The regular season across Division 2 and 3 has now come to a close as all eyes are set to the Playoffs.
Going into the final weekend of the regular season, Barking Abbey and Kestrels were both hopeful of results going their way as they met on Saturday afternoon.
And Barking Abbey did what they could, as 15 points from former Solent guard Ilas Taiwo handed them a 79-69 win, but were unable to secure the head-to-head tiebreaker between the sides due to Solent’s earlier 94-65 win back in November.
With the fate of the league title out of Solent’s hands, Barking Abbey had to beat London Stars on Sunday to secure the crown, but at the final hurdle, they stumbled.
A poor first quarter from BA saw them trail 14-9 and from there, they never recovered, as a double-double of 17 points and 12 rebounds from Timothy Nwankwo guided the Stars to a 74-67 win, gifting the league title to the Kestrels.
There was only one other game to wrap up the season in Colchester, as Essex Rebels II concluded their season with a comfortable 104-94 win over Greenwich Titans. Johnny McKew had 21 points to lead the Rebels but both sides failed to make it to the post-season.
Newly crowned NBL2 North champions Bristol Academy Flyers II ended their successful campaign with an 88-54 victory at home to the Teesside Lions, who were playing for nothing but pride.
Nassim Ladjimi led the Flyers with 17 points, cancelling out Will Day’s game-high 20 for the Lions.
Elsewhere in the North, Cardiff City’s difficult ended with two losses, as they have struggled all season with injuries and player shortages.
They lost 89-55 to Liverpool followed by a solid showing against Teesside on Sunday, before losing narrowly 91-88.
In Pool III of NBL3, Oxford Hoops secured their place at the summit at the expense of the Crawley Storm thanks to a 100-73 win over Plymouth Marjon Patriots. Jamie Cummins had 21 points for Oxford as they sealed top spot on the final day.
Sheffield Sharks (Pool I), Birmingham City University (Pool II) and CoLA Southwark Pride (Pool IV) had already finished as top seeds in their respective groups.
Bristol Academy Flyers II 88-54 Teesside Lions - LIVE STATS
Liverpool 89-55 Cardiff City - LIVE STATS
Barking Abbey 79-69 Team Solent Kestrels - LIVE STATS
Essex Rebels II 104-94 Greenwich Titans - LIVE STATS
London Cavaliers II 84-43 Stevenage Royals Women
Cheshire Wire 68-76 Sheffield Elite Basketball Academy
Plymouth Marjon Patriots 73-100 Oxford Hoops
London Lions Foundation 85-64 CoLA Southwark Pride
Cardiff City 88-91 Teesside Lions - LIVE STATS
London Stars 74-67 Barking Abbey - LIVE STATS
East London Phoenix 77-32 London Elite
London Lions Foundation 94-81 London United
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Words by John Hobbs
