Esh Group Eagles Newcastle v Glasgow Rocks
Where and when:
Sport Central, 7.30pm Friday 30 October
Summary:
The first BBL Cup Quarter-Final throws up a rematch of last season’s showpiece Final, pitting Esh Group Eagles Newcastle against Glasgow Rocks at Sport Central on Friday.
Eagles were victorious on that day in Birmingham, claiming what would be the first of four pieces of silverware.
They’ve started this campaign in similar fashion too, winning each of their opening eight games, including an impressive demolition of Leeds Force last time out, while Rocks struggled for consistency, coming up short against Sheffield Sharks in their previous game.
Last time they met:
Glasgow Rocks 70 Esh Group Eagles Newcastle 88 (BBL Trophy Quarter-Finals, Emirates Arena, 08 February 2015)
Form:
Eagles: WWWWWW
Rocks: WLWLWL
Three Points:
  • Eagles have reached the BBL Cup Final in each of the previous four seasons, lifting the trophy twice
  • These teams met five times last season and Eagles emerged victorious on each occasion
  • Eagles player-coach Fab Flournoy is one loss short of 150 in the BBL
What they say:
Eagles forward Stu Thomson: “We need to keep our focus and just remember everybody is out to get us, so that helps to keep us motivated and keep our attention to detail.
“For me personally it’s a continuation from last year with a few more responsibilities. The coaching staff are doing a great job of challenging me and pushing me each week.
“We expect a good challenge from [Glasgow] but as always, we will stay focused on us and what we do. It’s important to win that first piece of silverware for sure as we have goals and that first one is part them.”
Rocks forward Kieron Achara: “I’m feeling great. I know we will learn from Sunday’s loss and focus on being a more consistent team.
“We have an entirely new team from last year so we won’t be using last year’s [Cup Final] defeat as motivation. Instead, we will focus on us and striving to play the ‘perfect game’ this in turn will cause anyone we play problems.”