Written by Scott Laidlaw
The starting 5 for the Newcastle Eagles were Rickey McGill, Larry Austin Jr, Devin Whitfield, Darius Defoe, and Tajh Green. The starting 5 for the Caledonia Gladiators were Mike Bothwell, Patrick Whelan, Lukas Palyza, Prince Onwas, and Clifton Moore Jr.
The game started with traded baskets, making the score Eagles 2-4 Gladiators. Then the Eagles went on a 10-0 run to lead 12-4. The ball wasn’t dropping for the Gladiators, but they managed to stop the run with a free throw from Clifton Moore. That marked the start of a 0-3 run for the Gladiators. The TV timeout was called with the score at Newcastle Eagles 12-7 Caledonia Gladiators. The Eagles came out of the timeout and scored the first points to extend their lead to 7 points, 14-7. Patrick Whelan was at the line for 3 free throws, all of which were made. Then the Eagles responded with a 3-pointer from Rickey McGill, starting a 5-0 run for them to lead 19-10. Fraser Malcolm was at the line for 2 free throws, but only 1 went in, making the score Eagles 19-11 Gladiators. Then it was traded buckets, making the score Eagles 21-13 Gladiators. The Gladiators went on a 0-7 run, forcing the Newcastle Eagles into a timeout. The score was Newcastle Eagles 21-18 Caledonia Gladiators. The Eagles came out of the timeout and went on a 5-0 run to end the 1st quarter with the score Newcastle 26-18 Gladiators, an 8-point game.
The second quarter started with traded baskets, making the score Newcastle Eagles 28-22 Caledonia Gladiators. The traded baskets continued in the quarter, with no one able to go on a run, but the Eagles tried to extend their lead with a 4-0 run, making it a 10-point game, Eagles 34-24 Gladiators. The Eagles continued their dominance in the game, leading by 17 points, Eagles 45-28 Gladiators. The halftime score was Newcastle Eagles 51-36 Caledonia Gladiators, a 15-point deficit at halftime.
The halftime top scorers for the Newcastle Eagles were Rodney McGill with 16 points, leading all scorers at halftime, and for the Caledonia Gladiators, it was Patrick Whelan with 9 points.
The 3rd quarter started with traded baskets, making the score Eagles 54-41 Gladiators. The Eagles went on a 5-0 run to lead 59-41, an 18-point lead. Then Fraser Malcolm hit the first 3-pointer for the Gladiators, making the score Eagles 59-46 Gladiators. The Eagles went on a 7-0 run to lead 66-46, a 20-point game. The Gladiators went on a 0-5 run, making the score Eagles 66-51 Gladiators and forcing the Eagles into a timeout. The Eagles came out of the timeout and made a 3-pointer to lead 69-51. The Eagles went on a 0-5 run to trail by 13 points at the end of the quarter, Eagles 69-56 Gladiators.
The Eagles started the 4th quarter with a 6-0 run to extend their lead to 19 points. Clifton Moore Jr. stopped the Newcastle run. It was Eagles 75-58 Gladiators. The ball just wasn’t dropping for the Gladiators. When the timeout came, the score was Eagles 83-60 Gladiators. After the timeout, it was traded baskets, but this game was well over ages ago. The final score was Newcastle Eagles 94-71 Caledonia Gladiators.
The top scorer for the Eagles was Rodney McGill with 22 points, and for Caledonia, it was Patrick Whelan with 18 points.
The MVP was Patrick Whelan with 18 points and 5 rebounds.
