Scants Tips Eagles for Title Ahead of Setanta Clash
 BBL
Championship leaders Newcastle Eagles will look to continue
their good league form, which has seen them win their last
nine BBL Championship games, when they host the Sheffield
Sharks live on Setanta Sports 2 on Wednesday (7.30pm).
Eagles maintained their title charge over the weekend with
a 79-75 victory against old rivals the SAMG Verve Scottish
Rocks before defeating basement side Team Birmingham Panthers
88-67 in the midlands, and coach Fabulous Flournoy was pleased
to get the wins,
"They weren't pretty, but we'll definitely take them.
Every win's important at the moment," said the New Yorker.
Eagles are without leading scorer Charles Smith, who is likely
to miss the rest of the regular season with a hairline fracture
across his knee cap, and Flournoy admitted that his side miss
the influential forward,
"It's hurting us because we have to find a new way to
win. We know that we have to dig deep to provide the stuff
that Charles brings to our game. It takes time to adjust to
being without the little things that he brings to us; they
often don't show on the stats sheet, but he's a guy who has
a high basketball IQ, and he knew all our offences and plays.
It's tough, but we have to do it."
While there may be seven places and ten BBL Championship
wins between the two sides, Flournoy is still expecting the
Sharks to provide a tough test on Wednesday evening,
"Pete Scantlebury has had to make a few changes to his
team, and it's hard to know which Sheffield team will turn
up. They have been a very Jekyll and Hyde team this season,
they could be the team who started the season in great form
or you get the side that have lost games that they shouldn't
have.
"It's been a while since we played them, but in Alto
Virgil, Justice Graham, Atiba Lyons and Shelby Chaney they
have some players who can hurt you. They are playing well
at the moment, and with the game live on Setanta, both teams
will be up for it.
"I'm expecting it to be a close game, we're in the final
stretch now, and there's no Cup or Trophy to worry about.
Everyone's jockeying for position, whether it's a place in
the top four or looking to get in the fifth to eighth spots.
It's all the motivation the players need."
Sharks' coach Pete Scantlebury knows that his team face a
tough trip to the north east,
"They are experienced, and Fab and Lynard [Stewart]
seem to be the guys that are playing well with Smith being
out. They've stepped up, and we need to take care of them."
Scantlebury is also of the belief that missing Smith is a
significant loss for the league-leaders,
"It hurts them in the terms that they are not as deep
as they were, and they run the risk of getting in foul trouble.
Having said that, they are still good enough to win games
without him."
The Sharks coach, who had a brief spell with the Eagles as
a player between 1997-98, expects his former club to win the
league title,
"I think they'll win the league, especially after Heat
lost twice over the weekend. I can't see anyone catching them,
but I hope we can give them something to worry about. We've
been playing better, but we need to step up another level
at Newcastle, as it's a tough test.
"Realistically we're looking at finishing between fifth
and eighth. There's probably not enough games left to move
up, and with Worcester on a good run, it's been made even
harder."
Eagles won 72-61 when the sides met at the EIS in October.
Richard Midgley, who has since joined Everton Tigers, was
influential with 25 points, including some decisive scores.
Player/coach Flournoy had 15 points for the Eagles, while
former Shark Lynard Stewart added 10. The now departed Raymond
McKeithan led Sheffield with 18.
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