Brighton Bears have the physical strength to see off the British League champions.

That is the message from top scorer Sterling Davis ahead of the final league showdown of the season with Chester Jets.

Davis, whose near-perfect shooting helped Bears to the first two legs of a win treble last weekend, was back in training yesterday, 36 hours after helping his side see off Newcastle with impressive ease.

Chester are also in the title hunt and, like Brighton, have one trip left to Sheffield.

They also lead the head-to-head with Brighton 2-1 and by 20 points on aggregate, which makes victory imperative for Bears in front of what should be a big crowd at the Brighton Centre.

With a strong bench, Davis is convinced his team can keep the home fans happy.

He said: "The games are becoming more and more crucial as the season goes on but hopefully we will continue to play the game we have been playing.

"An up-tempo game suits us more, especially now we have got our players back from injury. It's a psychological thing for us, knowing we have all our team-mates back, with the exception of Emiko (Etete).

"It's a confidence boost to know we have so many different options on the floor. Chester are one of the best teams in the league but I feel if we play the way we are capable of we are a much better team than they are.

"We've got the size and strength to match them inside. They are a tall team but not so physically strong.

"If we play how we have been playing in the last couple of games I don't think we will have a problem. We are certainly not afraid of them at all."

Davis has found the Jets a tough proposition defensively, his 57 points in four league and cup meetings being well below his season's average.

Wilbur Johnson has claimed 70 points and 39 rebounds in those four meetings and Ralph Blalock averages 17 points in his three games.

Jets though, with their smaller squad, have the top marskmen in Bears versus Jets duels in Kenny Gregory (86) and John McCord (83).

Davis has enjoyed a flurry of 20-point games since the turn of the year and, in wins against Leopards and Birmingham last weekend, missed just one of his 15 two-point shots.

He said: "It was a busy weekend although it wasn't as bad as I thought it would be. You do gets bumps and bruises but it's not big a deal.

"We might be playing Friday and Saturday or Saturday and Sunday but Nick (Nurse) does a good job giving us days off to rest our bodies."

Another busy couple of days sees Bears go to Essex Leopards on Sunday.

The weekend programme also features an intriguing clash in Bracknell on Saturday as Sheffield visit Thames Valley Tigers.