Home Domestic Leagues Newcastle Eagles and London Lions to compete in Playoff decider

Newcastle Eagles and London Lions to compete in Playoff decider

The London Lions beat the Newcastle Eagles 96-82 in a British Basketball League (BBL) match.

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.

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