Frank Holmes was at his best with 35 points, nine rebounds and three blocks.

Surrey Heat 96 (21, 48, 68)
Newcastle Eagles 92 (34, 50, 74)

The Heat had a mountain to climb against the Newcastle Eagles in the second leg of their play-off semi-final, having given up 28 points in the first leg up in Newcastle on Friday. A lesser team might have folded, but the Heat have been resilient all season and were determined to go out with a bang in front of their fans.

The Heat started well enough, Sam Cricelli answering a Joe Chapman three before Frank Holmes and then Travis Holmes put the Heat in the lead, 7-6, for the first time. Chavis Holmes and Frank added a three-point play each as the Heat kept their noses in front and they were only down by two, 21-23, when Frank Holmes went to the bench with nine first quarter points. In the three minutes that followed, the Heat failed to score and the Eagles went on an 11-0 run, featuring six points from Kareem Maddox who outshone Frank with 14 first quarter points.

For the fans who had been at Newcastle on Friday, it seemed like the game was being replayed, with the Eagles blazing away from three-point land. When they weren’t hitting, they were grabbing the rebounds, pulling down six offensive boards in the first quarter alone.

However, Heat had learnt their lessons from the first leg and regrouped in the second quarter. Caylin Raftopoulos opened the scoring with a three and the Heat matched the Eagles blow-for-blow. Big Frank scored nine of their first 16 points, including seven in a row at one point. This included a very long banked shot from the top of the key as the shot-clock was about to expire. Only a toe on the line denied Frank his first three-pointer of the season, making him the only Heat player not to record a three-pointer this season.

With five minutes to go, the Heat were down by 12, 34-46. Frank completed his second three-point play of the half, then went to the bench, but the Heat, rather than giving up 11 straight points, scored 11 more points without reply, making it a 14-0 run to retake the lead, 48-46. With one minute to go, Newcastle hit back to score the last four points of the quarter, leaving the Heat trailing 48-50 at half-time.

The writing looked to be on the wall when the Eagles scored the first five points of the second half to make it a 9-0 run and leave the Heat down 48-55, but the Heat held their own for the rest of the quarter as they once again rode Frank Holmes. At one point, Big Frank scored eight straight points for the Heat, mixing up jumpers with strong moves to the hoop and going 4-4 from the line.

The Heat went into the final quarter down six, 68-74, and immediately went behind 10 as the Eagles scored the first four points of the quarter. Chavis Holmes got things going with a pair from the line and after Sam Cricelli had found a cutting Frank for another dunk, the scene was set for a stirring comeback. Down 72-82, the Heat scored the next 12 points in just three minutes. This included a three-pointer from Chavis which he followed up with a steal and an easy lay-up. Frank then got in on the act with two tip-ins, one off his own miss. Sam Cricelli rounded the scoring off with an acrobatic drive to the basket.

Ahead 84-82 with three and a half minutes to go, the Eagles showed their determination. Up 26 points overall and in no danger of losing the tie, they weren’t going to lose the second-leg if they could help it. They hit back with a 7-2 run to go ahead by three, but the Heat came straight back through Sam who scored six straight points for the Heat. The Heat retook the lead when Chavis drove to the basket, drawing a foul from Joe Chapman. Chavis made the basket, plus the free-throw, to put the Heat ahead 91-89 with 50 seconds to go.

Travis Holmes bounced back from a poor first leg with 20 points

Sam stole the ball on the next possession and Travis pulled off the play of the game as he drove to the basket in traffic, hung in the air and then scooped the ball in from between his legs. That made it 93-89 with 20 seconds left. Charles Smith hit a three to make it a one-point game and the Eagles immediately fouled Frank, who could only make one of two, his only miss from the line all night.

That put the Heat up 94-92 with 13 seconds on the clock, but any hope the Eagles had of winning on the night went out of the window when Friday’s hero, Damon Huffman, drove to the basket, only to have his shot blocked by Big Frank. The Heat grabbed the loose ball and threw it ahead to Travis who finished the game in style with an uncontested dunk for a final score of 96-92.

The Heat were led by Frank Holmes who had a monster 35 points, nine rebounds and three blocks. He went 14-19 from the field and 7-8 from the line. Chavis and Travis Holmes fittingly finished the game with 20 points each, Travis adding three steals and five rebounds, while Chavis added four assists. Sam Cricelli added 13 points and eight rebounds as well as a pair of blocks.

The Eagles were led by Charles Smith with 25 points and 5 rebounds. Kareem Maddox had 24 points and 13 rebounds, a poor night on the boards by his own high standards. Joe Chapman added 16 points, and dished out six assists.

The win ended the season on a high note for the Heat and was a reward for their faithful fans who were loud and proud throughout the evening. It also marked the first time in six attempts that the Heat have beaten the Eagles in a play-off tie.

The Eagles now go on to face the Leicester Riders in the Play-off Finals at Wembley on Sunday, 28^th April.

