Team Solent Kestrels continue to strengthen their grip on top spot in D1M, with their unbeaten record continuing for yet another week. With some of the teams in the chasing pack slipping up this week, it's beginning to look unlikely that anyone will be able to catch Coach Guymon's side. To find out how the week 10 action played out, here's our NBL recap.
An impressive 35 points from Harrison Gamble allowed Loughborough to hang with Solent, before the Kestrels eventually pulled away to their 10th win in a row.
The current D1M leaders allow a league best 62.8ppg, with stingy defence a characteristic of their play so far. Gamble found regular success though, particularly from beyond the arc as he splashed 8 of his 10 attempts, keeping the Riders in the contest.
Solent wouldn't be slowed on offence however, gradually building a 53-40 half time lead that grew still further in the 3rd and reached a peak at 22 points in the 4th.
Brendan Okoronkwo starred with 28 points, going a perfect 6/6 from 3pt range in a shootout with Gamble. Travis Charles chipped in with 22 points and 18 rebounds, whilst Ian Smith (17 points), Elliott Sentance (13 points) and Elliot Dadds (10 points) all enjoyed solid outings.
Worthing Thunder put on a show in front of the NBL cameras as they beat Leicester Warriors 102 -87. Alex Owumi used the spotlight to show out, dropping 28 points as he shot 7/11 from range to go with seven boards and five assists. Worthing's Zaire Taylor dished 12 assists to go with his 16 points, with T.J. Henderson top scoring for the Warriors with 26 points.
Hemel Storm maintained their solid start to the season with a comfortable 90-74 victory over Barking Abbey. The London side led this one 44-37 at the half, but couldn't hold on as they were limited to 32 2nd half points. That allowed the hosts come roaring back behind 24 points from both Bode Adeluola and Greg Poleon, with Adeluola also providing 10 assists to boot.
Thames Valley Cavaliers suffered a shock home defeat to Nottingham Hoods, with the Midlands side triumphing 102-95. The Hoods shot 54% from the floor, collecting 58 points in the paint as forward Garrison Goode enjoyed a 21 point, 14 rebound double-double. Despite leading 50-44 at the half, Coach Banks will no doubt be disappointed his side couldn't covert that into another W come the final buzzer.
Essex & Herts Leopards secured their first win of the season, beating Liverpool 97-77 at Oaklands College on Sunday. The hosts raced out of the blocks to lead 38-11 after the opening quarter, never looking back as Liverpool's six man rotation couldn't recover. Hafeez Abdul was once again in the thick of the action for the Leopards, knocking down 27 points to go with seven rebounds.
Reading Rockets stumbled at home to Derby Trailblazers, eventually coming up short 102-77. A competitive game at the half, Reading ran out of steam in the 2nd half, getting outscored 55-30 as Derby turned on the style. Five different Trailblazers all made it to 15 points or more, led by Treshawn Wilford on 21.
Finally, Bradford's 4th win of the season came courtesy of a 104-90 home win against Westminster. With 31 assists, the Dragons managed to push Rihards Sulcs (26), Ricky Fetske (25) and David Walsh (24) past the 20 point mark. Justin Hitchman top scored for the Warriors with 22 points.
Matt Shaw, Derby Trailblazers head coach: “In the second half in particular, I though our defence was simply phenomenal. We were tuned in and made very few mental mistakes. I though Tre [Wilford] was outstanding, because he seemed to be all over the place, making plays, getting steals, tip-ins and assists."
Thomas Baker, Essex & Herts Leopards head coach: "We started fantastically well in this one, even better than we have been doing in recent games which is a credit to guys. We were relentless at both ends."
INTERVIEW - A frustrated @CoachKeane14 gives his summary of what was a difficult Sunday evening for The Rockets 🎤 🏀 🔊 #letsgorockets pic.twitter.com/K1q0w3PGJs
— Reading Rockets 🏀🚀 (@rocketsreading) December 2, 2019
Full results and stats
Saturday 30 November 2019
6:15pm - Bradford Dragons 104 - 90 Westminster Warriors - LIVE STATS
6:15pm - Thames Valley Cavaliers 95 - 102 Nottingham McDonald’s Hoods - LIVE STATS
6:30pm - Loughborough Riders 85 - 99 Solent Kestrels - LIVE STATS
7:00pm - Hemel Storm 90 - 74 Barking Abbey - LIVE STATS
7:30pm - Worthing Thunder 102 - 87 Leicester Warriors - LIVE STATSSunday 1 December 2019
3:30pm - Essex & Herts Leopards 97 -77 Liverpool - LIVE STATS
5:00pm - Reading Rockets 77 - 102 Derby Trailblazers - LIVE STATSUp next
There's plenty to look forward to in week 11 as leaders Solent host joint 2nd place Hemel Storm. Elsewhere on Saturday, Loughborough welcome Thames Valley, the Warriors battle in the Midlands as Westminster take on Leicester, and Essex & Herts Leopards hit the road to face Nottingham.
On Sunday, Worthing are at home to Liverpool and Reading Rockets go up against Bradford Dragons at John Madejski Academy in Berkshire.
Main image credit - Luke Simcock
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