Rodney Glasgow Jr, Newcastle Eagles

The Newcastle Eagles ended Solent Kestrels’ fairytale, beating the National League team in overtime, in the BBL trophy final earlier today.

The 96-94 win, in Glasgow, was the 7th Trophy win in the franchise’s history but the first since 2016. The Eagles dominated at parts, but the whole game was controlled by the non-league Kestrels side.

The Eagles win was a shock to most due to the little presence on the bench. They only had 3 players available off the bench and only played one, Andrew Lasker, meaning they only used a 6 man rotation throughout the whole game. Whereas the Kestrels had the option of a 10 man rotation but only used 8, with 2 of these getting minimal minutes.

C.J Gettys continued his superb form and joined team mate Darius Defoe and Kestrels player Travis Charles in putting up a double-double. Gettys had 21 points and 17 rebounds, Defoe had 23 points and 11 rebounds and a game winning free-throw in overtime. Charles put up 18 points and 10 rebounds respectively.

Kestrels were bidding to become the first non-league side to win the BBL Trophy ever, but captain Rahmon “Fab” Fletcher put a stop to this, putting up 29 points in 43 minutes and shooting 44% from the field.

However this might be the only silverware the Eagles win this year, as their form has been on and off in the BBL Championship. They currently sit 7th in the league, with 7 wins out of 13 and on 14 points.