It’s exciting Eagles back-to-back game nights at the Vertu Motors Arena this weekend, as the Seriös Group Newcastle Eagles take on the Nottingham Wildcats in the Women’s British Basketball League in the Saturday evening tip-off.
Newcastle will be looking to bounce back after last weekend’s 90 – 75 loss on the road to Leicester Riders. They face a Wildcats side that they’ve already played twice this calendar year.
Back in January the Midlands side came North and defeated the Eagles on their home court in a Betty Cordona Trophy quarter final tie by 79 – 74. Newcastle did get a modicum of revenge last month going to Nottingham and winning 82 – 66 in the League.
The Eagles currently sit in the play-off standings with a 4 wins 8 losses giving them a 6th place position. The Wildcats meanwhile are outside of the playoffs standings in 10th on a 3 wins 10 losses record. This is a vital game for both sides.
Newcastle’s Captain Marina Fernandez previewed the game and started by taking the positives from the Leicester defeat and how her teammates and she can build from that.
“I think it was quite frustrating and disappointing because we were right there for a while. I think that recurring mistakes just got us in trouble and Leicester are just that type of team that are consistent and really penalise your mistakes.”
“They get a good look, know what they’re looking for have a good structure and execute well. That’s something we’re trying to polish now and avoid those mistakes and punish teams instead of getting punished.”
“We still took positives and confidence from the game. We know we can hang and we know we can compete. It’s just a matter of having more consistency. Part of it is just getting to know each other better on the court.”
“We have a few new pieces and I just think it takes time to build that chemistry and that trust and that consistency of knowing what we’re doing for forty minutes.”
Nottingham as can be seen present a different obstacle to tackle and one that Fernandez is aware that her side need to get over with a victory.
“Consistency is the key to the game. We did beat them last time out but we have to remember that they beat us at home in January. That was a loss that hurt because it was a Trophy game and at home.”
“It was a tough game and we feel we should never have been in a position to lose that game. I think we learned a lot from that game and then the three weeks we had after that game.”
“It’s a team we have to respect. They have some really good pieces. They play as a team and they play hard and we know they’re not going to give up for forty minutes regardless of the score.”
“I’m confident that if we do what we should and do our job we’ll come up with a win. But we definitely need to be aware that they will put up a good fight.”
A win would consolidate Newcastle’s place in the playoff positions and at the same time stop a playoff rival from closing the gap between them. Fernandez set the sights for the game and beyond.
“We’re trying to secure as many wins as we can. One day at a time, one practice at a time, one game at a time. We definitely need to secure this win but we’re trying to compete no matter who were playing against.”
“Down the line we have Sheffield we have Caledonia. So, we have teams that are above us and our goal is to be right there with them so we’re trying to close that gap.”
The game tips off at the usual Saturday night time at 7:30pm and will be a tough encounter that should be well worth watching.
Tickets are still available on the box office and on the door.
