Newcastle Eagles 66, MK Lions 69

Jan 14 2008 by Dan Warburton, The Journal

FABULOUS Flournoy’s high-flying roster were unable to clinch their first piece of silverware this year as they were sunk by the Milton Keynes Lions in a thrilling BBL Cup final clash in Birmingham last night.

League leaders and winners of seven trophies in the past four years, the Eagles just missed out on adding to the outstanding trophy haul inside the city’s National Indoor Arena.

And by the falling at the final hurdle against a team who have never won the competition, the Tynesiders destroyed any aspirations of a repeat of 2006’s historic clean sweep campaign.

Having taken an early lead in the game, Flournoy’s men lost control of the contest and handed the tie to the Lions. Last year’s trophy final MVP Olu Babalola gave the Eagles an early impetus as they stormed into an 11-0 tear in the opening stages.

New signing Bryan Defares was given his first taste of BBL Cup action when he entered the fray with little over four minutes gone of a frantic first period. And combined with baskets from skipper Andrew Bridge, the North-East franchise blazed to a 13-7 lead.

But a Peter Heizer two on the buzzer trimmed the Eagles’ advantage to just four points at the end of the first 10 minutes. The Lions looked as though their cup trail could be derailed when Vince Macauley reacted angrily after the umpire called a foul on Yorick Williams.

But his frustration only resulted in a technical foul that sent Charles Smith to the line to bag an easy two points.

Back-to-back threes from the Milton Keynes ageing roster gave them a lifeline as Flournoy’s men lost their momentum.

Inconsistencies from the line cost the Eagles the lead as they failed to deliver seven foul shots in the second period. And a 17-point swing gave the Lions a comfortable lead going into the break, though Bridge’s two points from the line kept the pressure on.

At the end of the first half Newcastle had shot just 8/16 from the free-throw line and failed to record one three-point shot.

But while the Eagles stuttered from outside the arc Macauley’s team policy of shooting on sight made the Lions almost impossible to catch.

Kevin Griffin bagged four threes in the third period equalled by former Newcastle veteran Tony “Hurricane” Windless who also secured 12 points from outside the paint.

It was only Smith’s points haul that kept the Tynesiders within touching distance of their southern rivals.

The 6ft 6in American scored nine points in the final period on route to an Eagles-high tally of 21 points to spearhead the Newcastle fightback and trim the lead with 15 minutes left on the clock.

And skipper Bridge got in on the action with points from the free-throw line to close the gap to just 10 points going into the final period.

The Eagles offensive came exclusively from Smith and Bridge as the side attempted to stage a great escape in the last 10 minutes. But Mike New scored from the line to put the game beyond the desperate North-East franchise.

With just five seconds on the clock Newcastle launched one last attack to claw back a three-point deficit.

However Lynard Stewart could not find the basket from outside the arc after he collected the ball from a pass played from deep inside his own half.

And as the buzzer sounded Newcastle had to be content with a runners-up medal.

Newcastle Eagles: Smith 21, Bridge 18, Stewart 12.

MK Lions: Griffin 24, Windless 22, Williams 9.