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NEWCASTLE EAGLES ARE CHAMPIONS...AGAIN |
FINAL BBL LEAGUE TABLE
18th APRIL 2010
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NEWCASTLE EAGLES |
36 |
31 |
5 |
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SHEFFIELD SHARKS |
36 |
30 |
6 |
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GLASGOW ROCKS |
36 |
23 |
13 |
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CHESHIRE JETS |
36 |
22 |
14 |
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EVERTON TIGERS |
36 |
21 |
15 |
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LEICESTER RIDERS |
36 |
21 |
15 |
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MILTON KEYNES LIONS |
36 |
18 |
18 |
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WORTHING THUNDER |
36 |
18 |
18 |
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WORCESTER WOLVES |
36 |
18 |
18 |
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PLYMOUTH RAIDERS |
36 |
11 |
25 |
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GUILDFORD HEAT |
36 |
11 |
25 |
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ESSEX PIRATES |
36 |
7 |
29 |
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LONDON CAPITAL |
36 |
3 |
33 |
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SEE THE BBL PLAY-OFF STRUCTURE HERE
SEE THE LEAGUE TITLE ALL TIME WINNERS HERE
Newcastle Eagles have won their fourth league title in five years, thanks to the Sheffield Sharks going down 97-95 to Worthing Thunder, who themselves have secured eighth spot in the BBL Championship, and a match-up with the Eagles in the Play-off Quarter Finals. This was thanks to a 97-95 win over second-placed Sheffield Sharks, as Reggie Bratton's 26 points paced them to victory.
Whilst the Thunder, who are the only team to beat the Eagles in 2010, beat Airwaves Plymouth Raiders on Sunday in Raiders coach Gary Stronach's last game in the post, the Eagles had victories this weekend against Marshall MK Lions on Friday (121-84), and Glasgow Rocks (78-91).
The Rocks will no doubt be looking to put this weekend behind them ahead of the Play-offs, as they not only lost out to the Eagles, but were also beaten by Everton Tigers 97-78 on Friday night. The Tigers then completed a satisfying weekend, as they beat Essex Pirates 86-108 on Saturday evening. For the young Pirates, the Everton defeat was followed by a 99-62 loss to Cheshire Jets. The Jets now sit in fourth spot, and Head Coach Paul Smith will be a happy man after not only defeating the Pirates and gaining revenge for a defeat against them earlier in the season, but also for his side's convincing 57-85 win over PAWS London Capital, who also went down 116-63 to Sheffield Sharks on Friday evening.
Although they won both of their games at the weekend, Worcester Wolves have now officially lost the battle with the Thunder for that final Play-off place. Wolves heaped misery on the Raiders, as they proceeded the Thunder's defeat of the Devon-based outfit by beating them 100-84 on Saturday night. With the Raiders also losing on Sunday to the Thunder, the Wolves sneaking past Guildford Heat with a 96-98 win, and the Heat missing out 86-79 to Jelson Homes DMU Leicester Riders on Saturday evening, Plymouth and Guildford have finished the regular season on the same record, with Plymouth finishing in tenth and Guildford in eleventh as the Raiders hold the head-to-head.
The weekend's results mean that the BBL Quarter Finals are confirmed, beginning on Friday as Newcastle Eagles welcome Worthing Thunder, as Dave Titmuss' side look to get their third victory over the Tyneside outfit this season, and Sheffield Sharks host Marshall MK Lions. The excitement continues on Sunday, as Glasgow Rocks take on Jelson Homes DMU Leicester Riders, and Cheshire Jets entertain Everton Tigers as the Merseyside derby resumes.
NOW FOR THE PLAY-OFFS |
NEWCASTLE EAGLES |
V |
WORTHING THUNDER |
SHEFFIELD SHARKS |
V |
MILTON KEYNES LIONS |
GLASGOW ROCKS |
V |
LEICESTER RIDERS |
CHESHIRE JETS |
V |
EVERTON TIGERS |
SHARKS LOSE ON THE ROAD TO WORTHING |
NEWCASTLE EAGLES ARE CHAMPIONS AGAIN
Newcastle Eagles have retained the BBL title after nearest challengers Sheffield Sharks lost a thrilling match at Worthing Thunder on Saturday night.
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Sharks, needing to beat Thunder to force an Eagles victory tomorrow over Glasgow Rocks, fought back from a 20 point deficit but finally went down 97-95 to an Evaldas Zabas bucket with four seconds remaining.
