Eagles hoping for capital successes
IT’S another daunting weekend for Esh Group Eagles Newcastle as they travel to London for back-toback games against Lions and Royals in the BBL Championship,
Newcastle head south though full of confidence following last weekend’s superb double-winning outing when they beat Cheshire at home in The Championship by 96-94 and then Leicester away in The BBL Cup Quarter-Final, 90-84.
Head Coach Fab Flournoy was delighted with those two wins: “It was always going to be a tough weekend for us so I was pleased to get the two wins particularly when you consider the styles of both teams.”
But, as Flournoy knows, there’s little time for rest and reflection in The BBL and tonight he takes his Eagles in to the Lions den to face a side that is sitting pride of place at the top of The BBL.
He said: “It’s going to be a tough one. We have the travel down on the day which is tough as you have to get off the bus ready to play and they’re going to be laying and waiting.
“They’ve put a talented side together and they’re playing really well at the moment and beat Worcester twice last weekend so they’ll be ready.
“Pace is going to be important – whether we establish it early and maintain it. We have to make sure we don’t let them get off to a good start. The start of the game is going to be crucial for us in particular playing on the road.”
The Eagles have actually drawn Lions in the two-legged BBL Cup semi-final, a tie that will be played in a fortnight’s time but Flournoy doesn’t see this as a dress rehearsal nor it having a big effect for his team on tonight’s game.
The Eagles will stay over in London after tonight’s game to prepare for tomorrow’s trip to City Royals, a team they demolished 110-60 earlier in the season at home. Flournoy is expecting a totally different game this time against the BBL’s newest franchise.
He added: “The first time we played them we weren’t as good as our score indicated and they weren’t as bad as their score indicated. It was somewhere in the middle. I do believe though they will be firing on all cylinders and ready to play in that game.”
I don’t necessarily think it’s going to be a revenge game for them but it will be a game that they’ll be relishing the opportunity to perform better than they did the last time.”