Playoffs fever hits Glasgow as Caledonia Gladiators gear up for quarter-final weekend

^{Photo: Ross Wardrop}

Caledonia Gladiators will open their British Basketball League (BBL) playoffs account at 7:30pm tonight with a trip to the Ellesmere Port for the first of a doubleheader against Cheshire Phoenix.

The return leg will take place on Saturday at the Emirates Arena at 3pm after Gladiators seized the home advantage in the quarterfinals with a fourth-placed finish.

This is the first step for the Glasgow side towards a coveted place in the playoff final which will take place at London’s iconic O2 arena on May 14, a feat they have not managed since 2010.

It’s already been a season to remember for Caledonia, grasping their first-ever BBL Trophy with a dramatic buzzer-beater winner against Phoenix themselves.

David Sloan’s last-second lopping effort sent a packed-out Emirates Arena crowd into ecstasy as the home crowd erupted at their first taste of silverware in 20 years.

The Louisville-born point guard immortalised himself in Scottish basketball history with his outstanding looping effort to put the cherry on top of an already outstanding season.

Sloan has been a consistent performer all season long.

With an average points per game of 17.9 (fifth best in the league) and 4.9 average assists he tops both categories for his team.

The rookie could play a crucial role at the weekend and will have to be at his best to give Gladiators a chance of progressing.

Even though history has already been made this season, head coach Gareth Murray will want to go one better and win the team’s first-ever double.

But it will be no easy endeavour.

Despite three wins against Phoenix in Glasgow, including that unforgettable final, Caledonia fell to defeat in both trips to Cheshire.

Albeit those games did come in the first half of the season so they should feel more confident after an impressive 2023 so far.

One player who did not feature in those games who could prove pivotal is January signing Fahro Alihodzic.

The 33-year-old Bosnia-British centre has provided some much-needed experience in the heart of Murray’s side with the second-highest average rebounds of 7.3 behind the ever-impressive Josh Bailey.

If Gladiators can get the GB international into his stride, he could be the difference that secures them a place in the semi-finals.

The standings are clear evidence of how tight an affair this could be.

Both sides finished the regular season level on points with 19 wins and 17 losses, the Scottish side pipping them to fourth on points difference.

Should all the top seeds win this weekend, Gladiators would face the daunting prospect of a semi-final matchup with table toppers London Lions.

After two consecutive playoff final defeats the team from the capital are certain favourites to win the championship, having lost just four games in the regular season.

However, they will only get to worry about that game if they can get through this round.

The Glasgow side looks to bounce back after finishing the regular season with two-straight disappointing defeats against Newcastle Eagles and London Lions respectively.

Despite the poor finish forward Fraser Malcolm is raring to go in the playoffs.

He said: “We’re looking forward to it. We secured that fourth spot which we spoke about all season as being one of our goals.

“It’s been a couple of very tough games to finish the season, especially against London on Sunday, but our focus now shifts directly onto the playoffs.

“There’s a lot to play for, eight teams all going for the playoff Final.”

Preparation will be key in what is sure to be a hard-fought tie for Caledonia.

Malcolm added: “It’s a very exciting weekend for us. It’s going to require a lot of focus.

“Cheshire are a very good team with a lot of good players.

“They’re a team that we’ve played a lot of times this season in the league and the trophy final, so we know we need to prepare well.

“We know that they are going to give us their best shot.”

It is a ridiculously quick turnaround for the teams with just 18 hours separating the two legs.

Gladiators left Glasgow at noon today and are likely to return in the early hours of tomorrow morning.

They will hope for a quick recovery overnight and that not having to travel tomorrow could give them a slight edge in that all-important second matchup.

A positive result tonight could prove vital in hampering pressure on Phoenix in front of the passionate Glasgow crowd.

Before the home game tomorrow, Caledonia’s Women’s BBL side also begins their playoff campaign with a one-off game against Cardiff Met Archers at 12pm.

Head coach Miguel Ángel Ortega Marco hopes to take Gladiators to their first WBBL Playoff Final in his opening season in charge.

The Glasgow side go into this game as firm favourites, finishing second in the standings in the regular season.

They have already beaten their Welsh opponents in both home and away fixtures so will be full of confidence for tomorrow’s encounter.

Player/assistant coach Chantelle Handy said: “We know they’re tricky. We know they’re a team not to play down.

“We’ll be expecting big things from them, we just need to be ready to play our game.”

Tomorrow could be another memorable day in Glasgow’s east end.