2014/15 Game Report
Team Newcastle Eagles Under 15 Boys
Opposition City of Birmingham
Home/Away Home
Competition EBL Under 15 Boys North & Midlands
Date 14th February 2015
Score Newcastle Eagles
47
V
51
City of Birmingham
Report
The young Eagles awaited their biggest rematch against top ranked City of Birmingham, this time on their home
court. After the Eagles 34 point loss last week to Leicester Dynamite they were eager to redeem themselves and
elevate their performance as they are nearing the end of the season. In their last meeting with Birmingham they
were also outscored 80 to 44 in a 36 point loss, which unfortunately was their largest margin of defeat of the season.
This time, with a full squad, healthy and refreshed the Eagles sought to make an end of season push to pull together
what was left of their first year in national league.
The first quarter saw the Eagles come out with a strong start in the early minutes of the game, forcing some crucial
turnovers which led to some easy but contested baskets in transition, taking an early lead 8-4 in the first 6 minutes.
Birmingham readjusted well, and although they struggled to make contested shots, they converted on some second
chance opportunities at the rim by getting to the free-throw line and ending the quarter in the lead by 1 point, 1110.
The second quarter again was full of intensity and solid defence from both teams. The Eagles converted their open
shot opportunities within the offence well and managed to maintain scoring consistency throughout the quarter
matching Birmingham basket for basket. After getting into foul trouble late in the quarter, Birmingham went to the
strip for some easy opportunities but struggled from the line, keeping the Eagles in the game and still only 1 point
behind the dominant Birmingham.
The third quarter again was a good start from the young Eagles but soon began to dissolve under fatigue and lack of
focus in maintaining a balanced offensive front and with the intensity dropping gave Birmingham a quick lead. After
a quick timeout the Eagles regathered themselves and dramatically improved their defensive communication and
made the necessary adjustments, enabling them to make some crucial baskets nearing the end of the quarter to
keep them in contention. At the quarter, both teams were showing no signs of slowing down. Unfortunately the
Eagles defence allowed them to tie the score going into the fourth 36-36.
The fourth quarter and final quarter saw the Eagles drop a quick 9 point within 6 minutes while remaining close with
two baskets in the paint and a big three early in the first 3-6 minutes. After a quick 6-0 run from Birmingham the
Eagles soon lost the lead but in the ninth minute converted in the paint for an easy two and two free-throws at the
line. Even thought the Eagles made both attempts they still remained 4 point down with no time remaining for any
additional plays. Birmingham held on to the lead in the final quarter, squeezing out a narrow win.
The young Eagles gave Birmingham a run for their money and made drastic and dramatic improvement from the
previous loss and also their last encounter with the league leaders. They played with so much heart, intensity and
focus allowing them to not only perform at their best but display their potential as a team and a unit. Excellent
game, certainly the best of the season and hopefully more games like this to come.
EAGLES TOP SCORERS - C. Linsley (13 points) B. Goncalves (10 points) N. Ncube (8 points)