Newcastle Eagles made it four successive SLB Championship wins with an excellent all-round team performance beating Caledonia Gladiators 104-80 in the Vertu Arena on Friday night. The Eagles had six players with double-digit scoring led by Maceo Jack and Ray’Sean Taylor.
However, the MVP award on the night went to tough Aussie guard Mitch Clarke who was +36 in the 24 and a half minutes he was on court garnering 19 points, 4 rebounds, 6 assists and 3 steals. Head Coach Marc Steutel was delighted with his charges.
“There’s expectations right when it’s a 24-point win at home and we put 104 points on the board. You have to have realistic expectations when you play a dominant first half that the other team is going to have a response at some point.”
“Losing the third quarter by eight shows what basketball is like in our league. Over the whole forty minutes we achieved what we wanted to. Credit to Caledonia in that third quarter they came out and really fought hard.”
“For us to have six guys in double figures, 21 assists and only 7 turnovers. The way we’re sharing the ball the way we’re playing for each other. The way we’re shooting the ball and getting into the paint was all really good.”
“Mitch Clarke continuing to show how much he belongs at this level; how much he impacts winning at this level. We were so much better defensively when he was on the floor, and his stats probably sums up his impact.”
“Another good solid night at the office. We have eight games left to go and we know we have a big challenge ahead on Sunday so let’s see what we can get too.”
That game on Sunday afternoon is against the League leaders London Lions who have also already won the SLB Trophy this season and reached the SLB Cup Final. They are in hot pursuit to sweep all four domestic trophies so it’s a tough task for Newcastle travelling to the Copper Box.
The Eagles have played the Lions five times this season and lost on all five occasions. Three times in the League, in the Trophy Final and in the SLB Cup quarter final. Three of those loses by double-digit margins although one league game and the Trophy final were much closer affairs.
Steutel is though well aware of the obstacle in place that his side have to get over if they are to complete a fifth successive win and continue their progress in the SLB Championship.
“I say it all the time there is not an easy game in this league. Gone are the days ten years or so ago when maybe there was. That’s a credit to our league; every game’s a battle. It feels like play-off basketball is ramping up and every game feels that way.”
“We have as I said got eight games to go and we want to continue to get better. Sunday is a difficult game and a difficult place to play. We have as a Club won there on occasion in different circumstances.”
“The guys know that if we look after ourselves and we get our minds right we’ve got to go and play forty minutes against a really physical team. That’s the biggest factor when you play against them.”
“But we’re scoring the ball well finding each other in the right positions and it’s a fun group to be part of right now. We’ll go and give it our best shot and after that we’ll get the bodies healthy regardless of the outcome and try and build again.”
Tip-off in the Copper Box Arena, London is at 4:00pm for another much-anticipated match-up for Steutel and his players. The action is free to watch live on DAZN.
