2013/14 Game Report
Game:
Competition:
Date:
Newcastle Eagles Under 18 Women vs. Hatfield Fliers Under 18 Women
EBL Under 18 Women North Premier
15th February 2014
Score:
Newcastle Eagles Under 18 Women - 38, Hatfield Fliers Under 18 Women - 47
This game was by turns heart-lifting and frustrating for Eagles fans. For much of the forty minutes Newcastle played
great team basketball, coming out strong from the tip with great energy and focus, moving the ball crisply, and
looking really creative on offense — penetrating well with sharp passes inside, good use of screens, and plenty of
movement off the ball. Sadly, this professional-level of performance wasn’t sustained for the full game. Crucially, in
the third quarter, tensed-up play on the offensive end — which led to lack of penetration and low-percentage shots
— along with a number of unforced defensive errors allowed Hatfield to stretch a shaky 6 point advantage to a 15
point lead. The Eagles rallied in the fourth, scoring 14 points in the period to the Fliers’ 8, but this wasn’t enough to
pull back the game.
Highlight reel (just a few of the nice moves by the Eagles in this game): In the middle of the first, Hannah Lindsay
came off a screen by Amy Ridley and took a pin-point pass from Bethany Rumble for a sweet catch-and-shoot hoop
from the top of the key. Hannah scored again later in the period taking a bullet-pass from Levi Williams for an easy
lay-up under the hoop. In the second, Sarah Makepeace made a three-point play, going strong through a foul to
make the basket and get one from the free. In the third, Kendall Barclay made a beautifully timed thread-the-needle
bounce to Amy Ridley which left her wide open for two. And Kendall showed great vision again in the fourth on a
fast break: with her own lay-up contested she made a perfect dish to Levi Williams who coolly sank a layup from the
left.
This was a great game: tense, exciting, and entertaining. (It’s also worth saying that, though both teams played with
masses of drive and energy, it was low on fouls and played in a good spirit.) The Eagles again showed us just what,
and how much, they can do. The only thing missing here was the win; and, if Newcastle keep up their present rate of
development and improvement, that can’t be long coming.
Top scorer for the Eagles was Hannah Lindsay with 11. Bethany Rumble scored 8. Bethany and Levi Williams led on
rebounds, with 5 each on the defensive end.