BBL: Eagles clinch Championship win over rivals Sharks; Force make history in Cup
Last Updated: 11/10/14 8:28am
Esh Group Eagles Newcastle turned in a strong fourth quarter to beat Sheffield Sharks 95-84 as last season's top two in the BBL Championship met for the first time in the new campaign.
The Eagles overcame foul trouble to bounce back from a rare home defeat on opening night; while the Sharks have now suffered consecutive away defeats and slip back to 2-2.
Friday's results
BBL Championship:
Newcastle Eagles 95-84 Sheffield Sharks
BBL Cup:
Leeds Force 80-69 Manchester Giants
Darius Defoe led all scorers with 30 points for the Eagles, having also led the scoring when the teams met in April as Newcastle secured the head-to-head on their way to the league title.
Defoe scored the opening eight points of the game as the hosts raced into a 19-8 lead; he had made all seven of his shots by the time they led 30-15 at the end of a dominant first quarter.
But the Eagles were pegged back by an 11-0 burst for the visitors in the second period, before they pushed their lead back out to 47-39 by the break.
Andy Thomson and Rahmon Fletcher both had to sit out for fouls during the third, and the Sharks posted another 11 unanswered points to take a rare lead at 56-57, but their advantage was short-lived as the Eagles bounced back to secure an impressive win.
History boys
In the BBL Cup, Leeds Force made history with their first victory in the competition, beating Manchester Giants 80-69 on Friday night.
While the Force booked their place in the second round, it is the third year running the Giants have fallen at the first hurdle in the cup.
It was a late surge that saw the Force through, inspired by James McCann who led all scorers with 21 points including eight points in a row in a crucial two minute spell over the third quarter break.
McCann was supported by 18 points and 16 rebounds from Branimir Mikulic.
Force had started the season with three straight league defeats, while the Giants came into the game on form with impressive league wins over Sheffield Sharks and Worcester Wolves; but it was the hosts who held their nerve to progress.