Frank Holmes led the Heat with 17 points and seven rebounds

Newcastle Eagles 110 (25, 57, 80)
Surrey Heat 82 (21, 39, 57)

For the third time in three years the Heat went up against the Newcastle Eagles in the play-offs and for the third year running they came away from the first leg in Newcastle facing a deficit. Last year the Heat gave up a 37 point lead in the first leg, and while this year’s scores were closer, it won’t give fans much comfort.

The Heat started brightly enough, Travis Holmes hitting a long two pointer to open the scoring, while Frank Holmes got inside twice, drawing fouls both times and making all four free-throws. When Sam Cricelli found the Albert Margai cutting to the basket for another two points, the Heat were up 8-7. However, that was to be their last lead of the game. Charles Smith, so often the Heat’s tormentor in chief, hit a fade-away jump shot on his way to 30 points, and the Heat were down, 8-9.

The Eagles extended their first quarter lead to as many as seven at 14-21 after another Smith score, but the Heat rallied, going into the second quarter down four at 21-25. However, that’s when things fell apart for the Heat. After Fab Flournoy found a cutting Kareem Maddox with the pass of the match to open the scoring, Damon Huffman took over. The Eagles point-guard missed a fast-break lay-up, but to make up for it, he scored the Eagles next nine points, part of a 20-4 Eagles run, which he capped with a three-pointer and a fast-break layup. The Eagles had scored on eight straight possessions and nine out of ten possessions since the start of the quarter as the Heat found themselves down 20, 25-45.

A timeout from Coach Creon brought some temporary respite as the Heat hit back with a 10-3 run, Sam Cricelli and Albert Margai hitting threes around a pair of buckets by Frank Holmes. The only Eagles points came from who else but Huffman, who scored 17 points in five minutes. However, the Heat were unable to keep up the pressure and allowed Newcastle to score the last seven points of the half as they were held scoreless for the last two minutes to go into the break down 18, 39-57.

Albert Margai got the Heat going in the second half with two of his 13 points

It wasn’t a bad offensive performance by the Heat, but the defence was poor. The half-time numbers told the story: both teams were shooting around 50% from the field, but the Eagles had taken 50% more shots. The main culprit was the rebounding: the Heat had just seven defensive rebounds, while the Eagles grabbed 15 offensive boards. The Heat, meanwhile, had no offensive rebounds and their 12 turnovers weren’t helping their case either.

In the second half, the Heat turned in a much improved performance, although it took them a while to get going. After Albert Margai stole the ball from Charles Smith and went coast-to-coast to open the scoring, the Eagles scored the next nine points, all from Smith, including two three-pointers. The Eagles lead peaked at 27, the Heat trailing 46-73, but an 8-2 run, featuring a three-pointer from Caylin Raftopoulos, pulled things back for the Heat and they went into the final quarter down 57-80.

Once again they started the quarter poorly, the Eagles scoring the first seven points, but the Heat came back with a 17-8 run featuring five points from Caylin and five from Sam, who capped the run with a three-point play. When Kareem Maddox fouled out with five minutes to go, the Heat sensed that they could cut further into the lead.

However, the Eagles called a timeout and steadied the ship, although the Heat continued to chip away. With two minutes to go, Travis Holmes scored inside from an out-of-bounds play and the lead was down to 20, 82-102. Even better, Darius Defoe had also fouled out. Unfortunately the Heat seemed to lose their way at that point, rushing several possessions and turning the ball over on a couple of occasions. Instead of cutting into the Eagles lead, they went scoreless for the last two minutes, just as they had at the end of the first half, and the Eagles took advantage with eight points to leave the Heat facing a massive 82-110 deficit going into Sunday’s second leg.

Caylin Raftopoulos came off the bench for 11 points

The Heat were led by Frank Holmes who had 17 points and seven rebounds, including going 7-8 from the line. Sam Cricelli added 14 points, as did Chavis Holmes, while Albert Margai had 13 points on 5-7 shooting. Travis Holmes had an off night with just night points, although he added seven rebounds, seven assists and seven turnovers. Caylin Raftopoulos came off the bench to add 11 points in a spirited second-half performance.

The Heat worked harder on the boards in the second half, but still only managed six offensive rebounds and overall Newcastle grabbed 23 offensive boards to the Heat’s 20 defensive ones. This led to an imbalance in second-chance points, the Eagle outscoring the Heat 22-5. The Heat also turned the ball over 22 times to the Eagles 16, which the Eagles turned into 17 points, while the Heat could only muster six in return. Interestingly, the difference in second-chance points (17) and points from turnovers (11) exactly equals the Heat’s margin of defeat.

The Eagles were led by 31 points from Damon Huffman with Charles Smith adding 30 points and 10 rebounds. Kareem Maddox had 15 points and 19 rebounds as well, 12 on the offensive glass. Joe Chapman added 16 points, but only two in the second half.

The Heat now return to the Surrey Sports Park for their final home game of the season, which tips-off at 7.30 pm on Sunday evening. The Heat face a mountain to climb and need your support to help them do it. It would also be wonderful to see as many of you as possible at the Surrey Sports Park to give the team a fitting send-off after what has been a marvellous season. You can get your tickets on-line!

