by Vlad Ionasc
Cheshire Phoenix will try to overcome a nine-point deficit when they’ll travel to Newcastle for the second leg of the BBL Trophy Semi-Final.
GAME DETAILS
Date: Sunday, March 1st, 2020
Tip-off: 5pm
Competition: BBL Trophy
Where: Eagles Community Arena
How to watch: BBL’s official YouTube channel
EAGLES SCOUTING REPORT
The Eagles have won seven of their last 10 games.
Ian MacLeod’s side is 3-1 up on the Nix in the season series.
Cheshire needs a double-digit win to advance through to the final. Last time the two sides met at the ECA, the Nix obtained an 18-point victory.
The Eagles crash the glass really well, they average a league-best 40 rebounds-per-game.
The Geordies pride themselves on their offense, their average of 91.1 points-per-game ranks second in the league, just behind Lions’ 91.5 points-per-game.
KEY PLAYERS
Newcastle Eagles: Rodney Glasgow – The undersized point-guard propelled the Eagles to a 13-point win over the Surrey Scorchers on Friday night. The American played some exquisite basketball in the second half and energized an otherwise unimaginative Newcastle team. Glasgow shot 66 percent from three-point territory in his last game against the Nix. He contributed with 10 points, five rebounds and three assists off the bench in the first leg of the Semi-Final.
Cheshire Phoenix: Jalen Hayes – Phoenix’s forward will have a tough task on the glass against the best rebounding team in the BBL. He tallied 13 points, six rebounds and five assists in Friday night’s win over Plymouth and the same all-round performance will be expected from the American on Sunday night. Hayes was kept relatively quiet in the first leg of the tie, so he will surely want to put things right and show his worth in the second leg.
COACH’S CORNER
Ben Thomas: “This game is a huge opportunity for us. We know we have a deficit to overcome but we’re coming off a tough road win against Plymouth and we have to try and carry our momentum from that game into this one.
“We know Newcastle are a very good team and it will take another all-round team performance to get the result we need.
“I know we have a lot of fans going up there tomorrow and their support is really going to help us.”
NEXT HOME GAME
The Nix are next in action at the EPSV against the Manchester Giants on the 8th March. Secure your TICKETS for the North West derby now!
GO PHOENIX! BRING THE NOISE!