Leeds earn first BBL win, but Sheffield lose out

Leeds came on strong in the second half, as Clayfell Harris sparked a 10-4 spell with an ‘and-one’ play and, with 46 seconds remaining in the third period, they took their first lead since the first quarter at 50-47 on a Louis Sayers score.

And it was Sayers who was the hero, with 17 points on the night, as he added a three-pointer before the third period finished, and then opened the fourth with another to help the Force to a commanding double-digit lead at 63-51 on what became a 19-4 surge over the final break.

Despite that, Bristol did come back to tie the game late on, with Doug McLaughlin-Williams hitting two triples in a 10-2 push. But, with 41 seconds to play, Dwayne Camille hit a triple of his own to win it for the hosts.

Sheffield Sharks suffered a 97-89 defeat at the hands of the Cheshire Phoenix last night at the EIS.

The Sharks dominated the early stages of the game with Jerrold Brooks and Mike Tuck leading by example, ending the first quarter with a 27-15 point lead and a first victory of the season looking likely.

But Cheshire pegged the Sharks’ lead to just four points at the halfway stage.

As the game progressed, the pendulum swung either way with both sides enjoying good spells, with Mike Cook in fantastic form, but Phoenix added 13 points without reply to clinch victory.