Coach Creon Raftopoulos is hoping it’s third time lucky as his team faces the Newcastle Eagles in the play-offs

Going into the play-offs, the general assumption was that the winner of the Heat-Wolves match-up would face the Leicester Riders in the semi-finals. However, that was all thrown into doubt on Sunday night when the Heat, winners by three points over the Wolves, learnt that the Plymouth Raiders had taken a shock 11-point lead over the Glasgow Rocks in Glasgow on Sunday night. That left the Heat with an anxious 24 hour wait to learn who they would face in the Semi-finals.

When the Raiders confirmed that their first-leg performance was no fluke by beating the Rocks by nine points on their own court on Monday night, their reward, as the lowest seed left in the final four, was a trip to take on BBL Champions, the Leicester Riders. This left the Heat facing second-seed Newcastle Eagles for a place in the BBL play-off final.

The Eagles, who won everything just a year ago, are in danger of coming away from this season with nothing to show. Mind you, many clubs would consider a season that included a finals appearance, second place in the BBL Championship and a trip to the play-off Semi-finals as a huge success, but for the Eagles, this would represent a disappointment.

For the Eagles, this is the ninth straight year that they have been the semi-finals. Heartening news for the Heat is that although this is their first time past the first round for five years, the last time they got to the semi-finals, they went on to win it all. The Heat can also take heart from their most recent performance against the Eagles, a 100-94 victory in Newcastle at the start of March. They will also take heart from the fact that the second leg will be at the Surrey Sports Park, where the fans were instrumental in willing the team back from a 10-point fourth-quarter deficit against the Wolves in the first round.

Heat Captain Julius Joseph is hoping to recover from the back injury he picked up against the Wolves

Despite this, Heat head coach Creon Raftopoulos knows that his team face a challenge:

“The Eagles are used to winning silverware and this is their last shot at it this season. We know Fab will have them ready and pumped up to win the playoffs so this will be 80 minutes of the hardest basketball we will play this season.

“They have had to deal with number of injuries this season which affected them but they are almost at full strength at the right time. We continue to deal with our injury problems and hope we can get both JJ [Julius Joseph], who has a back injury, and Caylin [Raftopoulos], who has a dead leg, fit enough to play a role in this series.

“It’s always going to be a challenge to drive up to the North East and play a game on the same night but we had success the last time we travelled up. We know how important the first leg will be to give us a fighting chance when we play the Eagles on home floor Sunday, so concentration and energy will be key Friday night.”

Coach Creon has a good idea what his team have to do if they are to beat the Eagles:

“Charles Smith has had another MVP calibre season and controlling his scoring will be very important. Joe Chapman has battled injuries this season but we’re well aware of what his capable of when he gets in his groove. Damon Huffman and Kareem Maddox have both had good first BBL seasons who need to be respected. Then you have the brain and heart of the Eagles in Fab and Darius [Defoe] who bring a defensive presence that sets the tone and tempo for them.”

Chavis Holmes looked back to his best against the Wolves in the first round of the play-offs

Heat guard Chavis Holmes also knows what the Heat have to do to win the tie:

“Against the Eagles, we have to dictate the game we want to play early on, be physical with them and rebound the ball. Their whole team is good, so it will be a good opportunity for us and we are looking forward to it.”

Holmes admitted his side had a tough test against the Wolves:

“The first game against Worcester we felt like we let it slip away because we were beating them the whole game up until the middle of the fourth quarter, but we didn’t get discouraged after the loss we were a little disappointed but we knew we had to capitalize on the next opportunity.

“They shot the ball a lot better in the second game and we knew that was their strongest asset, so once we went on our run we didn’t turn back, and it was a great team effort because we never gave up.”

For his part, Eagles player-coach, Fab Flournoy, isn’t expecting to take anything for granted, despite having beaten the Heat the last two times the teams have met in the play-offs:

“The Heat had a great win against Worcester and beat us the last time we played. They are a very team orientated group with everyone fitting into Creon’s system and they will present a real challenge.

“We are at the point where we are concentrating on ourselves more than anything but obviously we are aware of the talent of the Holmes brothers and everything that all the other guys bring.”

If you’d like to come on the team coach to the first leg of the playoff semi-final in Newcastle on Friday 19th April, email Peter Bowyer. The coach leaves Surrey Sports Park at 9.00 am and costs £20 for the journey and game ticket.

Otherwise, we will see you at the Surrey Sports Park on Sunday, 21st April, at 7.30 (note the later tip-off time). Tickets are on sale now!

Sam Cricelli came up big in the fourth quarter for the Heat

Surrey Heat 76 (13, 24, 47)
Worcester Wolves 70 (10, 34, 57)

The Surrey Heat came into the second leg of their first-round play-off clash with the Worcester Wolves knowing exactly what to do in order to progress to the semi-finals for the first time since they won the play-offs in 2008. They faced a three-point deficit from the first leg the night before in Worcester and needed to win by four points or more in order to go through.

