by Vlad Ionasc
Cheshire Phoenix will host the Manchester Giants in the BBL Championship on Sunday evening (5:30 pm).
GAME DETAILS
Date: Sunday, March 8th, 2020
Tip-off: 5:30pm
Competition: BBL Championship
Where: EPSV
How to watch: BBL’s official YouTube channel
GIANTS SCOUTING REPORT
The Giants have won just one game this season (20-0 forfeit against the Glasgow Rocks).
Cheshire has won the past five meetings between the two clubs.
The Giants are shooting just 39.2% from the field and 29.3% from three-point range in the regular season.
Manchester signed 6’7 British forward Allie Fullah on March 1st.
Manchester’s offense ranks last in the BBL (75.3 points-per-game).
KEY PLAYERS
Manchester Giants: Callum Jones – Giants’ captain plays an efficient brand of basketball, averaging 11.4 points on 50% FG. He ranks top three in both scoring and assisting among all Manchester players. He recently poured in 26 points (10-15 FG) and five assists in Manchester’s six-point loss against the Plymouth Raiders. His size at the guard position makes him a match-up problem for most teams in the league.
Cheshire Phoenix: Jalen Hayes – The 6’7 forward has put on some absolute clinics against the Giants this season. Hayes missed just seven of his 20 attempts from the field in his 32-point tear at the George Carnell Sports Centre on the 18th of October. Two weeks later, the American followed up with a perfect 10-of-10 shooting performance which helped him achieve a 24-point, 11-rebound double-double in front of the 800 Nix fans present at the EPSV! Hayes beats Manchester’s bigs for speed and athleticism and can easily post-up their smaller guys.
COACH’S CORNER
Ben Thomas: “Coming off quite a mixed weekend in terms of emotions, two good wins but not making the final of the Trophy is difficult, but we’ve had a good week of training.
“Manchester has been playing some really good basketball as of late, just missing out on a couple of wins against Bristol and Plymouth last week.
“It’s a game that we will take very seriously, we have to make sure that we bring our A-game because it’s going to be a tough 40 minutes on Sunday.”
NEXT HOME GAME
The Nix are next in action at the EPSV against the Worcester Wolves on the 22nd of March. Secure your TICKETS now!
GO PHOENIX! BRING THE NOISE!