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BBL Eagles overdue awakening too late for Rock shock
Edinburgh Rocks split their weekend basketball double-header in the
Dairylea Dunkers Championship but after suffering a reverse in Manchester
on Saturday evening, the Scots bounced back to record victory by 104-95
in a high-scoring encounter with Newcastle Eagles.The Rocks' closest rivals were lethargic for 33 of the 40 minutes on their
first trip to Meadowbank this season and underlined why the Geordies
languish in the Northern Conference's basement.Against Newcastle , the hosts produced some sparkling play to build
a cushion which extended to what should have been an insurmountable 27
points in the first half. An early 11-0 tear put them up 13-5 and with both
John McCord and Iain Maclean scoring freely, Brandon's men were in utter
control, a further 10-0 burst making it 45-18 in Edinburgh's favour.For most teams, that massive advantage should have been a signal to utilise
the bench but the Scots seemed content to commit hari-kari. The warning
signs should have flashed before half-time when the Eagles hit 12 in a row
to trail by just 15 and after the re-start, their ultra-impressive American
Ralph Blalock 15 of his total 35 points consecutively to put the hosts
under pressure.With Maclean en route to his season-best 26 points tally, Edinburgh ended
the third period ahead 76-57 but the dam burst as they tamely gave up 11
points in a two minute spell. That cut the Rocks lead to nine and although
Craig Lynch's travellers never gave up the ghost, a thunderous dunk by
McCord with 24 seconds left took his total to 26 and spared his side's
blushes."Our team needs to learn how to execute," said Brandon. "We were caught
cold against Manchester but Newcastle came back too easily. We're still
aiming for third spot though in the Conference."
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