BBL Championship
Caledonia Gladiators 91-76 Plymouth City Patriots (18-24, 42-49, 67-64)
(Gladiators: Burns, 24; Bailey, 22; Fraser, 14 – Patriots: Dusha, 24; Williams, 13; Hassan, 12)
Cheshire Phoenix 90-61 Surrey Scorchers (22-16, 43-33, 66-43)
(Phoenix: Teague, 19; Jack, 18; Evans, 15 – Scorchers: Taylor, 16; Wang, 13; Jacdonmi, 8)
Caledonia Gladiators triumphed with a 91-76 win over a spirited Plymouth City Patriots side at the Emirates Arena on Sunday afternoon.
A
significant impact off the Gladiators bench, guard Jordan Burns was electric
from beyond the arc, on his way to a game-high 24 points, draining seven
triples and shooting 8-18 from the field overall.
There were also significant contributions from David Sloan and Jeremiah Bailey, as they combined for 32 points and 19 assists for the winners.
Bailey’s
quick tally of 10 points got the game swinging in the host’s favour early on.
Not
to be discounted, Plymouth City mounted a solid attack to test the Caledonia
defence.
The
latest recipient of the BBL Player of the Month, Elvisi Dusha put on a typical
high-scoring display, amassing 24 points on 7-13 from the field, along with
five rebounds and five assists.
Providing
the visitors with an edge early on, big man Rashad Hassan had a smooth touch
around the elbow, converting confidently over the close-out defence.
Protecting the Plymouth basket, Markedric Bell’s two early blocks defined an explosive first-quarter performance by the visitors.
Able
to get danger man Bailey in early foul trouble, the stage looked set for the
Patriots to pull away, as they led after the first quarter.
The
second though marked the beginning of Burns’ exemplary shooting, converting two
identical three-pointers from the left wing.
Despite
Burns’ sudden heat check, the occasional careless defence from Caledonia cost
them, as Bell, an athletic finisher, was left wide open under the basket for a
simple two-handed jam.
Rectifying their earlier lacklustre defence, Caledonia centre Patrick Tape provided a thudding block to set up a fast-paced transition offence setting up Burns again for a triple.
Thanks
to a hatful of important possessions, the hosts headed to the locker room ahead
by a whisker.
It
was the turn of Sloan to continue the pace for the Caledonia attack, bounding
past his defenders to set up Ali Fraser for a crafty finish at the
basket.
Not
to be deterred, rookie Patrick…
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