After a tight first quarter, things were all square in the tie, the Heat leading 13-10, but by half-time, the Heat were down 10 on the night, 13 overall, as they faced a 24-34 deficit. They almost doubled their points total in the third quarter as they scored 23 in the period, but they still trailed by 10.

And then came the fourth quarter.

Feeding off the crowd, the Heat roared back into the game, scoring the first seven points of the quarter on the first three possessions. After a long two-pointer from Stanley Ocitti, Albert Margai nailed a three only for Alex Owumi to answer for the Wolves. With six minutes to go, the Heat were down by four on the night and still had a mountain to climb. However, they stepped up their defence, holding the Wolves scoreless for the next four minutes as they climbed that mountain.

Chavis Holmes had another all-round game for the Heat

First Albert Margai drew a foul from Sherrad Prezzie-Blue and with the Wolves already in foul trouble, he went to the line for two free-throws, making one of them, the Heat’s only miss from the line in the fourth quarter. Sam Cricelli immediately stole the ball and put it back in to bring the Heat within one. At the other end, the Wolves continued to blaze away from the three-point, where they took 36 shots in all. Sam Cricelli rebounded another Wolves miss and was fouled by Ocitti.

This was the Wolves’ forward’s fifth foul, sending him to the bench for the rest of the game and sending Sam to the line where he calmly sank both his free throws. The first drew the Heat level and the second put them back in front on the night, 61-60. On the next play, Chavis Holmes, guarding Kai Williams, leapt at full stretch to pluck Williams’ pass out of the air and was fouled for his trouble. His two free throws put the Heat up 64-61 and pulled them level overall.

Great Heat swarming defence forced Wolves centre Arturas Masiulis into a turnover and on the ensuing play, Frank Holmes was blocked under the basket, but Sam was on hand to grab the rebound and sink a short jumper. For the first time since the first quarter, the Heat were ahead on aggregate, leading on the night 66-61. That capped a 9-0 run and a 19-5 run to start the quarter.

However, the Wolves struck back, Prezzie-Blue hitting a long three before Owumi banked in another after a jump shot by Sam. Suddenly the Heat were clinging to a one-point lead, 68-67, but more importantly, trailing on aggregate. Travis Holmes brought them level with a scooped drive and after a Heat time-out to calm the team down, Sam was fouled and made two more free-throws to put the Heat back ahead on aggregate with a minute to go.

Travis Holmes sealed the game from the line for the Heat

After yet another Wolves three-point miss, Chavis grabbed the defensive rebound. He brought the ball up, created a mismatch and got the ball to Frank on the baseline. Rather than going for glory, Frank let the defence come to him, allowing Sam to slip into the space at the free-throw line. A simple pass from Frank, a swish from Sam and the Heat were ahead, 74-67, with 30 seconds to go.

Good defence forced more time off the clock, but with nine seconds left, a well-defending Prezzie-Blue still managed to make a three, cutting the Heat’s aggregate lead to one. The Wolves fouled Travis Holmes with seven seconds left and he calmly sank the two free throws to restore the three point aggregate lead. The Wolves had one last shot, but Prezzie-Blue could only heave up a prayer at the buzzer and the Heat were through to the semi-finals, 76-70 on the night and 154-151 on aggregate.

The Heat were led by in scoring by Sam Cricelli, who broke Travis Holmes 10-game streak. Sam had 22, 14 of them coming in the fourth quarter. He added five rebounds, three steals and two assists. Chavis Holmes added 19 points, six rebounds and four steals, while Travis had 16 points, four assists and three steals. Albert Margai added 11 points, five rebounds and three assists.

For the Wolves, Alex Owumi had 18 points and eight rebounds, Sherrad Prezzie-Blue 14 points and Stanley Ocitti had a double-double of 11 points and 11 rebounds before fouling out. Arturas Masiulis added 10 points, seven rebounds and three blocks as he anchored the Wolves defence.

The Wolves shot 13-36 from three-point range, scoring more than half their points from behind the arc. However, the Heat repeatedly got to the line, taking 24 free-throws and making 19 of them. In contrast the Wolves took just four free throws and made just one.

The Heat are now through to the semi-finals, a victory made more sweet since it came against ex-Heat coach Paul “PJ” James. It was PJ who was at the helm the last time the Heat made it past the first round, back in 2008, when they went on to win the play-off title. Since taking over at Worcester, the Wolves have yet to make it past the first round.

With the Plymouth Raiders beating the Glasgow Rocks on Monday and the Newcastle Eagles defeating the Sheffield Sharks, this means that the Raiders go through to the semi-finals as the lowest-placed seed and meet top seed, the Leicester Riders. These leaves the Heat  to play the Newcastle Eagles with the first leg in Newcastle on Friday night at 7.30 and the second leg on Sunday evening at the Surrey Sports Park, tip-off 7.30. Tickets are on sale now!

