Strong October Leaves Caledonia Gladiators Well Placed
As October draws to a close, Caledonia Gladiators have moved into the top three in the British Basketball League after a near perfect month for the Macklin Motors-supported side.
September had seen the Gladiators kick off the domestic season with an impressive 97:79 victory at the National Basketball Performance Centre against the Manchester Giants before defeat to defending champions London Lions at the Copper Box.
A first foray into European competition in the Basketball Champions League would also end in disappointment, with a 57:51 defeat to Austrian side Fribourg Olympic seeing the Scottish team knocked out on the pre-qualifier round.
A new month kicked off with a return to home soil at the Playsport Arena with a winning effort against the Surrey Scorchers; a seven point advantage after the opening quarter ultimately being proving to be key to an 86:79 win.
Although three points down to Plymouth after the opening quarter of the next game, the Gladiators roared back to score a comfortable 16 point win although the following game away at Sheffield resulted in a disappointing 96:78 defeat.
The Champions League defeat had seen the Gladiators drop down into the FIBA Europe Cup and a fine performance against Romanian outfit BC CSU Sibiu resulted in a 80:68 win away from home before a narrow success over Anwil Wloclavek set up a tie with Spanish outfit Bilbao Basket to determine which team headed straight through to round two without needing to rely on being one of the top second-placed teams.
Either side of the two European games, a dramatic game at home to Sheffield went all the way to Over Time before the Gladiators gained revenge for their defeat a week earlier with an 87:83 win.
A score from Clifton Moore with just two seconds left of the game against Leicester rounded out the month with an 84:83 win – giving the team a record of five wins and two defeats from the opening seven games.
It means the Gladiators sit third in the standings but with at least three games in hand on the teams ahead.
October Results:
- Surrey Scorchers (H) – Won 86:79
- Plymouth City Patriots (H) – Won 99:83
- Sheffield Sharks (A) – Lost 96:78
- BC CSU Sibiu (A) – Won 80:68
- Sheffield Sharks (H) – Won 87:83
- Anwil Wloclawek (H) – Won 66:63
- Leicester Riders (H) – Won 84:83