Honours to Newcastle Eagles in first leg win
Nov 20 2010 The Journal
IT’S advantage Eagles after a pulsating first leg of cup action resulted in a nine-point win for Newcastle and gave them that margin to take to Liverpool next Wednesday night, writes JEFF KING.
The main reason that Fab Flournoy’s men have that lead is down to a magnificent second half fight back and a masterful performance from Trey Moore who hit 34 points in the victory.
Moore was helped out once again by a great effort from Joe Chapman and Charles Smith as the Eagles answer to the Miami big three came up trumps not for the first time this season.
However, what got Newcastle home in the elongated first half of a two legged affair was their sheer will to win and great team work all round.
Eagles had to go in to the game once again without their defensive lynchpin Flournoy as a player. But anyone watching him from the sidelines would have struggled to realise his injury as he lived and breathed every play urging his men on time and time again and finally finding the right combination to force the result home. Not that Mersey Tigers didn’t play their part in a basketball game that they controlled for long periods.
And despite Moore’s superb effort it was actually ex-Eagle Andrew Sullivan that led his side and the game in scoring adding in 12 rebounds for good measure.
In the early going Newcastle struggled to close down Mersey’s shooters which opened up the inside lanes to enable Sullivan to get his game going. Eagles had battled back after being down 10 - 2 early but when GB guard Nate Reinking nailed a triple on the buzzer to give Tigers a 24– 18 advantage.
In the second both sides seemed to be scoring at will with neither defence able to cope with the others offence. Moore and Sullivan continued to be the focal points but Chapman was also in the groove and came up big for the Eagles.
Tigers seemed to have better support but by the end of the second period the sides had split the ten minutes 29 points all giving Tigers a 53-47 lead at the half.
The second half opened with Mersey seeming to still be in the driving seat and the actually edged the period 26 - 23 to take a 9-point lead in to the final stanza.
Sullivan had taken his personal tally to 33 at this stage but more worrying for both sides was foul trouble on the horizon. And then the Eagles claws came out and ripped the Tigers to shreds. Superb lockdown defence and pressure at both ends of the court saw Tigers crumble in the wake of a huge Newcastle effort.
Darius Defoe who had been quiet to that point suddenly seemed to be grabbing every rebound going and Sullivan was taken out of the game.
With Andy Thomson and ex-Eagle Tafari Toney fouling out of the game Newcastle turned the screw and Moore and Chapman gradually hauled Newcastle level and them with Smith’s help they punished the Tigers further taking a lead at the crucial time. Newcastle’s defence restricted Tigers to 11 points in the period whilst their offence poured in 27 to turn a 9-point deficit in to a thoroughly deserved seven point win.
However, as already stated this is one the first leg and Newcastle have won nothing yet. There’s no doubting that winning breeds confidence and Flournoy would rather have that win and the lead than not.
But, seven points in basketball is nothing and it’s nicely poised for next Wednesday night at Liverpool.
NEWCASTLE: Trey Moore 34, Joe Chapman 24, Charles Smith 20 MERSEY : Andrew Sullivan 35, James Jones 13, David Aliu 13
