Seriös Group Newcastle Eagles saw themselves lose to the in-form Cheshire Phoenix in game week three of the British Basketball League season.
The Cheshire Phoenix were able to get their second win of the season, beating the Newcastle Eagles 80-73 behind the dynamic duo of Maceo Jack and Aaryn Rai.
Starting Five:
Newcastle
Eagles starting five: Rickey McGill, Devin Whitfield, Jordan Johnson, Malcolm
Delpeche, Tajh Green
Cheshire Phoenix starting five: LaQuincy Rideau, Maceo Jack, EJ Stephens, Aaryn Rai, Skyler White
First Half:
With two of
the most in-form teams in the league, this game was expected to be a close one.
The first quarter validated this with the Phoenix taking the lead 23-20 by the
end of the first quarter.
Phoenix’s hot shooting continued as they went five for 13 from beyond the arc with EJ Stephens making two threes himself. Aaryn Rai continued to showcase his all-around skillset with two points, three rebounds and two assists in the first quarter.
Newcastle
were keeping in the game though with Jordan Johnson catching fire, scoring 12
points in the first quarter on only three shots from the field.
Johnson
continued his incredible scoring going into the second quarter. The guard added
another five to bring his tally up to 17 by the end of the second quarter.
Cheshire’s
shooting started to calm down slightly, and this lack of makes allowed
Newcastle to seize the lead, taking a 41-37 lead at the end of the second
quarter.
Rickey McGill was showcasing his playmaking ability, notching five assists in the first half while the Eagles as a whole had 12 in comparison to Cheshire’s nine.
🤩 BIG TIME DIME by LaQuincy Rideau for that man @aarynrai to bury the CLUTCH three! This one is going down to the WIRE! Don’t miss it.
📺 WATCH LIVE: https://t.co/Tg8ty4XJBJ#UNBEATABLE #BritishBasketballLeague pic.twitter.com/5fi0Ab0jsN
— British Basketball League (@britishbasketm) September 29, 2023
Second Half:
The Phoenix
were not allowing the Eagles to run away with the game though.
The elite shooting of the Phoenix started to show again, with their strength in numbers coming into the spotlight. Maceo Jack, Aaryn Rai, and LaQuincy Rideau started to show their ability with Rai getting closer to a triple-double. Rai ended the third quarter with 12 points, seven rebounds, and four assists.
Finishing the third quarter with a score of 56-54, the Eagles were barely holding onto the lead, being able to lockdown Cheshire to the best of their abilities.
Tajh Green’s
quiet night in the first half became a forgotten memory with Green adding four
points in the third quarter to keep Newcastle’s lead over Cheshire.
However,
just as we saw in game week one, it’s extremely hard to stop the Phoenix when
they get going.
The Phoenix
were able to score 26 points in the fourth quarter. Largely due to the prowess
of Maceo Jack and Aaryn Rai again. The duo combined for 14 points in the
fourth, being able to hold the Eagles at bay to snatch the win.
It wasn’t enough for the Eagles with Larry Austin Jr. pouring in 12 points off the bench to try and steer Newcastle to the win. In the end, the Eagles came up with a loss and saw themselves lose to the Cheshire Phoenix to the score of 80-73.
Tonight’s MVP:
Tonight’s MVP was Maceo Jack of the Cheshire Phoenix. The guard scored 21 points to go with five rebounds and three assists.
Team | Name | Points | Rebounds | Assists |
Cheshire Phoenix | Maceo Jack | 21 | 5 | 3 |
Cheshire Phoenix | Aaryn Rai | 19 | 7 | 5 |
Newcastle Eagles | Jordan Johnson | 18 | 2 | 6 |
Newcastle Eagles | Larry Austin Jr. | 12 | 7 | 1 |
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Basketball fix by following the League on social media or heading to our YouTube
channel to relive all of the best moments from the current
season.