Old Heads Guide Eagles Into Semis

Another ‘no holds barred’ encounter between old rivals the Sheffield Sharks and the Newcastle Eagles ended with the side from the North East claiming their semi-final berth by 169-151 on aggregate, 84-81 on the night. Veterans Charles Smith and Fab Flournoy marshalled their side to the win in an up-tempo affair; the Sharks equally playing their part in a game worthy of a higher stage.

Starting Fives

Sharks: Jemison, Lewis, Tuck, Holmes, Babalola.
Eagles: Huffman, Maddox, Smith, Defoe, Chapman.

A small but very noisy crowd packed the EIS Blue Hall, determined to play their part in deciding who progressed. The Eagles got off to the best possible start, Defoe and Chapman with a triple, extending their lead on the night to twenty. Chapman and Smith contributed further threes as the quarter wore on but it was Sharks skipper Mike Tuck, who set about clawing his side back into the tie. Ten points from the big Canadian gave the Sharks a 19-13 advantage on the night and it was only scores by Chapman and Smith that reduced the deficit by four as the period concluded. Tuck opened the second with a score on the back of a Nick Lewis assist but a further Charles Smith trey saw the Sharks call for time with the score at 23-20. A series of runs ended the half. Defoe inched his side in front before a scintillating 17-4 stretch by the Sharks pushed the score to 41-30, a difference of just six on the night. Again the Eagles fought back as Chapman and Defoe posted efforts to leave the Sharks up by 41-38 at the half.

The third period took some time to kick into life with both sides excelling in defensive blocks. A trademark Chapman three tied the scores on the night with Defoe again edging his side in front. BJ Holmes knocked down two efforts of his own from downtown as well as an ‘and one’ play but the Sharks couldn’t break the shackles of Newcastle, who saw player-coach Fabulous Flournoy record five points of his own leaving scores level at 59 by the end of the stanza. Flournoy attracted the wrath of the home support on several occasions but turned their anger to his advantage as focus went upon himself rather than buoying the Sharks.

Another Holmes triple at the beginning of the fourth saw the Sharks edge away at 64-59 but again a Maddox putback and a huge Smith three levelled the scores. Nick Lewis drained a further triple for the Sharks but the Eagles remained persistent, Kareem Maddox again levelling at 76 on the night. A fine shooting display for Joe Chapman (27 points on the night) was capped by his fourth trey of the night as Newcastle finally inched in front and secured the aggregate win. Sheffield gave floor time to Marko Backovic, Marcus Welsh, Eddy Brownell and George Brownell; the Brownell brothers combining immediately to see George drain a long two and give a hint as to what Sharks supporters may see in the future. A rare Demetrius Jemison score from downtown saw the clock run down to end the fixture 84-81 in the Eagles favour and by eighteen on aggregate to claim their place in the semi-finals.

Atiba Lyons was rightly proud of the efforts of his men throughout a rollercoaster of a 2012-2013 season: It’s probably been my most satisfying season as a Coach,” he began.

Referring to changes made mid-way through the term, Atiba stated that: “We put out two teams, one in the first half of the season, one in the second half but it finished better than I expected. To walk away at the end of it all pushing the Eagles so close is just great.”

Play of the Game

The incisive run into the key by Nick Lewis, the mesmeric ‘shake n bake’ that left the Newcastle rearguard for dead, before the killer assist to Mike Tuck, who finished with aplomb. Tuck was on a mission to harvest buckets, compiling twenty points by half time and kick-started a run that saw the Sharks reduce the deficit to just six. Alas for the Sheffield side, it was not to be as old-timers Charles ‘The Prince’ Smith and Fab Flournoy used every year of their vast experience to see the Eagles into the semi-finals.

Game MVP

Mike Tuck was the model of consistency for Sheffield on his way to 25 points on the night, truly a Captain leading by example. Honourable mentions must go to Joe Chapman, who shot the ball in trademark fashion on his way to 27 on the night and Fab Flournoy, who raised the ire of the Sharks fans by drawing fouls in dramatic fashion and making sure the referees knew fully about it. However, Newcastle’s passage into the next round can largely be attributed to Charles Smith, who posted a statline of 13 points, 4 rebounds, 5 assists and 1 block. How long those bandy legs can go on for is a matter for debate but Smith belied his years tonight, pulling all the strings for the Eagles. If Newcastle go on to claim the crown, the residents of Tyneside need to award the fourteen year veteran the freedom of the Borough for his services to North East hoops.

(Image: mphotography.org.uk)