If you’d like to come on the team coach to the first leg of the playoff semi-final in Newcastle on Friday 19th April, email Peter Bowyer. The coach leaves Surrey Sports Park at 9.00 am and costs £20 for the journey and game ticket.

The Surrey Heat bring a narrow three-point deficit back to the Surrey Sports Park for Sunday’s second leg clash against the Worcester Wolves. The Heat led for most of the game, but the Wolves took a late lead and hung onto to it to the end.

After the Wolves took an early 5-2 lead, the Heat clamped down on defence, holding the Wolves scoreless for four minutes. The Heat took control of the game with a 10 point run, scoring on four consecutive possessions, including threes from Chavis and Travis Holmes. However, for the next four minutes they only scored one point, but the defence held firm, allowing Worcester only five more points.

That left the Heat up 14-10 going into the second quarter and they built on that with a 7-0 run over the first two minutes. The lead peaked at 14 after an Albert Margai three followed by a pair of free-throws from Chavis. However, then came a call which changed the momentum of the game. Already in the penalty, Peter Simek was called for foul away from the basket. Chavis asked the referees to watch the pushing from the Worcester players and was called for a technical. Alex Owumi hit all four free-throws and from the ensuing in-bounds, the Wolves hit a three, making it a seven-point possession.

A three-point play from Owumi made it a 10-0 Wolves run and although Caylin Raftopoulos hit back-to-back threes from in front of the Heat bench, the Wolves were back in the game and the Heat led by just five, 40-35, going into the second half.

The Wolves pulled level early in the second half, but the Heat hit back with an 8-0 run, before having to settle for a 62-57 lead going into the final quarter. The Wolves took their first lead since the first minute with a 7-1 run, capped by three free-throws from Sherrad Prezzie-Blue after the most marginal contact from Albert. The Heat hit back with a pair of free-throws from Travis and, after Artuas Masiulis scored inside, Frank Holmes went right back at him, scoring inside, drawing the foul and converting the bonus to make it 75-73 with three minutes to go.

However, a minute of madness cost the Heat dear as the Wolves went on a 6-0 run. Twice the Heat had a chance to score, but twice they turned the ball over while forcing the play. Albert and Chavis both got to the line, although Albert could only make one of two, leaving the Heat down 78-79 before Masiulis scored inside with 27 seconds left. The Heat had a couple of chances to cut the lead or tie the game, but Owumi, who was outstanding for the Wolves, blocked Travis’ three and Chavis’ three-pointer rimmed out as time expired.

The Heat were led by Travis Holmes for the 10^th straight game with 22 points and seven steals, with twin Chavis adding 21 points. Sam Cricelli, back from injury, added 13 points and eight rebounds, while Frank Holmes had six points and nine rebounds. For the Wolves, Alex Owumi had 22 points, Sherrad Prezzie-Blue 16 points and Arturas Masiulis 16.

The Heat now return home to the Surrey Sports Park for the second leg tomorrow, Sunday, 14^th April at three o’clock.

Travis led the Heat in scoring for the ninth straight game with 27 points

Surrey Heat 101 (32, 56, 76, 89)
Plymouth Raiders 99 (20, 42, 71, 89)

The Surrey Heat saved the best until last with a thrilling overtime victory in their final regular season game to set-up a quarter-final play-off clash with the Worcester Wolves next weekend. Had the Heat lost to the visiting Plymouth Raiders they could have sunk as low as sixth spot and faced a tricky tie against the Glasgow Rocks. As it was, they matched their best performance in five years, although it was touch and go to the final buzzer.

At half time, the Heat were cruising, up 56-42 against a Plymouth team with just six fit players and who had lost heavily at home the night before against the Worcester Wolves. When Peter Simek, who had opened the scoring in the first half with a left-hand finish in the paint, sank a corner jumper to open the scoring in the second half, it seemed a formality, but the Raiders were far from done. Javarris Barnett, who had been struggling with an injury in the first half, went to the bench for good and the Raiders, down to just five payers, responded with a passionate display.

Peter Simek saved his best game until last with 20 points and 13 rebounds

A 14-3 run following that Peter Simek basket trimmed the lead to six, 62-56, with five minutes gone and later in the quarter, the Raiders used 13-2 run to take their first lead of the game, the Heat down by two, 69-71, after a three-point play by Andreas Schreiber. Seven of the Raiders’ 13 points had come from the free-throw line, but the Heat responded well, the Raiders lead lasting just four seconds as Heat Captain Julius Joseph buried a three. That was the start of an 11-0 run from the Heat, with Travis Holmes adding four fast-break points to leave the Heat up 76-71 at the end of the third and Peter Simek and Frank Holmes scoring the first four points of the final quarter to leave the Heat comfortably ahead 80-71.

However, the Raiders weren’t done and came back with an 8-0 run of their own. Even so, with five minutes to go, the Heat were still ahead, 86-82, but they went stone cold again and a 7-0 run from the Raiders gave them just their second lead of the game,  the Heat trailing 86-89. Travis Holmes ended a four minute Heat drought when he drove from the halfway line, using a Peter Simek screen to get all the way to the hoop and make it 88-89. At the other end, 6’7” Matt Schneck drove to the basket only to be denied by Travis who blocked his shot.

