Party time at Sport Central
BBL Championship – Friday 20th January 2012
Newcastle Eagles 86 Sheffield Sharks 67
There was no BBL Cup Final hangover for the triumphant Newcastle Eagles on Friday night as Charles Smith and co continued where they left off at the NIA last Sunday. Returning from Birmingham with a full bill of health, the home side’s performance confirmed pre-match noises from their camp that spoke of the BBL Cup as simply the start of their quest for trophies this season.
The beleaguered Sharks arrived at Sport Central still without point guard Jimmy Langhurst amidst rumours of visa problems and unpaid debts to the BBL. There was some relief for the visitors with Justin Dobbins suiting up for his return from injury.
The Eagles were buoyed by a bumper crowd at Sport Central as they raced away to a 9-0 lead early in the first quarter before a brief rally from Sharks pegged it back to 9-7. If any home fans were worried that it might be a case of after the Lord Mayor’s Show for the Eagles, their fears were soon dispelled as the efficiency of their side’s game plan wore the visitors down. Eagles led 27-15 at the end of the first period and they didn’t look back from there. A 10-3 run for the home side to close the half extended the lead to 47-30.
The Sharks came out in the second half with a little more bite and dragged themselves to within ten points at 59-49 thanks to threes from Reinking and Sing before Joe Chapman decided to open his own arsenal with two huge bombs of his own to make it a 65-51 game at the end of the third. The final stanza was a formality with Sharks never looking likely to get back in the game even when Reinking managed to close the gap to 12 points before a sickening backcourt clash ended his evening. Morrison, Wilson and Madourie had welcome run outs in the late minutes as Eagles cruised to the victory.
Paul Gause turned in yet another impressive display with 18 points, showing the kind of form that has earned him a place in consecutive BBL teams of the week. Last week’s hero Charles Smith turned in a double double of 15 points and 10 boards on top of 5 dimes and 3 steals that may have lacked the Hollywood appeal of his Cup Final barrage but was a vital contribution on the night. Big man, Darius Defoe racked up a double double of him own with 14 points and 10 assists in a typically powerful show around both baskets.
The evergreen Nate Reinking was the Sharks main man and sole source of creativity in Langhurst’s absence. With the Olympics looming, Nate’s knee injury looked a bad one and is a worry for both Sharks and Team GB.
Eagles move on to Durham on Saturday to take on the Wildcats looking to put another one in the win column before the visit of last year’s Champions, Mersey Tigers for what is sure to be another memorable night at Sport Central on Friday.
