Marks helps Jets bounce back from cup disappointment

 CHEZ Marks' scoring touch helped Cheshire Jets bounce back from their disappointing cup final defeat to defeat Everton Tigers and join the Merseysiders in fifth place.

Marks racked duo 24 points while Colin O'Reilly hit 22.  Flo Larkai and Trey Moore notched 19 for Everton and the Jets secured a 98-87 victory to move to ten wins for the season,

It was the Tigers who led after the first quarter and while an O'Reilly double for the Jets gave his side a 9-4 lead, Everton roared back and found themselves 33-23 to the good.

Andy Thompson was in fine form for the Tigers and his three-pointer extended his side's lead to 42-25 and it got even better when Ola Babalola and Larkai combined to hand Everton a 20-point lead at half-time.

But the Jets came storming back after the break and halved the deficit in double-quick time before embarking on a 9-0 run, capped by O'Reilly's triple.

But Moore, who once plied his trade for the Jets, halted their run as the Tigers clung on to a 73-67 lead going into the final quarter.

Marks proved too strong for the Tigers in the fourth period, hitting 15 points while another O'Reilly triple edged his side ahead 76-75.

Heading into the final minute of the match, the Tigers were 90-87 but Marks took over as he notched six in an eight-point streak, good enough to give the Jets victory.

Meanwhile, Sheffield Sharks consolidated their lead at the top of the BBL Championship with a comfortable 24-point victory as the newly-crowned cup champions notched 101 points, 28 of which were scored by Mike Cook.

And Newcastle Eagles kept the pressure up on the Sharks as they strolled past Worcester Wolves 92-71, Joe Chapman on red-hot form with 31 points.