by Vlad Ionasc
Cheshire Phoenix will aim to overturn a 12-point deficit and reach the Final of the BBL Trophy when they’ll take on the Glasgow Rocks later today.
The Nix will take confidence from their last three games at home against the Rocks, as they currently have a 3-0 record at home against the Scottish side, however only one of those wins has been by a double-digit margin.
The Rocks will look to persevere their 12-point cushion, obtain their first win of the season at the EPSV and progress through to the final which will be held in Glasgow.
GAME DETAILS
Date: Sunday, 6th March 2022
Tip-off: 5:30 p.m.
Competition: BBL Trophy Semi-Final
Where: EPSV
How to watch: Tickets available on the door / BBL Player
ROCKS SCOUTING REPORT
The Rocks enjoyed a great shooting night in the first leg of the Semi-Final as they converted 58% of their shots from the field, including an eye-watering 52% from three-point territory. Gareth Murray’s team accumulated 28 assists on 37 made baskets and out-rebounded the Nix by 34-to-28.
Murray’s men have a 4-11 record on the road (all competitions).
Glasgow suffered a heavy 21-point loss against the London Lions at home on Friday night.
The Rocks have a 2-3 record against the Nix this season.
The Scottish side crashed out of the BBL Cup at the Semi-Final stage of the competition.
The Rocks currently have the best field-goal (49.9% FG) and third-best three-point percentage (38.4%) in the BBL.
Murray’s men average the third-most assists per game (21), with only the Leicester Riders (22.7) and Newcastle Eagles (23.8) dishing out more assists per contest (23.9).
Jordan Johnson third in assists (7.5) per game in the BBL Championship. Glasgow’s point-guard averages 9.7 dimes per game in the BBL Trophy. Johnson draws more attention than any other player, as he leads the league in fouls drawn per game (4.9).
Jordan Harris ranks third in the league in steals, with 2 per game and also ranks seventh in the scoring leaderboard, with 17.3 points-per-game.
Jaycee Hillsman leads the league in three-point accuracy (54.8% 3PT).
Scottish guard Jonny Bunyan ranks seventh in three-point accuracy (42.9% 3PT).
KEY PLAYERS
Glasgow Rocks: Jordan Johnson — The American guard is back to his best following a short period of underwhelming performances. Johnson supplied his team with 17 points and 14 assists in the first leg of the tie and will haver to play a key role once again tonight if Glasgow are to advance through to the Final of the competition.
Cheshire Phoenix: Namon Wright — Phoenix’s leading scorer managed to accumulate 15 points in the first leg against the Rocks however he was inefficient, as he missed nine out of his 12 attempts from the floor and only dished out a couple of assists. Wright will have to replicate his performance from Phoenix’s 93-87 win vs. Glasgow on the 6th of February, when he stuffed the stat-sheet with 20 points, 10 rebounds and seven assists.
COACH’S CORNER
Ben Thomas: “We have a huge task ahead of us tonight but we believe that we can overturn the result and get to the Final in Glasgow!
“We will have to play great team basketball from start til finish in order to wipe out the 12-point deficit and I’m confident that we can do that. We are very determined to give the Nix Nation something to cheer about because your support has been fantastic all year long!
NEXT HOME GAME
The Nix are next in action at the EPSV against the London Lions (5:30 p.m. tip-off) in the BBL Championship on the 13th of March.