PREVIEW: Eagles swoop into the Tank this Friday

BBL Championship

One of the biggest rivalries in British basketball renews on Friday night when the Newcastle Eagles  are the visitors to Ponds Forge for the latest game in the BBL Championship. Both teams will be keen to kick on in the league – the Sharks coming into the game after that historic win in Surrey and the Eagles after a narrow loss against the much-fancied London Lions.

Friday – Sharks v Eagles – Ponds Forge – 7.30pm

Tickets – B. Braun Sheffield Sharks v Newcastle Eagles – BBL Championship Tickets, Fri 4 Feb 2022 at 19:30 | Eventbrite

Ones To Watch

Rahmon Fletcher – The Eagles Captain and star point guard is a man you write off at your peril. He displayed his two times MVP credentials but couldn’t quite get his side over the line in the recent 103-94 loss to London, despite his 22 point, 10 assist double-double.

Brandon Peel – The former London forward had a point to prove against his old side a fortnight ago. Well versed in BBL basketball, he too put up a 12 point, 16 rebound double-double but it wasn’t enough to stop victory for his previous employers, the Lions.

Darius Defoe – ‘Mr 27,’ named after the number of titles he has won on Tyneside, still continues to lend that veteran knowledge this season. An average of 26 minutes per game on court shows that he is still one of Newcastle’s go-to guys despite the advance of the years.

Corey Johnson – Don’t let the former Leicester Rider get hot from downtown! That’s still the mantra for this season as the sharpshooter is pouring in 15.5 points with 5.1 rebounds and 3.6 assists per game for the men from the North East.

Last Meeting

November 26^th 2021 – Newcastle Eagles (Defoe 19 Shelton 14 Peel 12) 77 B. Braun Sheffield Sharks (Ratinho 22 Glasgow Jr 17 Delpeche 14) 86

Shark Bites

Sharks Coach Atiba Lyons needs just one more win for 250 in his BBL coaching career.

The Sharks go into their fourth clash with Newcastle this season having won the previous three, scoring 85, 85 and 86 points respectively.

The last seven match ups between the sides have resulted in five Sharks wins, one draw and one loss. Out of the last nine league games, the Sharks have come out on top in eight.

When the Sharks have reached at least 79 points this season (on seven occasions), they have gone on to win every time.

Jordan Ratinho likes playing against the Eagles! His Sharks career high points (22), rebounds (13), efficiency (31) and assists (5) have all come in games against Newcastle!

SharkNation

There’s been a brief break but we’re back with a bang in the Tank this Friday. In town are the much-decorated Newcastle Eagles, a team we’ve had so many great battles with down the years. You brought the noise in front of the Sky cameras against Bristol and we’d love you to welcome our record-breaking skipper Mike Tuck back to Sheffield with that legendary SharkNation roar. Get your tickets using the link at the top of the page and let’s keep Atiba and the guys pushing those teams at the top of the league for honours. We’ve got a big five game month ahead and we need all your wonderful support. Fear The Fin!

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Adam Bates