Recap
After a disappointing home loss last weekend to Northamptonshire Titans, the Eagles headed out on the road to Manchester to face the mighty Magic. The hosts’ pedigree in all junior competitions is well renowned and the boys from Newcastle knew it would be a very tough game. Nonetheless, the Eagles had a couple of really productive training sessions in the week and turned up with plenty of time to get warmed up and stretch.
Unfortunately for the away side, they never really got going in this one. It took the Eagles nine minutes before they scored in the first quarter and the Magic’s defence was just suffocating the visitors. Some really good defensive possessions from the Magic allowed them to get out and run, leading to some easy transition scores. The score after the first quarter was 24-2.
The second quarter saw much of the same. Whilst the Eagles held their hosts to 19 points, another poor showing on offence ensured the Magic further stretched their lead; going into halftime up by 35 points 43-8 (19-6).
The second half saw the Eagles manufacture a number of good looks on the offensive end. Sadly for the visitors, a number of these shots failed to drop and despite some better intensity on the defensive end, the Magic continued to score at will. After three quarters the score was 67-18 (24-10) and the game ended with a huge win for the Magic 92-32 (25-14).
The junior Eagles will just have to forget about this one. Despite their best efforts they were beaten by a much more physical team with some real talent. The pace and intensity of the game will prove a real learning curve and hopefully the young Eagles will be able to use the experience as real motivation to work hard and improve. The boys from Newcastle are next in action at home to Trafford, in what is sure to be a great game of basketball, 2pm tip at Newcastle College (18th Nov). Any support is really welcomed!
Scorers: Mamuini 8, Bond 8, Kande 7, Sukys 4, Fetherston 3, Proctor 2