After a Sheffield time-out leading scorer Mike Cook saw his three-point shot bounce of the rim and into the hands of Worthing's Kadiri Richard.
Eagles, who strengthened their squad in the new year by bringing back Great Britain captain Andrew Sullivan, have put together a superb run of results since losing, ironically, at Worthing on January 16.
Their 16 match winning streak in the league included a convincing 99-79 victory over Sheffield in early March which gave Fab Flournoy's team the head-to-head series over the Yorkshire club.
It looked likely that that result would prove crucial as the campaign entered its final weekend. But Thunder's intervention means the Eagles can celebrate their fourth league title in five seasons.
Worcester Wolves kept their play-off hopes in their own hands with a convincing 100-84 home victory over Airwaves Plymouth Raiders in their final home match of the season.
Everton Tigers set up an all north-west play-off quarter final with Cheshire Jets after pulling away from Essex Pirates in Southend 86-108.
Cheshire Jets confirmed the Tigers match with a 57-85 win at London Capital. And Jelson Homes DMU Leicester Riders will have to settle for sixth place in the BBL despite an 86-79 home win over Guildford Heat in a match that was delayed by an hour due to traffic problems.
TOP TWO WIN AGAIN - SHARKS TAKE IT TO FINAL WEEKEND |
As the BBL Championship heads into the final weekend of the regular season, it is still all to play for in the race for a top four finish, the League title and the final play-off places. As well as the Sheffield Sharks, Newcastle Eagles and Everton Tigers all picked up important victories on Friday night to keep their hopes of success at the end of the season alive.
The Newcastle Eagles are still in the driving seat for the League title as they overcame the Marshall MK Lions 121-84 at the Metro Radio Arena on Friday night. This result meant that the Eagles only have to win on Sunday on the road to the Glasgow Rocks to secure their fourth League title in the club's history.
With the scores at 13-13 midway through the first quarter, the Eagles went on a 12-2 run to take the score out to 25-15 and they did not trail again for the remainder of the game enjoying their biggest lead at 108-66 off the back of a 14-2 start to the final period.
The Sharks kept alive their slim chances of stealing the League title away from the Eagles with a slightly more comfortable 116-63 victory over the PAWS London Capital at the EIS, Sheffield on Friday night.
In order for the Sharks to win the title, they have to beat the Worthing Thunder tomorrow night and hope that the Eagles slip up against the Rocks on Sunday as it is the Eagles who hold the head-to-head between the two sides at the top of the table.
The Sharks never trailed in their game against the Capital and an early 16-3 burst in the first period took the score out to 29-9 and set the tone for the remainder of the game. A 23-3 burst to close out the third quarter gave the Sharks their biggest lead of the game at 94-41 and send them into Saturday's game against Worthing with some confidence.
In the final game on Friday night, the Everton Tigers kept alive their hopes of snatching fourth position away from the Cheshire Jets thanks to a 97-78 victory over third-placed Glasgow Rocks at the Greenbank Academy. This result moved them into joint fifth position with the Jelson Homes DMU Leicester Riders, but the Tigers still need to beat the Essex Pirates in Southend tomorrow night and hope that the Jets slip up in both of their remaining games to give them a chance to taking fourth place away from Cheshire.
Both sides enjoyed success in the first half at the offensive end and the teams could not be separated at the half as the game was tied at 49-49 heading into the locker rooms. In the second half it was the Tigers who came out the stronger side as a 17-5 burst broke the game open to give the home side a 72-60 lead over the Rocks towards the end of the third period. The Rocks closed to within ten points midway through the final quarter, but that was as close as they would get as the Tigers ended their resilience with a 15-2 tear to lead 97-74 as the game was nearing its conclusion to give the home side the all-important victory.
NEWCASTLE DEFEAT CHESHIRE, NOW JUST TWO WINS AWAY |
DATELINE 12th APRIL 2010
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NEWCASTLE EAGLES |
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SHEFFIELD SHARKS |
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3 |
GLASGOW ROCKS |
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Newcastle Eagles remain favourites to retain the BBL title after another scintillating shooting night from Joe Chapman.
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The American scored all of his points from three-point range, shooting 8 of 13 to lead the Eagles offence with 24 points as Newcastle saw off a depleted Cheshire Jets 85-93
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Glasgow Rocks have clinched third position in the league table with a 101-92 win over Jelson Homes DMU Leicester Riders north of the border.
