Surrey Scorchers head into a crucial weekend of BBL Championship action starting with a trip to the London Lions on Friday evening (7.30 tip-off) before hosting the Plymouth University Raiders at Surrey Sports Park on Sunday (3.30pm tip-off).
London Lions vs Surrey Scorchers
BBL Championship
Copper Box Arena
Friday 12th February 2016
7.30pm tip-off
Click here for tickets
Surrey Scorchers vs Plymouth University Raiders
BBL Championship
Surrey Sports Park
Sunday 14th February 2016
3.30pm tip-off
Click here for tickets
The Opposition
Scorchers' most local rivals have a long history in British Basketball, starting out as the Hemel Hempstead Lakers back in 1977. Since then they have undergone a range of name changes and have dipped in an out of top flight basketball, competing as the Milton Keynes Lions until 2012 before launching as the capital's brand new club in 2012.
Two play-off apperances have followed since their latest rebrand, bringing a strong new basketball outfit to the capital.
Since their breakthrough into the BBL 11 years ago, Plymouth Raiders have consistently flirted around the lower end of the BBL Play-offs, narrowly missing out for the last two seasons with 9th and 10th place finishes.
The Ones to Watch
Demond Watt will be an on-form threat for Lions, having earned himself a spot in the BBL All-Star5 this week thanks to his double-double performance against Sheffield Sharks.
With Alex Owumi and now Olu Babalola now also in their ranks, London will see achieving a play-off spot as a must with an experienced roster.
Raiders’ Adrian Sturt only needs 16 more rebounds to reach 1000 in BBL Championship play, which the British basketball stalwart will be looking to achieve from his side’s double-header against the Newcastle Eagles and the Scorchers.
Player-coach Daryll Corletto bagged 27 points and 7 assists when the two sides last met in December, posing as the biggest attacking threat for the hosts.
The Roster
Henry Wilkins and Jordon Williams will be looking to make a return to the roster on Friday evening after sitting out of last weekend’s action due to illness and injury.
The Form
3 straight BBL Championship wins this side of the New Year period has seen Lions propel themselves firmly into the play-off zone, with their only loss since the turn of the year coming against the Leicester Riders in the BBL Trophy.
Lions’ last 5 games: WWLWL
A home win against the Leeds Force last weekend ended a dry spell of wins for the Raiders, who see themselves teetering on the edge of the play-offs in 8th place.
Raiders’ last 5 games: WLLLW
Still searching for their first league win since December, Scorchers took the Glasgow Rocks all the way to the final buzzer on Sunday evening with a narrow loss to the 5th place side. Will Surrey put an end to a harsh run which has seen them take a single competitive win in 9 outings?
Scorchers’ last 5 games: LLLWL
Coach’s Corner
Scorchers Head Coach Creon Raftopoulous brand’s Sunday’s game against the Raiders as ‘vital’ in his side’s push for the BBL Championship play-offs.
“Over recent weeks we have continued to improve, we just need to sustain that performance level and close out games.
“Sunday’s game is our most important to date. It’s the 3rd time that we’ve played the Raiders this season so we know them well. Daryll Corletto is shooting 3s confidently so we will be looking to keep him quiet, plus their new US import Corey Dixon has definitely made them stronger.
“We know what we need to do and the support of the home crowd will be vital.”
The Coverage
There will be live updates on Twitter and the BBL LiveStats (London Lions) (Plymouth Raiders).
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