Recap
Newcastle cruise past hosts Derby for 2nd win in a row
The game began with the Eagles starting flat-footed as they struggled to keep Derby off the offensive boards in the opening four minutes with the team giving up eight of the nine points scored by the hosts on second chance opportunities. The Eagles defence was clearly working however as Derby failed to break double figures in the first quarter as both teams misfired on the offensive end leading to a 14 – 9 score line at the end of the first in the Eagles favour.
The second quarter saw Newcastle drive home their advantage behind some good ball movement as Sloan, Xie and Reimann continued the excellent defence of the first quarter and paired it with plenty of scores at the rim as the Eagles pulled away to the tune of 24 points winning the quarter 33 – 9. However, there was a dampener on put on the quarter as Eagles captain Jerrard went down with what seemed to be a somewhat serious ankle injury. The score entering the break 47-18 in favour of the visiting Eagles.
Following the break, Newcastle continued to run roughshod over the hosts behind a sterling offensive quarter from the day’s leading scorer Leperrier as he leveraged his success driving the lane in the first half in to the space to convert a trifecta of triples in the third on way to 15 points in the quarter. This quarter also saw continued excellence on the defensive side of the ball, often led by terrier-like guard Lewis as his tenacity and consistent pressure forced multiple turnovers for the hosts.
The fourth quarter saw the Eagles finish the rout by trying to slow the play down and work through some scripted offense whilst they again upped their stellar defensive work to hold the Trailblazers to just 6 points in the final frame. A large bright spot for the day was the return of Clark from a long injury absence which he celebrated with a pair of baskets and some fantastic defence.
Eagles Academy Under 16’s Coach David Sayers said “We seemed to start slow and didn’t really get going until the second quarter when Clark and Reimann provided a little more mobility up front. Lewis was absolutely massive throughout the game for us, undoubtedly our MVP for today. Leperrier’s continued offensive excellence fuelled us through the third and we can’t really ask much more from our guys than holding a team under 40 points. We want to move forward from this and carry our current form forward and try to get back above .500.”
Top scorers for the Eagles were Leperrier (27), Sloan (17) and Lewis (9)
The young Eagles Academy under 16’s host Trafford Magic next Saturday at 12:00pm at Newcastle College.