Sterling Davis's team are the third seed for the post-season play-offs after 23 points from Rob Yanders and 20 from Mike Copeland were enough for Glasgow to hold off Riders.
Worcester Wolves kept up the pressure for a play-off berth with a convincing 88-102 win at Guildford Heat.
Backcourt duo Rod Middleton and Kastytis Normantas were both in excellent touch scoring 32 and 22 points respectively to pace a potent Wolves offence at coach Paul James's former club.
Airwaves Plymouth Raiders proved too strong for PAWS London Capital with an excellent offensive effort seeing them through to a 115-76 home win.
The Raiders had six players in double-figures and shot nearly 60 percent from the field while connecting on half of their 16 attempts from beyond the arc.
THE NEXT LIVE BBL ACTION
HOME TEAM ALWAYS FIRST |
TUESDAY 13th APRIL 2010 |
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LONDON CAPITAL V MILTON KEYNES LIONS |
19:00 |
FRIDAY 16th APRIL 2010 |
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EVERTON TIGERS V GLASGOW ROCKS |
19:30 |
NEWCASTLE EAGLES V MK LIONS |
19:30 |
SHEFFIELD SHARKS V LONDON CAPITAL |
19:30 |
SHARKS WIN AGAIN AND STAY TOP BUT STILL ADVANTAGE EAGLES |
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The Sheffield Sharks recovered from a sizeable deficit to beat the Airwaves Plymouth Raiders 76-84, with a fourth quarter revival in the South-West sending them back to the top of the BBL Championship.
The Sharks have won seven games in a row, and did so despite missing their formidable backcourt pairing of Ryan Patton and Mike Cook. In their absence, Mike Tuck led the scoring with 25 points and point guard Perry Lawson scored 22. Anthony Rowe led the Raiders with a double-double of 19 points and 13 rebounds.
The Raiders started well and led for the majority of the game, taking a 19-6 lead as Rowe scored 8 and Anthony Martin added 6 points, while they held their visitors scoreless for over two minutes in the first quarter. Rowe added two more points with five seconds remaining in the first period to make it 24-11.
The Sharks narrowed the gap to 28-20 with a 9-2 run early in the second, including 5 for Tuck. And, after chipping away at their host's lead, they tied the game at 34 approaching half time as they held the Raiders scorless for three minutes in an 8-0 run in which Perry Lawson hit two three-pointers. But the Raiders would still have the edge at the half as Hilleary scored on the buzzer.
But the teams were soon tied again early in the third as Lawson's score made it 40-40, and the Sharks took their first lead of the game shortly afterwards on a pair of Tafari Toney free-throws. The Raiders responded well, with a 9-1 burst, capped by Allister Gall's three-pointer, to regain the lead as there were four lead changes in the last couple of minutes of the third. Sharks took the lead back at 53-56 on Adrian Anderson's old-fashioned three-point play, before Rowe scored 4 points in a row to see the Raiders leading 57-56 going into the decisive last ten minutes.
But the Sharks showed their Championship credentials as they toughed it out down the stretch. They held their hosts scoreless for three and a half minutes as Tuck scored 4 in a 9-0 burst to give them a 62-67 lead that they wouldn't relinquish. The lead reached 64-72 on Tuck's three-point play and peaked at 72-82 within the final minute as Atiba Lyons made 2/2 from the free-throw line.
TOP TWO WIN - SHARKS STAY TOP - STILL ADVANTAGE EAGLES |
The Easter weekend's action came to a close on Monday and it is as you were at the top of the BBL Championship as both the Sheffield Sharks and Newcastle Eagles picked up victories over the Essex Pirates and Everton Tigers respectively, while at the other end, the Airwaves Plymouth Raiders came from behind to beat the Marshall MK Lions.
The Sharks enjoyed a comfortable afternoon as they secured a 95-66 victory over the Pirates at the EIS, Sheffield. The teams traded baskets in the early going, but after the home side took an early 20-12 lead they never looked back as they went from strength-to-strength as the game progressed.
A 19-3 burst at the end of the third period took the score out to 71-53 and then a further 15-0 tear in the final quarter to take the score out to 92-63 and help maintain the Sharks two-point lead at the top of the BBL Championship.
The Eagles had to work a little harder for their victory as they eventually overcame the Tigers 77-91 at the Greenbank Academy. The opening period saw the Eagles leading 17-24 at the end of the first quarter and then a 10-1 burst from the home side tied the game up at 32-32.
