Manchester Basketball fell to the Caledonia Gladiators 83-84 in a Super League Basketball Championship matchup fought to the wire.

Jordan Johnson exploded off the bench to score 24 points, leading the host’s efforts. He went 10-18 from the field and dished 5 assists, as he continues the red-hot form that has made him one of the league’s best spark plugs in 2026.

But Manchester, off the back of a hard-fought game in the clutch against their local rivals, the Cheshire Phoenix, fell just short in this game. They fought seven with five minutes remaining, but simply ran out of clock.

Johnson, Kaiyem Cleary, and Pjay Smith all made huge plays to chip into Manchester’s deficit in the final minute of action. Cleary’s three foul shots cut it to a two-point game with 50 seconds remaining.

And with 12 seconds on the clock, Manchester had the ball down three with a chance to send it to overtime. Smith was fouled on what appeared to be a three-point attempt, but his foot was deemed to be on the line, allowing him to shoot only two free throws. That effectively ended the game.

Ultimately, it was Manchester’s three-point shooting that cost them the victory. They went 6-27 from deep, unable to find their range from beyond the arc.

They showed major heart to fight to the wire, and Manchester’s bench stepped up in a major way to contribute 40 points, but the hosts didn’t have enough in the tank to take another intensely fought affair.

They fall to 10-9 in the league, and now have a week to prepare for a crucial Cup Semi-Final matchup next weekend.

Manchester are back in action on Friday, taking on the Surrey 89ers on the road in the first leg of the SLB Cup Semi-Finals. The game will be played at 7:30 pm on Friday, February 13.

They then return home on Sunday for the second leg in Manchester, as the teams face off on February 15 at 3 pm at the National Basketball Performance Centre. The winner of the two legs will advance to the Final in Manchester.

You can get your tickets for the second leg here!