First place still up for grabs with 14 games to go in the SBL 23/24 season
253With 14 games left of the 23/24 season it’s tight at the top of the table with 3 teams fighting for the top spot.
On Monday (26/02/24) Bridgwater Blackhawks, who have held the top spot in the league since before Christmas, lost for the first time in the SBL this season to Huish Tigers in a nail-biting finish which came down to the last shot 77 – 78. The win for Tigers was revenge for their home loss to Blackhawks earlier in the season. Both teams now share a 7 win and 1 loss record.
| Team | Played | Wins | Losses | % | For | Against | Difference | Points | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Bridgwater BucsBucs | 9 | 7 | 2 | 78 | 719 | 613 | 106 | 23 |
| 2 | Bridgwater BlackhawksBlackhawks | 8 | 7 | 1 | 88 | 575 | 391 | 184 | 22 |
| 3 | Huish TigersTigers | 8 | 7 | 1 | 88 | 623 | 528 | 95 | 22 |
| 4 | Taunton DragonsDragons | 8 | 2 | 6 | 25 | 547 | 605 | -58 | 12 |
| 5 | Taunton TornadosTornados | 9 | 2 | 7 | 23 | 473 | 584 | -111 | 11 |
| 6 | Bridgwater Bucs 2Bucs 2 | 6 | 2 | 4 | 34 | 385 | 450 | -65 | 10 |
| 7 | Chard FlightFlight | 8 | 1 | 7 | 13 | 423 | 574 | -151 | 10 |
The following day (27/02/24) Bridgwater Bucs replaced Blackhawks at the top of the table after a victory over club rivals Bridgwater Bucs 2, 94 – 55. Bucs (7 wins 2 losses) will need to win all their remaining games, including an away fixture at Blackhawks and a home game against Tigers, to remain top.
Tigers must also win all their remaining games as well as needing one Blackhawks loss for them to finish top. One potential scenario for that would be a Bucs win over Blackhawks as the earlier match between these two teams was closely contested with Blackhawks winning by 2 points.
If Blackhawks were to come out on top against Bucs then Tigers would need an upset from either Bridgwater Bucs 2 or Chard Flight for any chance at first place. So, with games between all the top 3 teams still to be played and multiple possible outcomes, the stage is set for an exciting finish at the top of the table.
Teams in the second half of the table also have potential to move up. 4th place Taunton Dragons, 2 wins/6 losses and 5th place Taunton Tornados 2 wins/7 losses, have a pivotal match to play against each other with the result likely determining who ends up ahead in the table.
Bucs 2 (2 wins/4 losses) have scope to improve their standing with 6 games remaining but also face stiff competition with fixtures against Blackhawks and Tigers still to play. Chard Flight are currently bottom of the table but are in position to move up with some luck in other results around the league and a victory against Bucs 2 in their home fixture still to play.
At the time of writing there are 7 games needing to be rescheduled due to earlier postponements. This will happen in the coming weeks at which point we will have a final schedule for the end of the season.