Seven points from Eagles' player/coach Fab Flournoy helped the visitors into a 36-39 half-time lead. The second half saw the Eagles maintain their lead throughout and a 12-2 burst from the visitors took the score out to their biggest lead of the game at 61-81 and they held on for the eventual victory.
At the other end of the table, the Raiders picked up an impressive 107-111 victory over the Lions at Stoke Maudeville.
The Lions led in the early going, but a 14-4 tear from the visitors in the second quarter took the score out to 38-48 midway through the second period. The second half saw both sides trade the lead on a number of different occasions, but another 14-4 Raiders burst, this time across the final quarter break, took the score out to their biggest lead of the game at 76-88. The Lions slowly clawed their way back into the game and got themselves to within two points at 103-105 with 54 seconds remaining, but the Raiders held on in the closing stages and secured the victory from the foul-line.
O'RILEY LIGHTS IT UP FOR THE JETS WITH 28 TO STOP RIDERS |
Glasgow Rocks needed a strong fourth quarter to finally see off London Capital on the road and strengthen their grip on third place with an 81-106 victory.
Jessie Sapp led all scorers with 26 points for Rocks, but it was two threes by Rob Yanders midway through the final stanza that broke Capital's resistance. Yanders ended the night with 24 points while London's Tomas Janusauskas again led his team with 25 points.
Cheshire Jets put themselves firmly in contention for a third or fourth place finish in the BBL with a 91-82 home win over Jelson Homes DMU Leicester Riders.
The victory moves Jets within two points of Leicester and the Chester-based club also now has the season series advantage on the East Midlands club. Riders have three matches to play and Jets five.
Worcester Wolves remain in the play-off picture after a strong final quarter saw them beat Essex Pirates 95-86.
A 16-2 burst early in the fourth period turned a two point deficit into a 12 point lead from which Essex rarely got back within single digits.
Harry Disy, who led all scorers with 29 points, had four in the run and Rod Middleton seven as Worcester's offence blew away a hard-working Pirates team.
Worthing Thunder maintained their grip on the final play-off position with a hard-fought 104-101 home win over Airwaves Plymouth Raiders.
Evaldas Zabas and Sherrad Prezzie-Blue both made crucial free throws down the stretch as Thunder managed to hold off Raiders in a match where the biggest lead for either team was just six points.
NOW IT'S ADVANTAGE SHARKS AS SHEFFIELD DEFEAT TIGERS |
Sheffield Sharks 101 (25,42,72) (Cook 29, Lyons 16, Gorman 15) |
| Everton Tigers 95 (23,43,59) (Babalola 23, Gumbs 23, Moore 20) |
The Sheffield Sharks will spend the Easter weekend alone at the top of the BBL Championship table after beating the Everton Tigers 101-95; the win, which came courtesy of a strong second half performance, puts them just ahead of the Newcastle Eagles. Both teams play again on Bank Holiday Monday.
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Mike Cook led all scorers with 29 points, 8 rebounds and 5 assists; Atiba Lyons scored 16 points and Matt Gorman made 15 for the Sharks. The Tigers were led by 23 points each from Olu Babalola and Jerome Gumbs.
The teams could barely be separated early on, despite the Sharks taking a 12-6 lead after triples from Cook and Perry Lawson; but James Jones and Gumbs responded in kind to see the teams tied at 14 soon afterwards. They would go on to be knotted at 16, 19 and 21 until consecutive scores from Cook helped the Sharks to edge the first period by 25-23.
But Jones tied the teams once more, at 26, with a three-pointer early in the second stanza. Todd Cauthorn replied to spark a 6-0 run and not long after the Sharks had the biggest first half lead at 35-28. The teams would then trade runs up to half time as Gumbs scored 6 points in a row to bring Everton back, before a 7-2 run from the Sharks and, finally, a 7-0 finish to the period that gave the Tigers the lead at 42-43.
The hosts turned the screw in the third quarter, despite the fact that the Tigers still led 53-54 with four minutes left. But they would score just three points in the last three minutes as a triple from Lyons and two from Lawson ignited a 16-3 finish to the quarter and sent the Sharks into the decisive period with a 72-59 lead.
In a high-scoring fourth, the Sharks kept their visitors at arm's length and saw the game out by scoring 14 free-throws. The Tigers got as close as 91-85 with two minutes left after a 9-2 push, which included 6 for Babalola, but Cook kept his nerve at the charity stripe and Everton would get no closer.
