BBL: Drew Lasker and Newcastle Eagles eye huge scalp

The Eagles went into Saturday’s game with Bristol Flyers having never lost to them and kept that 100% record intact with an 87-80 victory.

That helped the Eagles maintain pressure on BBL Championship leaders Leicester Riders, although Lasker admitted the Flyers pushed them all the way.

“It was a blistering start from Bristol and we expected that,” said the Newcastle guard.

“We knew they would come with lots of energy and our goal was just to withstand the storm out of the gate.

“For the most part we were able to control the game after the first quarter and it was a solid team performance.”

With the Riders coming to Tyneside on Friday, the Eagles will be determined to make up the for the home defeat they suffered at the hands of Leicester last month.

A 5-0 run in the final minute gave the Riders a dramatic 79-77 victory, a result that did not sit well with Newcastle.

“It was tough to go into the [Christmas] break on that loss,” Lasker admitted.

“But we’ve moved on from that now and drawn a line in the sand.”

And Lasker knows a lot is at stake on Friday.

“Every game with Leicester is like a cup final and you don’t need any more motivation in these games,” he said.

“The bottom line is that this is a must-win game for us.

“We’re two losses back and if they win this one, they win the tie-breaker.”

Lasker concluded: “The Riders are playing well and on top form right now, so we can’t afford to be complacent.”