Cheshire Jets 83, Newcastle Eagles 97

Mar 17 2008 The Journal

THE Newcastle Eagles continued their relentless pursuit of the BBL League Championship with a powerhouse display in Cheshire last.

This was the Eagles’ 10th league win in a row and brings Fab Flournoy’s men one step closer to glory. It was a win built on a solid defensive platform and a fine offensive performance particularly from Aussie Steve Leven and the always consistent Lynard Stewart. What was particularly impressive was the Eagles remained focused throughout the full 40 minutes and never dropped their level of intensity at all.

As the game unfolded it was Newcastle who made the first surge. An 11-2 run from a score of 12-12 gave the Eagles the lead they never relinquished, although Jets did close to within five by the end of the quarter.

A fine 12-4 start to the second period saw Flournoy’s men ahead by 13 before Cheshire hit back. A 12-1 reply saw the home side cut the gap to only two and Flournoy called a time-out. The break did the trick. The Eagles ended the half with an 11-4 run to take a 47-38 lead into the locker room and Leven was the inspiration with a huge 15 points in that second 10-minute period.

The second half saw Newcastle keep Cheshire at bay and stretch their lead to 15 points at one stage. Jets kept battling and once again got back to within five but Stewart’s two on the buzzer gave Newcastle a seven-point lead with 10 minutes to play.

Jets scored first in the final period but then Newcastle upped a gear and moved into overdrive and a 17-0 run killed the game off at 84-62.

From that point it was about consolidation and closing the game out, which Newcastle did. Their final two points came from a flying emphatic one-handed dunk by Stewart that had the large travelling support on their feet celebrating another great road win. The Eagles go into the Easter weekend in pole position and Friday sees a huge game at the Metro Radio Arena with second-top Plymouth Raiders in town.

TOP SCORERS – Newcastle Eagles: Steve Leven 29, Lynard Stewart 25, Jeremy Hyatt 15.