EBL DIVISION 1 MEN
03 04 2010 |
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JEFF JONES |
MATT NEWBY |
TONIGHT IS THE NIGHT
READ ALL ABOUT IT HERE
SHARKS WIN AT CAPITAL AND GO BACK JOINT TOP OF BBL |
BBL Championship
PAWS London Capital 67 (16,33,48) (Janusauskas 19, Jordan 18, Offiah 15)
Sheffield Sharks 88 (21,38,56) (Cook 26, Lawson 19, Tuck 15)
The Sheffield Sharks beat the PAWS London Capital by 67-88 on the road in the crucial game-in-hand that they held over the Newcastle Eagles, drawing level with their title rivals at the top of the BBL Championship table.
Mike Cook led their scoring once more with 26 points, while Perry Lawson added 19 and Mike Tuck scored 15. The Capital were led by Janusauskas's 19 points.
The game was closer throughout than the title-chasing Sharks might have anticipated, against the side who remain rooted to the foot of the table.
The early exchanges were tight, although the Sharks managed to edge the first period by 16-21, maintaining that margin at 33-38 going into the half time break.
But it wasn't until the fourth quarter that they really managed to break free of their hosts. They outscored the Londoners by 32-19 down the stretch to seal the all-important win.
The Sharks now head into Friday night's clash with the Everton Tiger knowing that they can hold top spot over the weekend with a win, as the Eagles don't play until Monday.
Elsewhere, the Marshall MK Lions overcame the Guildford Heat by 86-77 to score just their second win in eleven league games. It sees the Lions bounce back from last night's overtime loss at the hands of the Cheshire Jets, and strengthens their grip on a playoff place, damaging the Heat's pursuit of the playoffs in the process.
Yorick Williams continued his recent scoring form with a 30-point haul for the hosts, while former Heat guard EJ Harrison had 20 points. The visitors were led by 24 points in vain from Julius Joseph, as they crashed to their fourth defeat in a row and eighth in their last nine league games.
The Lions held a single-figure lead for most of the game, flirting with double-digits in the second and third periods. It was long-range shooting from Williams and Dru Spinks that won the game for the Lions as they hit two three-pointers each in the fourth quarter to take a commanding 81-69 lead late in the game.
SHARKS DEFEAT MK LIONS IN ANOTHER STUNNING ENCOUNTER |
| Sheffield Sharks 105 (21,48,79) (Cook 29, Patton 22, Gorman 16) |
| Marshall MK Lions 98 (19,38,59) (Williams 25, Harrison 24, Youngblood 24) |
The Sheffield Sharks beat the Marshall MK Lions 105-98 to keep up the pressure on the Newcastle Eagles at the summit of the BBL Championship table.
Mike Cook led the Sharks once more with 29 points and 11 assists, ably supported by 22 from Ryan Patton. Yorick Williams led the Lions with 25 points.
The second-placed Sharks started with a 6-0 burst, and the teams traded baskets in the first period until a late 9-1 run from the Lions, capped by a Williams three-pointer, made the score 16-19. But the tables were turned once more by Patton as he scored 5 points in the last 12 seconds of the period, including a triple on the buzzer, to see the Sharks up 21-19.
Turnovers were costing the Lions early on, as the hosts scored 11 points off 5 turnovers in the first quarter.
In the second, the Sharks broke a tie at 32 with another 6-0 run, all scored by Cook. And, considering what had gone before, the second stanza finished in typical fashion as Patton hit another three-pointer, before a Lions' turnover led to a Cook basket that made it a double-digit lead at 48-38 at the break.
The Sharks maintained their lead through the early exchanges of the third until a 13-1 run, which included three triples - two for Tuck, one for Patton - to help the hosts into a 79-59 lead going into the decisive period. But the Lions narrowed the gap early in the fourth period and a Williams score made it 82-68, with the lead staying around there until the latter stages. A 12-2 run for the Lions within the last four minutes, capped by a Williams three-pointer, ensured a tight finish as the score became 94-89 with 1.37 left. But Cook halted the run before Patton was sent to the foul line twice, scoring all 4 free-throws, and he scored once more off a turnover to effectively settle the game at 103-94 with 28 seconds left.
SEE THE BBL 2010 RUN-IN HERE
EAGLES WIN AGAIN TO LEAD BY FOUR POINTS |
Newcastle Eagles took another step to retaining the BBL Championship with a 91-82 home win over third place Glasgow Rocks.
