Newcastle Eagles and London Lions will meet in next week’s BBL Playoff Final at The O2 Arena after advancing from their respective semi-final match-ups on Sunday.
Eagles are one step closer to a clean sweep of BBL silverware after beating Sheffield Sharks 118-78 at Sport Central on Sunday after to complete a comfortable 209-168 aggregate success.
Holding a one-point edge from Friday’s first leg in Sheffield [91-90] , the BBL league, Cup and Trophy winners dominated the return fixture, hitting an efficient 55 per cent of their field goals to reach a fourth consecutive Playoff Final.
Rahmon Fletcher scored a game-high 28 points and orchestrated Fabulous Flournoy’s offence brilliantly as the hosts tallied 31 assists as a team.
Lions’ route to The O2 was less straightforward.
Vince Macaulay’s men were beaten 85-77 away at Cheshire Phoenix on Sunday as Cheshire waved goodbye to the Northgate Arena.
The Lions however progressed with a narrow 158-153 aggregate win, having triumphed 81-68 in Friday’s opener in the capital.
A 17-3 start to the fourth quarter from John Coffino’s side set up a tense final few minutes, but last season’s Playoff MVP Zaire Taylor secured the overall victory from the free throw line, finishing with a personal total of 32 points.
While the BBL is expecting a sell out, sources have informed TalkBasket that even though the 18,000 O2 Arena will be more than half-full, there are still a lot of tickets left for the showpiece game in the British basketball calendar.
