Bristol Flyers have booked their spot in the 2023 BBL Playoffs after splitting the pair of last weekend’s results. With 10 games of the regular season still to go, this is the earliest time in Flyers’ BBL history that they have ever secured their place in post-season play.
It was confirmed after a comeback 66-68 victory over the Newcastle Eagles on Friday, where Bristol trailed by as many as 17 points away from home. Sunday’s game against the Manchester Giants saw the Flyers just come up short, losing 81-86 at SGS College Arena.
Flyers head coach, Andreas Kapoulas summed up the play-off-clinching game as: “snatching victory from the jaws of defeat.”
“I’m proud of the guys. we know we can play a lot better and it wasn’t our best performance, but sometimes you just need to be able to hang in there,” he added. “We’ve been saying records are there to be broken, and obviously our group has already broken a lot of big records this season.”
Friday’s win saw Bristol claim their 19th victory of the season, despite trailing for the majority of the second half. VJ King’s 12-point and 10-rebound double-double led the Flyers’ offence as Thomas Bell and Tevin Olison also put up double-digits in the scoring column.
The visitors started with a six-nothing run in the opening minutes of the first quarter before Newcastle captain, Darius Defoe got a couple of makes from the free-throw line. The introduction of Corey Samuels bolstered the scoring for Flyers, finishing with eight first-quarter points.
Newcastle built up a lead in the closing stages of the first, but a late steal and lay-in from Jelani Watson-Gayle cut the deficit - Newcastle led 22-19 after one.
The second quarter was the least productive scoring period for Bristol who were held to 13 points. Newcastle’s Javion Hamlet had his way, scoring and playing provider as the Eagles stretched their advantage. Defoe turned back the clock and stuffed home a transition slam in front of the home crowd and the Tyneside outfit had a firm grip on the game and ended the half leading 41-32.
Flyers’ offence dried up in the third quarter as the deep-ball wouldn’t fall. Newcastle capitalised and were able to build their lead up to 16-points, before a couple of changes swung momentum back in the away side’s favour. Olison’s scoring helped halve the difference, as Flyers brought the game back to within single digits.
Eagles maintained their lead through most of the fourth quarter, but Flyers kept closing the gap. Clutch three-pointers from Olison and Watson-Gayle brought the game to within two points.
Bristol’s first lead of the second half came with 29 seconds left on the clock, and a final free-throw from Bell sealed an improbable comeback win.
Flyers then hosted the Manchester Giants on Sunday, following a long trip home from the North-East. Thomas Bell finished with 18 points and nine rebounds - eight of which came on the offensive end. Malcolm Delpeche and King both had double-doubles for points and boards.
Another fast start from the Flyers forced Manchester Giants head coach, Vince Macauley into an early timeout. Coming out of the break Bell drained a triple to make it an eight-nothing lead. Delpeche showed his prowess in the paint with some strong finishes, and King hyped up the crowd with a two-handed jam. Manchester kept it close but trailed 21-18 after the first.
The Giants’ offence picked it up early in the second and took a lead after four-and-a-half minutes. Olison responded to the run with a three to restore the lead and the game continued at a frenetic pace. Delpeche’s dunk gave the hosts a five-point half-time lead of 44-39.
The third quarter was a difference-make for Manchester, outscoring Bristol 29-15 and establishing a potent combination of offence and defence. Former two-time BBL MVP winner Rahmon Fletcher pulled the strings as his side made a plethora of important plays. Three consecutive three’s from the giants followed by 10-straight points for Fletcher saw the Giants enter the fourth with a nine-point lead.
Flyers had two points in the first three minutes of the final period, while Manchester continued their hot shooting. Coach Kapoulas called a timeout, apoplectic with what he was seeing.
Manchester built out to a 17-point lead before the hosts stormed back into the game forcing multiple turnovers and getting fast-break points. It was brought back to a two-point game with less than a minute on the clock, before Giants made good of their attempts from the stripe. They ran out as 81-85 winners.
On the disappointing result, Kapoulas remarked: “We got away with it on Friday, but we were not able to do it today.
“We were in control; we were up by 10 points, they hit six-straight shots in the only quarter they won and they win the ballgame. We’ve got to be ruthless. They capitalised on us switching off. It’s a valuable lesson for us.”
Flyers will head out on the road for two games next week, taking on Cheshire Phoenix before facing Manchester Giants at the National Basketball Performance Centre.
