'More to come' as Newcastle make European semi
Newcastle Eagles are "not satisfied yet" after making the semi-finals of the European North Basketball League.The Eagles defeated defending champions Bakken Bears 93-73 at home to win 177-160 on aggregate, having lost the first leg in Denmark 87-84.Newcastle are aiming for their second trophy of the season, having won the Super League Basketball Trophy in January."This was one of our goals, to move forward in this competition," Josh Ward-Hibbert told BBC Look North."We're a stage closer but I don't think anyone's satisfied yet. With the team we've got, this is what we're planning for." The Final Four takes place on 8-9 April with the venue to be decided once all the finalists are known.
Success in the SLB Trophy over Bristol Flyers was a 28th piece of silverware for the most successful men's franchise in British basketball. But all of those have come on the domestic front, so winning a European trophy would be new ground for the Eagles, led by ex-Great Britain head coach Marc Steutel.Ward-Hibbert, 31, contributed 14 points at the Vertu Motors Arena as the English club convincingly overturned a three-point deficit against Bakken, the team who beat them at the same stage of this competition last year.And now it leaves the guard and the rest of his team-mates chasing history. "It's something the club hasn't done before, so it's an amazing achievement," Ward-Hibbert added."Just the event and the whole few days that it's taking place over is going to be something amazing. "I can't wait to get my teeth stuck into it and hopefully come back with a couple more wins."
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