The Heat missed Sam Cricelli, who sat out his third game to rest his injured hip. He will be back for the play-offs though.

Colin O’Reilly tried to extend the Raiders’ lead but his three-point attempt cannoned off the ring and was heading out of bounds when Jamal Williams cleverly flicked it off Travis, who, for his pains, went crashing into the seats at the side of the court and had to be helped back to the bench. From the ensuing inbounds, Schneck drove to the basket again and this time was denied by Frank Holmes with an exquisitely-timed block.

Chavis Holmes then drew a foul from Michael Ojo and had a chance to put the Heat ahead, but missed both free-throws with 14 seconds left. Out of desperation, Heat Captain Julius Joseph fouled Williams, putting him on the line and stopping the clock with 11 second left. He could have sealed the game, but missed both his free-throws as well.

To add insult to injury, the Raiders grabbed the rebound, but Chavis stole the ball and fired it ahead to Travis who was fouled by O’Reilly with three seconds left. Travis made the first free-throw to tie it at 89-89, but he missed the second, Andreas Schreiber grabbing the rebound. However, before he could do anything, Frank Holmes tied him up and time expired, sending the game into overtime.

During the huddle before overtime started, Jamal Williams drew a technical foul for complaining, sending Julius Joseph to the line where he calmly sank both free-throws. Schreiber scored to make it 91-91, but the Heat responded with the next six points, four from Frank Holmes and two from Travis. Back came the Raiders with five points from Williams before Chavis found Frank inside for a dunk to make it 99-96. Michael Ojo could only make it 1-2 from the line with 84 seconds to go.

Big Frank had 18 points and scored six of the Heat’s 12 points in overtime

With a chance to seal it, the Heat turned the ball over and then fouled Williams who once again missed a pair of free throws with the game on the line. Ahead 99-97, a Heat three rimmed out, but Peter Simek, who had his best game in a Heat shirt, was on hand to grab the rebound and put it back in with 35 second to go.

With 26 seconds on the clock, Schneck scored inside to set up a final mad pair of possessions. First the Heat had the ball, but, with bodies flying everywhere, they turned it over. Then the Raiders had it, but couldn’t get a clean hold of the ball and the Heat players harried them all over the court. Finally, Michael Ojo heaved up a prayer as the final buzzer sounded and the Heat had won a famous victory!

The Heat were led by Travis Holmes for the ninth straight game with 27 points, six assists, five steals and three blocks, while Peter Simek had 20 points and 13 rebounds. Frank Holmes added 18, six rebounds and four assists, Chavis Holmes chipping in with 17 points, five assists, four rebounds and three steals.

For the Raiders, Michael Ojo had 29 points, while Andreas Schreiber had 22 points and 14 rebounds, with Matt Schneck also recording a double-double of 16 points and 16 rebounds. Finally, Jamal Williams had the Raiders’ third double-double with 19 points and 13 rebounds.

The Heat now face the Worcester Wolves over two legs in the first round of the play-offs. The first leg is on Saturday, 13^th April in Worcester, 7 o’clock tip-off, before the teams return to the Surrey Sports Park for the second leg at 3 o’clock on Sunday, 14^th April. If you would like to join the team on the coach to Worcester, please e-mail Peter Bowyer for details. Tickets for the second leg at the Surrey Sports Park are now available on-line. Get yours now!

Big Frank Holmes auctions his shirt at last year’s end of season event.

It’s that time of the year again, when we call on all Heat fans to join us at the end of the last regular season game to celebrate the season. This year we have done exceptional well and have had a season to be proud of.

The event will take place after Sunday’s game against the Plymouth Raiders in the function room next to the Bench Bar. Entry is just £1!

As usual, we will be having the annual Heat Shirt Auction, where the players will be auctioning their own shirts. Fans can also model their favourite players’ shirts. So, if you want to own any of the players’ shirts, this is your chance. Both home and away kit will be auctioned, so you have two chances to get your hands on your favourite players’ kit, as actually worn during the season.

Albert and Zoe playing “Pass the Orange”

There will be party games involving the fans and players such as pass the orange and the banana challenge (as shown in the photos!)

We will also be announcing the winners of this seasons awards. If you haven’t voted yet, don’t worry, you can still vote at the Merchandising Table at Sunday’s game. The awards are:

- Most Valuable Player

- Most Exciting Player

- Best Defensive Player

- Player’s Player (as voted for by the players)

Martelle takes on a fan in the Banana Challenge

So, come on down to the Surrey Sports Park on Sunday to support the Heat against the Raiders, a vitally important match for our play-off position, then come along to the Bench Bar afterwards to celebrate our season.

