Sheffield Sharks set to take their place in the quarter finals

The Eagles subsequent defeat in Glasgow on Sunday confirmed their exit from the competition as we now look to achieve as high a seeding as possible.

Newcastle came into Friday’s game without three players due to the league’s covid protocols but their remaining roster had plenty of BBL experience. The game was a relatively defensive affair until half time where we took a 37-31 lead. The third quarter was a rollercoaster – we went up by 12, Newcastle fought back to lead by one and then late points from Aaron Anderson saw us back in charge at 62-55. The Eagles talisman point guard Rahmon Fletcher limped off early in the final quarter and we took full advantage by taking it 23-9 and by 85-64 overall.

A third 20 point haul in six games for Jon-Jon Williams saw him take the MVP award but there was also a pleasing return to form for Bennett Koch, who weighed in with 15 points and 8 rebounds. Bennett spoke post-game.

‘Sometimes I think I just over-think everything. I haven’t been playing as well as I know I can and it’s easy to go down a spiral of where you are going wrong, over thinking everything so it was good for me just to keep it simple tonight, stay aggressive, go to my right hand hook and just play.’

Glasgow’s 92-84 win over Newcastle on Sunday meant that it was the Eagles who will exit the competition at the first stage and now the race is on to see how high we can finish in the group. A top two finish means home advantage in the quarter finals so there is plenty still to play for.

The results bring added significance to Sunday’s home clash against Glasgow Rocks. The Rocks have a 4-2 record and we have already beaten them by 69-79 in Scotland behind 23 points for Kipper Nichols. We would love to stage a home quarter final so victory over Gareth Murray’s side is a must.

A 4pm tip off time during half term week is the perfect opportunity for our younger fans to join us at Ponds Forge. With plenty riding on the game, we’d love to see lots of families filling the seats and cheering us on into the next round. Who knows, we might inspire the next Mike Tuck or Aaron Anderson!