Recap

In their first home game of 2023, the U16 Newcastle Eagles Academy girls played against Manchester Mystics 2 in a much-anticipated game that could easily have gone either way.

Both teams got underway to a fast start with the Eagles girls getting the first points of the game with two free throws from Katherine Bird.  The home team worked hard at both ends of the court but struggled to get to the basket and this, along with their high foul count on defence, lead to a first quarter score of 4-15 with all of the Eagles points coming from free-throws.

With the Eagles in early foul trouble, coach Martin Walton needed to manage the substitutions from the bench well. The girls maintained their high energy and this, alongside the high level of support from the bench, resulted in the home team finally finding their way to the basket. Seraphine O’Neill hit an outside two closely followed by an uncontested layup. Next came an end-to-end drive from Grace Rae who continued to rebound well under the basket resulting in another two.  At the other end of the court, the Eagles worked hard to close out their opponents weakening the Mystics’ ability to take and make their shots. With a second quarter draw of 8-8, the girls went into half time knowing that their first win was potentially on the cards.

At the start of the third, and after a strong team talk, the Eagles continued to throw themselves into the game with energy radiating from the girls both on the court and on the bench. Ava Bensley fought hard at both ends of the court and was eventually rewarded with a two and one.  Ellison Burke worked on defence with a determined approach limiting the ability of the Mystics to make it to the basket and Lexie Walton then went on an 8 point run meaning that the Eagles girls won the third quarter 13-6, narrowing the gap to within four at one point.

Tiredness was evident from both teams at the start of the fourth and with five home players on court with three or four fouls, the Eagles girls seemed to step back on defence a little whilst at the same time the visitors upped their intensity and determination, taking and making some outside shots that widened the gap between the two teams.

Although the win was within reach at a few points, it ended with a 45-54 loss for the home team who gave the lead away early in the game and struggled to maintain the narrowed gap they worked so hard to achieve.  A disappointing end to a great game!