Friday 05 December 2014 – Sport Central (19:30)
Newcastle Eagles’ winning streak stretched to 12 games last weekend, but Charles Smith insists there is still more to come from the reigning BBL Champions.
Eagles host Durham Wildcats on Friday, having taken pole position in their two-legged BBL Cup semi-final against Sheffield Sharks and brushed aside Bristol Flyers last time out.
However, Smith feels there are still improvements to be made on both ends of the floor, and that more time together on the practice floor will see Fab Flournoy’s men make those changes.
“It was another good weekend for us,” said Smith.
“Momentum is key, we want to continue this run as long as we can. No one is thinking about how many wins in a row, we are taking one game at a time and trying to be better each game.”
He added: “We still haven’t put a complete game together on either end of the floor. Now that there is a break in BUCS we can practice together as a complete team ever day and get everyone on the same page.”
The first win in Eagles’ impressive perfect sequence came against Wildcats in just their second game of the season.
Wildcats will no doubt be out to make it unlucky 13 for their North East rivals, but Smith and co. will be well prepared for the challenge that awaits them.
“Durham are a very tough team they play hard and play together,” said Smith.
“They are very well coached and have several players that can put in a winning performance on any given night. So we will scout and watch film on them so we can be prepared for them.”
Last time they met:
Newcastle Eagles 99 Durham Wildcats 73 (BBL Championship, Newton Aycliffe, 05/10/2014)
What they say:
Wildcats guard Ralph Bucci: “We have to work on starting out fully concentrated, we have had a few slow starts that have put us in difficult positions for the rest of the game.
“We know Newcastle will be well prepared and will not allow us to get anything easy, we just have to try to match their intensity and be focused.”