by Vlad Ionasc
Cheshire Phoenix will aim to make it six wins in a row before the international break when they’ll host the Plymouth City Patriots at the EPSV later this evening.
The Nix knocked the Patriots out of the BBL Trophy in their last meeting against Paul James’ men as they claimed a comfortable 11-point victory at the Pavilions.
Cheshire steamrolled past the Patriots in their last meeting at the EPSV, as they ran out victorious 120-to-69 at the final buzzer however the visitors have picked up some form as of late as they’ve won their last four games in the BBL Championship.
GAME DETAILS
Date: Sunday, 20th February 2022
Tip-off: 5:30 p.m.
Competition: BBL Championship
Where: EPSV
How to watch: Tickets available on the door / BBL Player
PATRIOTS SCOUTING REPORT
After picking up four wins in five games following the 88-77 loss against the Nix in the BBL Trophy, the Patriots find themselves in 7th place in the BBL Championship with a 6-9 record.
Plymouth are currently 7-18 in all competitions, with all of their wins coming in 2022.
The Patriots have a 2-9 record on the road in all competitions.
The Patriots are averaging just 78.2 points-per-game in the BBL Championship, which is just 6th most league-wide. They’re shooting just 43% from the field and 33.1% from deep, however they’re one of the more accurate teams from the foul line at 73.7%.
Paul James’ men average 18.9 assists per game, however they do turn the ball over at a high rate, as they’re currently averaging 14.3 turnovers per night.
Plymouth have the league’s leading scorer, Kofi Josephs, who is currently averaging 20.8 points-per-game. Rashad Hassan is fourth in the scoring leaderboard with 18.4 points-per-game. Antonio Williams posted a 35-point, 11-assist double-double in Plymouth’s win over the Bristol Flyers.
Elvisi Dusha is Plymouth’s primary facilitator, as he’s currently averaging 5.5 assists per contest in the BBL Championship.
KEY PLAYERS
Plymouth City Patriots: Rashad Hassan — Plymouth’s veteran forward scored a game-high 22 points on incredible efficiency (11-13 FG) in the last meeting between the two sides. Hassan contributed with 26 points and seven rebounds on 11-of-17 shooting in Plymouth’s recent OT win over the Bristol Flyers.
Cheshire Phoenix: Ben Mockford — The GB International led the Nix in scoring with 17 points on 5-of-8 shooting from deep in the last meeting between the two sides. Mockford supplied the Nix with 17 points on 5-of-8 shooting from behind the arc in his first game back from injury against the Surrey Scorchers on Saturday night.
COACH’S CORNER
Ben Thomas: “We obtained a great result yesterday in Surrey so our aim is to make it a perfect weekend by securing the win tonight as well!
“Obviously it’s a very short turnaround for us and we are going up against a much-improved Plymouth side so we will need a real team effort to beat those guys and capture our sixth straight win in all competitions!”
NEXT HOME GAME
The Nix are next in action at the EPSV against the Glasgow Rocks (5:30 p.m. tip-off) in the BBL Trophy Semi-Final on the 6th of March.