosted with their first win of the season. Jardel Kerr led the Warriors with 23.
Greenwich Titans grabbed a 74-68 home win over Richmond Knights.
Milton Keynes Breakers (7-1) stay top of Pool I in WNBL2, after they eased past basement side Liverpool (1-8) 78-40.
Jess Lee and Sarah Round both led the way for the Breakers with 14 points, as a solid 19-7 first quarter set the tone for what turned out to be a routine victory.
Charnwood Riders used home advantage to see off Cardiff Met Archers 87-71.
In Pool I, and a new-look Team Solent Kestrels side (6-6) bagged a 64-54 win over London Cavaliers II (4-7). Ana Mendez led the Kestrels with 18 points with the side handing debuts to veterans Jodi Jerram and Andrea Kurkowski.
A 17-2 first quarter helped Oaklands College Wolves II (7-5) to a resounding 74-33 win over Stevenage Royals Women (1-9). Darcey Woodman had a game-high 19 points for the winners, supported by 14 from Caitlin Ryan.
Hemel Storm (7-4) secured a 66-33 success over the bottom side London Thunder (1-11). Emily Taylor led all scorers with 22 points, helped along by Rebecca Harvey’s 11.
The big game in NBL3 came in Pool III, where Crawley Storm leapfrogged previously unbeaten Portsmouth Force into first place with a 79-62 win. Jamaul McAllister led Crawley with 17 points.
The Storm led from tip to buzzer as they raced out to a 10-0 lead and never looked back. The victory also gives Crawley the valuable head-to-head over the two teams.
The results from a full schedule of games in NBL3 are below.
Cardiff Met Archers 85-56 Worcester Wolves - LIVE STATS
Manchester Magic 102-61 Cardiff City - LIVE STATS
Teesside Lions 76-87 Encon Derbyshire Arrows
Leicester Warriors 76-67 Bristol Academy Flyers II - LIVE STATS
NASSA 93-98 Barnet Bulldogs - LIVE STATS
Team Solent Kestrels 99-57 Essex Rebels II - LIVE STATS
Richmond Knights 68-74 Greenwich Titans
London Elite 64-83 Barking Abbey
Westminster Warriors 77-85 Endeavour Ipswich Basketball - LIVE STATS
Team Solent Kestrels 64-54 London Cavaliers II
London Thunder 33-66 Hemel Storm
Oaklands College Wolves II 74-33 Stevenage Royals Women
Plymouth Marjon Patriots 73-77 Surrey 89ers
Oxford Hoops 77-73 Cardiff Met Archers II
Birmingham City University 107-62 University of East Anglia
Crawley Storm 79-62 Portsmouth Force
Warwickshire Hawks 66-65 Cambridge Cats
Sheffield Sharks 107-64 Stockport Falcons
Bath Basketball 75 Bracknell Cobras 56
Greenhouse Sports 77-88 Kent Crusaders
Nottingham Trent Hood 60-71 Oaklands Wolves
Myerscough Basketball Academy 91-56 Bristol Basketball United - LIVE STATS
St Helens Saints 98-75 Liverpool
London Stars 104-56 Cobham Scorchers - LIVE STATS
Charnwood Riders 87-71 Cardiff Met Archers
Milton Keynes Breakers 78-40 Liverpool
Northamptonshire Titans 93-81 Charnwood Riders
Plymouth Raiders 65-71 Brighton Bears
London United 107-52 Islington Panthers
East London Phoenix 64-89 London Lions Foundation
Tameside Vikings 98-51 Manchester Kings
Derby Trailblazers II 72-76 University of Hertfordshire Storm
Cambridge Cats TBC-TBC Birmingham City University
Main image: Luke Simcock
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Words by John Hobbs
Main image credit - Luke Simcock
