A clean sweep of honours is still on for Newcastle Eagles after their 96-90 victory over Leicester Riders in the BBL Trophy final.
As has happened many times, it was Charles Smith who made the difference, scoring 14 of his 18 points in the final quarter as the Eagles finally took control of a close game, winning him the MVP award.
Smith hit four-three pointers in the quarter and it was his last make with around two minutes to go that proved to be the turning point as the Eagles took a 90-88 lead. Swiftly followed by an and-one play from Darius Defoe to make it 93-88, there was no way back for the Riders, who had been more than a match for the Eagles up to then.
The contest was like a boxing match between the two heavyweights of British basketball with the teams trading blows throughout the contest but neither side able to deliver a knockout blow until Smith stepped up.
“It was a tough game,” admitted Eagles’ Andy Thomson, who finished with 11 points.
“From the start, Leicester came out with a game-plan which worked for them and put us in awkward situations where we had to scramble at times, and stretched our defence.”
The Eagles will now be favourites to go on and win everything this season, although Thomson says that’s something they are not discussing.
“It’s never been mentioned it in the locker room, Fab [Flournoy, Eagles’ player-coach] never mentioned it.
“It’s just the media that keeps bringing it up; we’re just taking it one game at a time. I know it’s very cliché but that’s all you can do.
Eagles’ Scott Martin and Riders’ Jamell Anderson both had 20 points to lead their respective teams.
Prior to the final, Ali Fraser had a double-double of 25 points and 17 rebounds as Falkirk Fury defeated St Mirren, 78-57, in the BBL Challenge Cup.
In the BBL Championship, the Eagles warmed up for the Trophy final on Friday with a 101-74 win over Bristol Flyers, Darius Defoe leading the way with a double-double of 27 points and 12 rebounds as Newcastle extended their lead at the top of the table to six points.
Cheshire Phoenix are virtually guaranteed a top-four finish after 94-82 win at fifth-placed London Lions on Friday, Dustin Salisbery leading the visitors with 23 points.
“It was an incredible significant game for us as it gave us the head-to-head,” said Cheshire coach John Coffino.
“They are a possible future opponent [in the playoffs], so we need to show ourselves that we can play with them because they are a talented team.”
He added, “I thought our defence was the difference in the game. We [played] a certain type of matchup defence, the players believed in it, and it helped us pull away in the second half.”
The Lions bounced back on Sunday, Drew Sullivan scoring 29 points as they overcame a slow start to beat Durham Wildcats, 83-71.
Sheffield Sharks recorded another two wins at the weekend to take their current winning streak to four games, equalling their season high.
Mike Cook led the Sharks with 18 points as they beat Durham 85-72 on Friday, and he was the key man again on Sunday, this time netting 21 in a 100-68 win over Surrey United.
The closest game of the weekend saw Surrey end a nine-game losing streak on Saturday, Anthony Downing scoring 31 points as United beat Manchester Giants, 90-89.
Finally, Tayo Ogedengbe led the way with 22 points as Glasgow Rocks narrowly beat Leeds Force, 67-59.
