The Bristol Flyers hit the road and defeated a stubborn Manchester Giants side in a thrilling battle of Thursday night hoops in the British Basketball League, with Te’Jon Lucas and Kedrian Johnson leading the Flyers to a fourth consecutive win.

Manchester Giants starting five: Jalen Harris,
Jamell Anderson, Mason Bourcier, Austin Lawton, Evan Walshe

Bristol Flyers starting five: Te’Jon Lucas, Tevin Olison, Kedrian Johnson, Rowell Graham-Bell, Brad Greene

First Half:

Two teams entered the National Basketball
Performance Centre with cause for optimism on Thursday night, as the Manchester
Giants welcomed the Bristol Flyers.

Manchester have shown major signs of improvement in recent weeks, having beaten the Leicester Riders and proven they can compete with top teams at home and away this year, and they had another chance to show their mettle today with the high-flying Bristol in town.

An in-form Flyers outfit arrived determined to extend their three-game domestic winning streak, after beating Plymouth City Patriots in the last two league games following an important home win against the B. Braun Sheffield Sharks.

The Flyers stamped their authority over the Giants early in the game, getting off to an 8-0 start, but the hosts were able to respond quickly to retake a lead behind some astute shooting from beyond the perimeter and quick decision-making in transition to create easy looks, resulting in a six-point Manchester advantage after 10 minutes.

Led by Jamell Anderson, with Legend Robertin and William Lee still stuck on the sidelines due to injuries, the Giants did not take their foot off the gas when running the floor in the second quarter, but after a vital timeout for the Flyers to stop the bleeding, Coach Andreas Kapoulas’ side fought back to take a 38-48 lead into halftime

The trio of Brad Greene, Tevin Olison and Kedrian Johnson have recently showcased a highly cohesive brand of offensive basketball and tonight was no exception, as they helped push the Flyers ahead in the second period, however the first half was all about Te’Jon Lucas, who entered the break with fifteen points, at a clip of 6-7 from the field and 3-4 from deep.

Second Half:

Coach Kapoulas’ team re-emerged with a renewed sense of tenacity, forcing the Giants into multiple turnovers and punishing them on the interior, attempting to overwhelm them with power. With 16 minutes remaining, the Flyers earned a game-high 18-point lead and were seemingly comfortable in the ascendency.

That comfort didn’t last long, however, as Brian Semonian’s Giants put together an impressive 11-0 run to force their way back into the contest with Evan Walshe proving the primary aggressor on the defensive end to set the tone on both ends of the floor for the hosts.

After an uncharacteristically quiet first half, Johnson started to heat up for the Flyers, leading their offence during the third quarter. Bristol also enormously improved their rebounding, making the most of their physically imposing line-up, and retaking the advantage.

Manchester hustled to stay within touching distance, shrinking the deficit to just six points heading into the final quarter, but poor shot choices and sloppy turnovers prevented them from getting over the hump until the final minutes.

That’s when the Giants stepped up. A string of excellent defensive plays and bold shot making from beyond the arc inspired another tide-turning run before Nick Lewis sunk a trio of shots from the stripe to take a one-point lead going into the final two minutes.

Bristol showed a lack of composure, with multiple 24-second violations and missed free throws putting them in serious trouble of throwing away the game, but after a few scares, the Flyers took home the 91-87 victory as Rowell Graham-Bell sealed the victory from the charity stripe.

Player of the Game:

Tonight’s player of the game was Te’Jon Lucas, who delivered a consistent scoring display throughout the game with 17 points, while also contributing 6 rebounds and 6 assists.