Lions take on the Eagles

Basketball will see a match of the titans on Sunday, 14th December as the London Lions take on the Newcastle Eagles at the Copper Box Arena in the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park. The match starts at 4pm. Lions’ head coach Vince Macaulay feels that winning their last three games has helped his team begin to find their identity, just in time to host the side that have quickly distinguished themselves as the BBL’s team to beat. Macaulay said: “We are playing with confidence and I think we’ve found our roles within the type of basketball we want to play. It’s really important that we have a foundation so the talent we have on the team can express itself.”

Eagles, following an opening night loss, head into the weekend having won 13 games in a row in all competitions. Being one of the most experienced coaches in the league, Macaulay has seen countless all-conquering Eagles teams, but has been impressed by the latest incarnation.

Eagles will travel to London fresh from hosting Sheffield Sharks in the BBL Cup semi-final second leg on Friday, but the Lions coach does not seeing that playing any part come Sunday evening. “Eagles as always are a tremendous team, we felt they caught us on the hop last time but they also put in some stellar performances,” admitted Macaulay. “This year’s team is a lot bigger than previously and they have the balance right across the board with a terrific point guard. I’m not sure Friday’s game will have any impact on Sunday, the BBL is a tough league and successful teams deal with those extra games.”

Last time they met:
London Lions 56 Newcastle Eagles 69
(BBL Championship, Copper Box Arena, 26/10/2014)

What they say:
Eagles player-coach Fab Flournoy: “London are still coming together as a team having made some changes, but have had some excellent results in the last few weeks and will undoubtedly benefit from Rod Brown returning from injury.”

•For more information and for tickets, go to www.londonlionsbasketball.com