BBL: Eagles eye third Trophy
Chapman leads way in comfortable first leg win
Last Updated: February 4, 2012 12:46pm
Newcastle Eagles: One foot in the final
Newcastle Eagles put one foot in the BBL Trophy final with a commanding 116-84 road win over the Sheffield Sharks in their semi-final first leg.
Joe Chapman led the way with 37 points, including 6/10 three-pointers, as the Eagles completed their fourth victory over the Sharks in all competitions this season.
Paul Gause also contributed 26 points and six assists to help the Tynesiders in their quest for a third BBL Trophy in four years.
The hosts' misery was compounded by four technical fouls and two unsportsmanlike fouls in a game that saw their coach Atiba Lyons ejected from the bench. They now take a 32-point deficit into the second leg.
The Cheshire Jets snapped a four-game losing streak to keep their Championship Play-off hopes alive with an 83-72 win over the Mersey Tigers on Friday.
Adam Brown made 23 points and six assists to help the Jets clinch their only second away league win of the season, while Matt Schneck claimed a double-double of 17 points and 11 rebounds.
Massive
Myles Hesson led the Tigers' resistance, with a massive 18 points and 18 rebounds against their North West rivals.
The Jets led by just three points heading into the final minute and further scores from Brown ensured that the Tigers remained winless at home since the start of December.
MK Lions take a narrow six-point advantage into their second leg after an 87-81 semi-final first leg win over Plymouth Raiders.
The Lions claimed a third win out of four to end a three-game winning streak for the Raiders in a fiery encounter on Friday night.
Demarius Bolds led all scorers with 31 points, including 10/10 free-throws, while Howard Crawford had 12 points and nine rebounds.
The Raiders however, who won the Trophy in 2007, can take heart from the fact that they beat the Lions 92-76 on their home floor in the league encounter between the teams in November.
