BBL Championship: London Lions remain top of the table; Newcastle Eagles win twice
London Lions and Newcastle Eagles meet live on Sky Sports in the BBL Cup Final on Sunday, coverage begins from 12.30pm with the women's final featuring Leicester Riders and Nottingham Wildcats
Last Updated: 20/01/21 1:49pm
London Lions and Newcastle Eagles warmed up for their BBL Cup Final showdown on Friday with victories but it's the Lions who remain top of the British Basketball League Championship.
There are four points separating the two teams as they go into the Sunday's showdown for the first silverware of the season at the University of Worcester Arena.
A dominant 90-78 victory for the Lions over Bristol on Friday night gave them a full week to prepare - a night that also saw Worcester, Leicester and Newcastle victorious.
The Eagles were back in action on Sunday for their game and followed up Friday night's eight-point win over Sheffield with a narrow one-point victory over Plymouth, a result that took them clear of third-placed Leicester and ensured the Lions remain within touching distance.
BBL Championship - Results
| Friday | Worcester Wolves 73-71 Cheshire Phoenix |
|---|---|
| Bristol Flyers 70-98 London Lions | |
| Plymouth Raiders 70-82 Leicester Riders | |
| Sheffield Sharks 84-92 Newcastle Eagles | |
| Sunday | Bristol Flyers 73-76 Worcester Wolves |
| Glasgow Rocks 65-54 Sheffield Sharks | |
| Cheshire Phoenix 92-87 Surrey Scorchers | |
| Newcastle Eagles 77-76 Plymouth Raiders |
It was a seventh win of the season for Newcastle and it came in the most dramatic of circumstances.
With less than a minute on the clock, Darius Defoe managed to steal the ball for the Eagles and drew the foul, making both free throws to put his side up by one and adding his tally to 11 for the night.
Cortez Edwards led the game in points with 22 for the Eagles, but he was given a huge helping hand as no less than five Eagles players made it into double digits as well as Justin Gordon adding 14 rebounds.
Mike Morsell led for the Raiders with 21 points, and Ashley Hamilton provided a double-double with 14 points and 10 rebounds.
In the opening game of the Sunday's action, Worcester Wolves closed out a three-point victory against the Bristol Flyers.
Brandon Anderson was the top scorer in the match for the Wolves, as he scored 21 in 20 minutes of action from the bench. Jordon Williams provided 18 points and eight rebounds and captain Maarten Bouwknecht added 13 points and four rebounds.
Only two players made it into double-digits for the hosts on the day, as Daniel Edozie provided a double-double with 19 points and 10 rebounds, and Eric Lockett made 14 points with nine rebounds.
Glasgow Rocks managed to secure just their second win of the season with an 11-point victory over the Sheffield Sharks.
It was a low scoring affair at the Emirates Arena, with the scores level at 8-8 at the end of the first, making it the lowest-scoring quarter since a 10-6 effort from the Flyers and the Rocks in March 2016.
Boban Jacdonmi led for the Rocks, with 18 points and captain Jonny Bunyan got his 500th career assist in the BBL.
Antwon Lillard also added 18 for the Sharks, but the visitors struggled, making only one of their 14 attempts from three-point range.
Cheshire secured their third win of the Championship, beating the Surrey Scorchers by five points and leaving their opponents adrift at the foot of the table after Glasgow's win.
Jalen Hayes was the star of the show for the Nix, as he dropped a 31 point, 14 rebound double-double.
Mike McCall added 28 points for Cheshire, shooting a perfect four from four from three-point range, and Kahron Ross added 12 points and nine rebounds.
Tony Hicks top-scored for the visiting Scorchers, with 24 points from the bench, but his efforts were not enough to secure victory.
The BBL Championship continues across the week with four matches, while Sky Sports coverage continues on Sunday with both the men's and women's BBL Cup Finals.