The victory for Newcastle ensures it will be a two horse race for the title with Sheffield Sharks. Fab Flournoy's team now lead Sheffield by four points having played two matches more and with five games remaining.
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Glasgow's feint hopes of catching the Eagles or Sharks are now over with the north-east club's latest triumph.
Joe Chapman continued his impressive form with 22 points. He was joined on that number with team-mate Andrew Sullivan and Rocks' Steve Parillon and Mike Copeland.
Rocks were in touch with the Eagles throughout the match but were badly let down with their three-point shooting. Coming into the game with only Newcastle ahead of them from beyond the arc Sterling Davis's team could only muster 3 of 19.
After Glasgow held the lead at 7-8 they were never in front again. A 7-1 run midway through the first quarter helped Eagles to a 23-19 advantage after ten minutes.
Gareth Murray tied the match at 31-31 with a dunk for Rocks but Eagles responded with a 14-3 burst. Glasgow scored the last five points of the half to trail 45-40.
Newcastle stretched out to 64-42 late in the third quarter thanks to five points from Chapman in an 8-0 tear.
Leading 68-61 after three quarters Eagles consistently held off the Rocks throughout the final stanza. Jessie Sapp cut the gap to 74-71 only for Newcastle to reply with a match-clinching 13-3 run.
EAGLES DEFEAT JETS TO RETAIN BBL TROPHY |
BBL Trophy final |
Newcastle Eagles 111 (24,64,89) (Smith 27, Chapman 21, Defoe 21) |
Cheshire Jets 95 (15,42,63) (Myers 28, O'Reilly 18, Gayle/Marks 14 |
Newcastle Eagles turned in a superb all round team performance to retain their BBL Trophy crown with a 111-95 victory over Cheshire Jets at the Guildford Spectrum.
Veteran Charles Smith, who won the game's Most Valuable Player award, and BBL rookie Joe Chapman proved too hot to handle from deep with 27 and 21 points respectively.
It is the fourth time in six years Eagles have won the Trophy and the defeat is Jets second in a cup competition final this season.
Jets, hoping to make a good start, certainly did that as Colin O'Reilly's three point play made it 7-0. The run seemed to spark Newcastle into life though as Lynard Stewart's bucket began a 14-0 burst.
Smith's three levelled it at 7-7 and Joe Chapman gave the Eagles their first lead of the match with a long range effort of his own. Newcastle's first quarter lead peaked at nine, first at 18-9, and then on another Chapman three to close the period 24-15.
Reggie Jackson made it a double-digit (27-15) lead for Eagles with his first points of the match at the start of the second quarter.
Shawn Myers dragged Jets back into the match with two three point scores. The first, an 'and one' began an 8-0 Cheshire run. And the second, an effort from beyond the arc, reduced the gap to just three at 29-26.
Eagles quickly recovered their dominance though and over the second half of the second quarter they broke the game open with a 35-16 run. It was a devastating passage of play by Fab Flournoy's team and left Jets staring at a 64-42 half time deficit.
Smith began the third quarter with a three to reinforce Eagles' superiority and despite Jets occasionally picking apart the Newcastle defence they couldn't stem the flow of points from their opponents.
MVP Smith made it a 28 point lead 88-60 from the free throw line as Newcastle took an 89-63 margin into the final stanza.
Newcastle's lead peaked at 100-69 on yet another Smith bucket early in the fourth quarter. Despite trying to recapture the magic of their epic comeback in vain against Sheffield Sharks in the BBL Cup, Jets could only get the final deficit below 20 thanks to a late 6-0 run.
Jets, missing the injured James Hamilton, did have Shawn Myers lead all scorers with 28 points but were no match for a powerful Eagles line up that is so deep no player was on court for longer than 28 minutes of action.
ALL TIME WINNERS BBL TROPHY
EBL DIVISION 1 MEN -
IT'S A WAR ZONE WITH 2 GAMES EACH STILL TO PLAY FOR TOP 4 TEAMS |
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LEEDS CARNEGIE CELEBRATE A FAMOUS VICTORY OVER MANCHESTER MAGIC BUT MUST GO THE
THE AMAECHI CENTRE FOR THEIR FINAL GAME OF THE REGULAR SEASON |
FOLLOW THE EBL DIV I MEN'S RUN-IN HERE
EAGLES AND SHARKS BOTH WIN - NO CHANGE AT THE TOP |
Friday was an important night at the summit of the BBL Championship table, as the top two - Newcastle Eagles and Sheffield Sharks - both recovered from first quarter deficits to score home wins. The fourth-placed Jelson Homes DMU Leicester Riders also overturned a deficit to win.
