All good things come to an end
BBL Championship – Friday 2nd March 2012
Newcastle Eagles 76 Plymouth Raiders 85
It was coming. You don’t win every game in basketball no matter how well you play. Since Worcester Wolves pulled off the greatest comeback since Lazarus back in December that is exactly what the Eagles have done. On Friday night however, Newcastle Eagles lost after putting in arguably their worst performance of the BBL season. A late fight back did little more than paper over the cracks of an abject display.
The stats might not always tell the full story but we basketball junkies scan them for a reason. 26/75 field goals including 6/29 from three point range, this from a team that seemed to rarely miss all February from beyond the arc. 62% from the free throw line. Out rebounded 56-38. I could go on. Ugly, ugly stats. Perhaps Fab’s boys have spoiled us this year but this was a spectacular fall from grace on a night that Flournoy, Forrester and co will hope is a mere blip on their quest for further silverware.
Newcastle Eagles had dominated this season’s two earlier matchups, blowing the Plymouth side away 90-67 at Sport Central back in November and comfortably holding them at bay in the BBL Cup Final but the signs that Raiders could compete with the Eagles were there in Birmingham.
An inauspicious start saw the Eagles trailing 3-10 halfway through the first quarter. This was not what the bumper Sport Central crowd had paid their hard earned bucks to see. If the home side have a weakness it is a habit of allowing the opposition to gnaw away at big leads in the second half of games. Early blips were certainly not in the script. The low scoring quarter ended 14-16, and the Eagles despite their struggles appeared to be on the verge of turning things around. How wrong we were.
I won’t bore you with the numbers but suffice to say Raiders dominated the boards and the Eagles star shooters fired blanks until an all too late surge had the home crowd rocking and rolling, bouncing and believing that the come back was on. Newcastle got within two points at 72-74 in the fourth quarter and even had a shot to take the lead but it was all too late. Raiders held their nerve at the free throw line and closed the game out.
No less than three Eagles, Flournoy, Thomson and Bridge fouled out on a night to forget. Andy Thomson appeared to struggle with an injury and only managed 17 minutes when his side really needed his quiet efficiency. Let’s hope he’s fighting fit for the rest of a March bursting with big games. Paul Williams impressed for Plymouth with a huge 19 point and 19 rebound double double.
So it was a deserved win for the visitors and I suppose it’s better to lose now than in the BBL Trophy final. Two legs against this physical Plymouth team will be tough but if the Eagles we know and love show up they’ll be just fine. If Friday’s Bizzaro Eagles decide to come out to play however…….
We’re back at Sport Central next Friday 9th March for the visit of the impressive Leicester Riders, who as a result of fixture rearrangements also return the following Friday 23rd for double the fun. Should be a couple of humdingers.
