Cheshire Phoenix suffered a 101-110 loss to the Newcastle Eagles in Men’s Super League Basketball after their defence struggled in the third quarter.
Cheshire came into this game with something to prove after a loss in which the team scored 94 against the Bristol Flyers but gave up 122 points on the other end.
Scoring went back and forth early on, and a Newcastle three pointer in the closing seconds meant the score was tied 25-25 at the end of the first ten-minute quarter.
Newcastle started strong in the second quarter and got ahead as some of Cheshire’s players faced early foul trouble.
However, by the end of the first half Nick Timberlake and Larry Austin Jr., Player of the Month for January, had helped the Phoenix to a slight 46-44 lead.
Cheshire’s recent defensive struggles continued in the third quarter as they were unable to contain Trey Pulliam who scored 15 points in the first five minutes.
This helped the Eagles to finish the third quarter ahead 79-67.
The Phoenix had a strong fourth quarter as they forced several turnovers and drew multiple fouls to pull the score within 1-point with less than two minutes left to play.
In the end, their defensive struggles would prove too much, and Cheshire found themselves behind 101-110 at the final buzzer.
Tyreek Scott-Grayson led Cheshire’s scoring with 24 points, but Seneca Knight’s 24-point, 13-rebound double-double for Newcastle earned him MVP for the game.
With this loss the Cheshire Phoenix fall to 5th in the Championship table, which loses them a home series in the playoffs.
(Photo Credit to: franchiseopportunities.com)
