NEWCASTLE Eagles transformed a potential pre-Halloween horror show into a real treat for fans at Sport Central to claim a thrilling 85-80 BBL Championship success against Sheffield Sharks.
Having thrashed their opponents a week ago with a dazzling performance, it looked as if the visitors would extract sweet revenge after turning the Eagles’ sharp-shooting offence into a woefully blunt instrument for long periods.
In an uninspiring and decidedly turgid first half, Fab Flournoy and his players were painstakingly short on both quality and intensity from the tip-off as Sheffield took the early initiative to move 13-6 ahead.
It was not difficult to see where the Eagles problems lay with just three baskets in over six minutes of action but, led by an injection of urgency from Flournoy, the home team rallied to pull back to within a point at 15-14.
Soon after, they began labouring again and, struggling to adapt to the adjustments made by the Sheffield defence since the previous game, they found themselves down by double digits at 28-18.
With the Sharks having described last weekend’s match-up as being a wake-up call, this time it was the Eagles in slumber mode.
At least they did not allow the game to drift further and fought hard to make inroads ahead of half-time.
They cut the gap to 36-32 although, having made only one three-pointer from seven attempts, they knew they needed to improve dramatically.
The response was both emphatic and instant as Joe Chapman made two triples in a row to put his team ahead inside the first minute of the re-start.
It breathed much-needed life into the Eagles and, as both teams began to get more physical with each other, the edge which the contest had been sorely lacking made a belated but much-needed appearance.
Paul Gause fed off the new-found energy and sunk a three-pointer from remarkably long-range to help his team move 57-53 in front heading into the last quarter.
The score sparked a crucial 15-4 run for the Eagles, who reaped the benefit of Sharks’ frustration suddenly turning into a loss of composure.
However, if fans thought the game was over they were mistaken as Sheffield proceeded to give their hosts an almighty scare during a nerve-shredding finale.
They came racing back to tie the game up with 90 seconds remaining.
Someone needed to show a cool head and it was young Ross Wilson who stepped off the Eagles’ bench to hit the critical score inside the last minute which effectively sealed the deal.
However, the real hero was Andy Thomson who claimed a monstrous double-double of 25 points and 16 rebounds – while credit also has to be given to the Eagles for their defence which kept them in the game in the first half.
The victory means the Eagles sit proudly at the top of the Brtish Basketball League Championship table with a 3-0 record from three games.
TOP SCORERS
NEWCASTLE EAGLES: Thomson 25, Chapman 18, Flournoy 11, Gause 11.
SHEFFIELD SHARKS: Langhurst 24, Tuck, Reinking 13