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The Eagles, who trailed 20-24 to the Worthing Thunder after ten minutes, outscored their opponents by an amazing 66-26 in the second half to win 113-70. Worthing were the last team to beat Newcastle two months, or sixteen games, ago and they are also the only side to have beaten Newcastle twice this season.
Joe Chapman led the Eagles with 26 points, including eight three-pointers, followed closely by Charles Smith's 25 including five triples. The Eagles scored 18 three-pointers, equating to 54 points.
Meanwhile, the Sheffield Sharks, who trailed 18-19 after the first period, used a dominant second quarter to see off the Worcester Wolves by 90-62. It started with an early 6-0 run as they took their first lead since the fourth minute of the game at 24-22. But the key spell came midway through when they held their visitors scoreless for almost five minutes, while scoring thirteen points of their own.
The Sharks were led by Ryan Patton's 28 points, while Matt Gorman scored 18 points and snatched 12 rebounds. Danny Gilbert led all scorers with 32 points, but indicative of their night was the fact that no other Wolves player scored in double figures; they were missing Rod Middleton and Harry Disy.
Finally, the Riders, who trailed 32-18 after the first quarter, won by 74-86 against the Airwaves Plymouth Raiders. The visitors opened the second stanza with hot hands as they put 12 points on the board within three minutes, including consecutive triples from Tony Windless, to make the score 39-30. The Riders remained within striking distance with the deficit in single figures as their big men, Johnson and Durant, shared 9 points in the closing minutes of the half, the latter scoring to make it 48-44.
The Riders continued the push in the third quarter and soon tied the game at 52, before taking their first lead at 54-60 after an 8-2 run and never looking back.
LaTaryl Williams led the way with 23 points and 7 rebounds, shooting 10/15, while Jason Johnson had 18 and Duane James added 17. Drew Lasker and Anthony Martin led the Raiders with 21 points each.
SHARKS WIN OVERTIME SPECTACULAR WITH TIGERS
TO KEEP UP PRESSURE ON EAGLES |
Sheffield Sharks moved themselves to within two points of the Newcastle Eagles at the top of the BBL Championship table, but needed an additional period to finally overcome the Everton Tigers by a score of 110-102 at the EIS, Sheffield on Monday evening.
The Sharks led 93-86 heading into the closing stages of the fourth quarter, but a Trey Moore three-pointer sparked a 7-0 run to close out the final period, including two clutch free-throws from Jerome Gumbs with 40 seconds remaining, and tie the game at 93-93 and send it into overtime. In the extra period, the Sharks took an early lead at 97-95, but the Tigers responded with six points from Olu Babalola to give them a 97-101 lead midway through the additional period.
The home side however sparked themselves into life and closed out the game with a 13-1 burst to take the final victory at 110-102. Earlier in the game, the first quarter saw both sides trading baskets throughout much of the opening period but it was the home side who ended the quarter ahead 27-24 after the first ten minutes of basketball.
The second period saw the home side start with a 13-5 run to take the score out to 40-29 midway through the second quarter, but nine points from Trey Moore helped the Tigers trim the deficit to just three points at 44-41 with less than a minute remaining in the half however a three-pointer from Mike Cook sent the Sharks into the locker rooms leading 47-41 at the half. The second half saw the Tigers trim the deficit to just three points midway through the third period at 57-54 before a Cook three-pointer sparked a 12-0 burst for the Sharks to take the score out to 69-54. The home side continued to apply the pressure as the third period closed and a further three-pointer from Mike Tuck extended their lead to 16 points at 76-60 heading into the final stanza.
In the final period the visitors got themselves right back into the game thanks to a 18-4 start to the period to trim the deficit back to two points at 80-78 midway through the final period. The home side were not to be outdone just yet as seven unanswered points from Tuck (5) and Cook (2) for the Sharks extended their lead out to 91-83 before the fireworks of the closing stages and overtime occured. Cook led all scorers in the game with an impressive 36-point haul for the Sharks, while Trey Moore led the scoring for the Tigers with 31 points personal.
MORE BASKETBALL NEWS HERE |
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