A MAJESTIC performance by Andy Thomson propelled Newcastle Eagles into the BBL Cup Final amidst jubilant scenes at Sport Central last night, writes PAUL NILSEN.
The forward was unstoppable as he racked up a stellar double-double of 22 points and 11 rebounds in a man of the match performance to claim a pulsating 71-63 victory over Leicester Riders.
Having blown a huge lead during the first leg which ended up 90-90, the Eagles were intent on strangling the life out of the Riders right from the tip-off and it was not only Thomson but also some phenomenal defence which won the day.
Having been torched for 32 points by the dangerous shooting of Bradd Wierzbicki in the first game, the hosts locked him down completely and that made a big difference to a Riders team who could find nothing easy at all.
Not that it was all one way traffic – far from it. The Riders pushed hard after their poor start, they were almost let off the hook by some atrocious free-throw shooting by the Eagles who missed a staggering sixteen foul shots.
Still, it was a rare blot on what was an otherwise joyous night of raw emotion. Chronically lacking in aesthetic quality but brimming with tension and excitement from tip to buzzer.
Fittingly, Thomson got the scoring underway by making a wide open three for the hosts as they held Riders to just one score during the first four minutes to move 7-2 in front. That advantage was then increased to 13-6 via an athletic tip-in by Darius Defoe who was at the heart of everything which was good about the Eagles’ early work.
The Eagles’ good work was summed up when Charles Smith made a jump shot on the buzzer to lead 18-6 and by half-time, the home team were still in a healthy position at 33-21 thanks mainly to a huge offensive rebound and put-back score by Fab Flournoy.
It looked like a long way back for the visiting team in the third period when Joe Chapman drilled a three-ball to make it 42-26. But, Riders began to work hard to haul themselves back into contention with back to back three-pointers off the back of Eagles turnovers.
It set up a dramatic finale and with just over three minutes remaining, Riders still trailed 58-48.
But a huge three-pointer by Flinder Boyd and when they sunk some free-throws, the gap was just four points and the travelling Riders fans were suddenly sensing déjà vu from the first leg.
However, in the end, the visitors just couldn’t get over the hump and it was Thomson who delivered the killer-blow with a mammoth triple to seal the deal with just over a minute remaining.
The Eagles fans were left celebrating a special date at the National Indoor Arena in Birmingham next month when either Plymouth Raiders or Worcester Wolves will try to deny them a return to winning silverware.
NEWCASTLE EAGLES: Thomson 22, Smith 13, Chapman 13)
LEICESTER RIDERS: Rundles 16, Sullivan 14, Hardy 12)