Chavis continued his comeback with 16 points and five assists

Surrey Heat 98 (27, 50, 75)
London Lions 92 (16, 45, 75)

In a see-saw game in front of the season’s largest crowd, the Surrey Heat took a huge step towards securing fourth place in the BBL on Easter Sunday with a hard-fought win over the visiting London Lions. Behind a mammoth performance from Travis Holmes, who led the Heat in scoring for the eighth straight game, the Heat put the disappointment of losing on Good Friday in Glasgow behind them with a 98-92 victory over the Lions.

The Heat led early on, using a 10-0 run at the end of the first quarter to take a 27-16 lead. They were still up by 11 after Travis Holmes blocked the 7 foot Adrien Sturt at the rim and Albert Margai went coast-to-coast for a fast-break layup to make it 35-24. However, the Lions outscored the Heat 18-8 over the next five minutes to leave the Heat clinging to a one-point lead, 43-42. Out of a timeout, Caylin Raftopoulos buried a long three pointer and captain Julius Joseph added one of this own to go with a free throw to give the Heat a 50-45 advantage at half time.

However, that lead soon evaporated in the second half as two quick technical fouls were called on Frank Holmes, forcing him to the bench. Sturt made three of the four free-throws to level the scores on 54-54. The Heat’s response was a 6-0 run which was answered by an 8-2 run from the Lions to tie things up again at 62-62. Just as the Heat looked to be rebuilding the lead, Heat Coach Creon Raftopoulos drew a technical for what looked to be an innocuous shrug of the shoulders before Caylin was judged to have fouled Rod Brown, the Lions’ stand-out player, as he was shooting a desperation three as the shot clock wound down. The resulting free-throws gave the Lions their first lead, 66-67, since the first quarter, but the Heat’s response was spirited.

Peter Simek had another strong game with 12 points and nine rebounds

First Travis Holmes, who seemed to be able to get the basket at will, blew past his man at the three-point lane and went all the way to the rim before twin Chavis blocked a drive at the rim at the other end. He came up with the ball and fired it the length of the court to Travis for another layup. Laurent Irish, for the Lions, tied the scores again at 70-70 when he was left open on the three-point line only for Julius Joseph to answer with his second three of the game from a couple of steps behind the line. Peter Simek, who stepped up big time in Frank Holmes’ enforced absence, put the Heat ahead again, 75-73, only for ex-Heat fan favourite, Tayo Ogedengbe to tie the game again at 75-75 at the end of the third quarter.

The Heat looked to have the game in hand when they opened the final quarter on a 11-2 run to make it 86-77. The last four points came from Frank Holmes, back from a long break on the bench to have an immediate impact. First of all, Travis Holmes stole an inbounds pass and found Frank for a layup, then Chavis stole the ball and on the next possession, Travis found Frank open under the basket for an authoritative dunk.

The Heat and the Lions then exchanged baskets, or, to be more precise, the Lions exchanged baskets with Travis, who scored the Heat’s next eight points as he repeatedly got to the rim or grabbed an offensive rebound. Leading 94-84 with three and a half minutes to go, the Heat suddenly went stone cold, missing shots and committing silly fouls as the Lions scored on four of their next five possessions to cut the lead to just two, 96-94.

Frank Holmes finished the game strongly after receiving two technical fouls

After two minutes without a basket, the Heat turned to who else but Travis Holmes. Starting at the halfway line, he beat his man and made his way all the way to the basket to give the Heat a four point lead at 96-92. Although there was plenty of time left of the clock, the Lions seemed to think that they had to win it from the three-point line, blazing away from long range as time slowly ran out on them.  Their last chance came with 11 seconds left when Frank Holmes blocked a desperation turnaround jump shot from Sturt and Julius Joseph made the game safe from the line with a pair of free throws, sending the Heat home with a 98-92 victory.

The Heat were led for the eighth straight game by Travis Holmes who turned in an outstanding performance with 30 points, 10 rebounds, eight assists, four steals and three blocks. Twin Chavis had 16 points and five assists while Peter Simek added 12 points and nine boards. Julius Joseph and Frank Holmes chipped in with 11 points each and Caylin Raftopoulos and Albert Margai added nine apiece.

For the Lions, Rod Brown led the way with 25 points, while ex-Heat Captain Mike Martin had 17 points and 11 rebounds. Tayo Ogedengbe also had 17 points while the Heat held Orlan Jackman to 13 points.

The Heat now have one game left, at home on Sunday, 7^th April, against the Plymouth Raiders. A win will see the Heat finish no lower than fourth, bringing a first-round play-off match-up against either the Raiders or the Worcester Wolves. The game tips-off at three o’clock at the Surrey Sports Park and is followed by the end of the season social and shirt auction.

Frank Holmes had another double-double of 14 points and 10 boards

Glasgow Rocks 98 (24, 54, 73)
Surrey Heat 70 (13, 33, 53)

The Surrey Heat’s chances of finishing third in the BBL took a blow on the road in Glasgow on Friday night as they went down 70-98 to rivals, the Glasgow Rocks. The only good news from the evening was that the Plymouth Raiders, with whom the Heat and the Rocks are locked in a battle for third to fifth places, also lost. Unfortunately, the team that beat them, the Worcester Wolves, are hot on all three team’s heels in sixth place. However, there was good news earlier in the week with both the Rocks (at the Sheffield Sharks) and the Wolves (at home to the Newcastle Eagles) losing.

