BBL Championship

Glasgow Rocks 69 (21,34,50) (Huffor 16, Smith 16, Egwuonwu/Ogedengbe 10)
Esh Group Eagles Newcastle 88 (27,48,67) (Smith 19, Defoe 15, Thomson 15)

Esh Group Eagles Newcastle have finished 2014 in spectacular fashion, closing out the year in which they won the BBL Championship with a 69-88 road win at rivals Glasgow Rocks. The Eagles have posted the best league record in a calendar year in BBL history, with 32 wins and just two defeats having now won 18 straight games. They have also not lost to the Rocks since April 2012, a run of nine games, with the next time they meet being the BBL Cup Final at the Barclaycard Arena in January.


Charles Smith haunted the Rocks once more with 19 points to lead the victors, with Darius Defoe adding a double-double of 15 points and 13 rebounds. But it was Andre Jones who provided the early spark as, trailing 12-8, he scored six points in a 12-2 response from Newcastle that gave them a lead they would not relinquish.

The game was still close when Rahmon Fletcher inspired a similar run, scoring six points himself as the visitors hit 12 unanswered to lead 32-48 on the approach to half time.

But the league leaders did not have it all their own way, as the Rocks emerged from the break to score the first 10 points, getting back to 44-48 as former Eagle Danny Huffor scored four, with JaJuan Smith and Tayo Ogedengbe adding three-pointers.


Drew Lasker got the Eagles going again inside the last three minutes of the period, his triple sparking another run of 12 unanswered points as Smith added a free-throw and a three-pointer when Ogedengbe was called for a technical foul.

That made the score 50-67 heading into the fourth quarter, and after Smith opened the scoring in the fourth there was no way back for the Rocks. The lead reached 61-82 when Smith scored again, condemning the Rocks to a fourth consecutive defeat.