On a thrilling final day of regular season the 2011/12 BBL Playoff contests were cemented for this seasons climax. Cheshire Jets claimed sixth spot in a tense battle with the Sheffield Sharks whilst the Glasgow Rocks comfortably saw off the Durham Wildcats and Newcastle Eagles impressive campaign ended in defeat on the road against Guildford Heat.
The BBL Playoff quarter finals are now set to be played over two legs between the 26th and 29th April. They are as follows:
Newcastle Eagles (1st) v Guildford Heat (8th), Plymouth Raiders (4th) v Glasgow Rocks (5th), Leicester Riders (2nd) v Sheffield Sharks (7th) and Worcester Wolves (3rd) v Cheshire Jets (6th).
Cheshire Jets achieved a commanding 98-77 victory over Sheffield in front of a packed Northgate Arena which included Premiership footballer Djbrill Cisse’.
John Lavery’s side were led by Kai Williams’ 25 point haul whilst Bill Cole and Matt Schneck recorded impressive double double figures. Cole netted 20 points and grabbed 11 rebounds whilst Schneck posted 17 points and 14 boards. The visiting high scorer was Olu Babalola with 18 personal in conjunction with 16 points a piece for Ryan Patton and Jimmy Langhurst.
Following a boosting 96-81 success over Champions Newcastle, the Jets were firing on all cylinders again executing their shots well with a 56 percent success rate.
A blistering 15-2 surge in the 3rd quarter effectively sealed sixth place for the Jets as they came from behind in a nervy first half to dominate the scoring and complete a sensational turnaround.
In Glasgow, The Rocks stated their intentions for the playoffs in a comprehensive 87-66 win over Durham. The hosts were in fine form offensively as they shot at 61 percent from the floor including 7/13 from beyond the arc. Danny Huffor claimed the top scoring honours with 21 points whilst Mychal Green bagged 16 points and Gareth Murray recorded 14 personal. Ralph Bucci was the outstanding performer for the Wildcats with 19 points.
Meanwhile, injury-hit champions Newcastle again missed the services of leading scorers Andrew Thomson and Charles Smith as they suffered a 100-74 defeat at the hands of their playoff opponents Guildford. The Heat outscored their opponents in all four quarters with three top scorers equal on 22 points, Guildford’s Frank Holmes and visitors Joel Madourie and Darius Defoe leading the way for their respective teams.
Newcastle will be looking for revenge over the Heat when their bid to complete the trophy sweep begins on 27th April back in the north east. With the eight teams ready to put everything on the line who will claim the BBL’s ultimate prize?