The Heat never led in Glasgow, falling behind by 10 points mid-way through the first quarter. For a while they kept the deficit around 10 points, going into the second quarter down 13-24, but the Rocks soon ran away with the game, opening up a 21 point lead at half time, the Heat trailing 33-54. In the second half, the Heat never got the lead back into single digits and they were still down by 20, 53-73, going into the final quarter. However, there was no miraculous comeback for the Heat as the Rocks soon opened up a 30 point lead, cruising to a 28 point victory, the Heat going down 70-98.

Travis Holmes led the Heat in scoring once again with 16 points to go with eight rebounds and four steals

The Rocks were led by ex-Heat point-guard, EJ Harrison, with 24 points, while Gareth Murray had 23 points and 10 rebounds. The Rocks shot 54% from the field and 45% from three-point range as well as going 11-12 from the free-throw line. In contrast, the Heat, without Sam Cricelli, shot just 40% from the field and a very poor 17% (4-24) from three-point range. They were also poor from the line, going just 10-17.

The Heat were led by Travis Holmes with 16 points, eight rebounds and four steals, while Frank Holmes had another strong game with 14 points, 10 rebounds and three steals.

The defeats for the Heat and the Raiders, combined with the Rocks win, leaves all three teams tied on 19 wins in third, fourth and fifth places with the Wolves one win behind in sixth. However, all three teams have a game in hand on the Heat. With two games to go, starting with Sunday’s home game against the London Lions on Easter Sunday at 3 o’clock at the Surrey Sports Park, there is everything to play for.

If the Heat beat both the Lions and their final opponents for the season, the Plymouth Raiders, who come to the Surrey Sports Park a week on Sunday (7th April), they will definitely finish fourth. Whatever happens, the Heat can finish no lower than sixth and will face one of the Wolves, Rocks and Raiders in the first round of the play-offs.

So, come down to the Surrey Sports Park this Sunday and cheer the Heat on.

Jacob Loveridge, wearing 30, and his Sea Wolves

The Surrey Heat caught up with ex-Heat U18 and BBL team member, Jacob Loveridge, when he was back in Guildford over Christmas. For those who don’t know, Jacob, who was part of the BBL Squad last season, is now playing college ball in the US for the Sea Wolves, the basketball team of the South Maine Community College. With Jacob’s help, the Sea Wolves have recently completed an excellent season, finishing second in their Division (the East Division of the Yankee Small College Conference). The Sea Wolves finished with a 12-5 record in their conference (and a 20-11 record overall), which enabled them to quality for the Elite Eight (the equivalent of the play-offs) where they progressed to the semi-finals, before going down to Conference Champions, the NHTI Lynx.

The Sea Wolves put up a good showing in the Elite Eight, coming from behind to win their first round match-up against the St Joseph Saints. In a low-scoring game, the Sea Wolves fell behind by 11 midway through the second half only to surge back and tie the game at 47-47 before going on to win by eight, 61-53. The following day, they took on the mighty Lynx in the semi-finals. Again the Sea Wolves gave up a big lead, this time trailing by 18 at half time, 33-51, before storming back in the second half. They got within eight before running out of time, going down 73-81 at the final buzzer.

Jacob Loveridge at the free-throw line for the Sea Wolves

Despite this excellent end to the season, things weren’t always plain sailing for Jacob as he explained at Christmas:

“I didn’t get off to a great start, with a trapped nerve in my back. This meant I missed the first two to three weeks of pre-season and initially found it hard to get into the team. I was only averaging around six minutes a game and found it very frustrating. However, for the four weeks running up to Christmas, I broke into the starting line-up, playing centre, and now I’m averaging about 15 minutes a game, with eight points and four rebounds a game.”

Jacob admitted that the transition to college basketball has been a tough one, but he acknowledged that his time spent playing for the Heat had been invaluable:

“It’s a lot of hard work out here. I’m still having to study (Jacob’s degree is in sports management) as well as doing all the training. The college game is much quicker and more physical than the junior level. Playing with the Heat and training with the first team week in, week out last season has really helped me.

“Also playing in a professional set-up like the Heat has helped when things weren’t going so well and I wasn’t getting playing time. It helped me stay focused and not get angry about my lack of playing time. Instead I was able to use my experience to show what I could do in training and force my way into the starting line-up.

Jacob playing for the Heat last season

“It also helped playing against the professionals in practice last season, so when I made the step up to college level, I was used to playing against more physical players and against players quicker than myself.”

In closing Jacob told us about living in the US:

“I’m loving it out there. Maine’s a great place. I’m living near places like Portsmouth and Southampton. In many ways it feels like England!”

If you want to catch-up with Jacob and the SeaWolves’ season, you can find all the information at the Yankee Small College Conference website.

The good news is that Jacob will be back with the Sea Wolves next year and his head coach has already appointed him one of the team captains!