Basketball: Henlan takes Bullets to last four

Birmingham Bullets became the first team to qualify for the last four of the BBL Trophy with a 96-82 win over Milton Keynes Lions last night and will enjoy home advantage in the semi-finals at the Aston Events Centre venue on Saturday 8 February.

The Bullets' veteran former England centre Martin Henlan dominated the Lions with a 25-point, 10-rebound, display, backed by 22 points from Kyle Rolston and 19 from his fellow American, Michael Jackson.

In the BBL Championship, second-placed Sheffield Sharks defeated Newcastle Eagles 106-79, taking control after closing the third quarter with a 12-3 run for an 84-68 lead.

Thames Valley Tigers and the Brentwood-based Essex Leopards changed their rosters yesterday. Tigers, third in the championship, re-signed the New Yorker Tony Holley after a four-year break and he will make his debut against London Towers in a Trophy group game at Bracknell tomorrow. Holley, 35, a 6ft 6in power forward, holds a British passport after playing in the BBL for seven years. Once naturalised he used his EU status to gain lucrative contracts abroad, playing in Israel and Switzerland.

Leopards' coach, Mike Taylor, acted to redress the team's rebounding problems by replacing Trevor Diggs and Taron Treahan with the 6ft 6in power forward Marshall Sanders and the 6ft 5in perimeter player Randy Webster.