Eagles enjoy a weekend of wins to remember

THE Newcastle Eagles had the most perfect of weekends to cement a third-place finish in the Super League Basketball Championship standings.

- By JEFF KING

Two wins in two days with barely 15 hours between them was a phenomenal achievement.

A massive home win over Manchester Basketball by 97 to 83 on Saturday night was followed up with a 75-73 win in the derby against Durham Palatinates, with a buzzer-beating bucket early yesterday afternoon.

The two wins meant they finished the regular season breaking franchise records as the Newcastle Eagles with a best ever 15-win 5-loss record and a highest ever finish at third in the league table. That earns them a home quarter-final play-off game against Essex Rebels this coming Saturday.

It was a magnificent effort from all concerned, particularly as they had to play both games without star forward Tierra Hodges and most of the Durham game without top scorer Jada Guinn.

Head coach Chloe Gaynor was naturally delighted with her team’s efforts. “It feels really good to be classed deservedly as the third best team in the league,” she said.