Eagles targeting play-off boost against the Archers

THE Seriös Group Newcastle Eagles go into today’s Women’s British Basketball League fixture at Cardiff Met Archers assured of a place in the end-of-season play-offs.

Where they finish in the final standings will be decided by how they fare in their last two regular season games, starting with today in Cardiff and finishing next Saturday night at the Vertu Motors Arena.

Win both and there’s an outside chance they could finish as high as fifth position and definitely seal sixth, which would represent big progress this season.

Lose both or even one and then they’ll be looking at other results in the final week of the regular season.

Today, though, they face an Archers side that has lost all 17 of their league games so far and went down 93-64 to the Eagles in Newcastle in December.

Reflecting on last weekend’s dramatic 71-67 win over Oaklands at home, former Archers point guard Lauren Saiki said: “Last week’s win was definitely a big one to secure a play-off spot but we have to finish the next 80 minutes of the regular season in the right way to put us in the best position to make a play-off run.

“However, we have to take care of the first 40 despite Cardiff’s record and the rankings in the league. In this league nothing is guaranteed and you have to earn every win so we can’t look past anyone.

“We hope to build on the last win to finish strong with some momentum going into the play-off.”

Saiki, who in her second season with Cardiff last campaign actually led the league in assists, is once again dishing out decisive passes for her Eagles team-mates to convert in style.

“We have been striving all season to put together a full 40 minutes,” she said.

“If we can be disruptive on the defensive end and play together to find the advantages it should be a fun one!

“I’m excited to go back to where I had the opportunity to compete in a top league overseas, gain valuable experiences and make unforgettable memories that I will be forever grateful for.

“However, I’m always looking forward to compete on the court no matter the opponents and will be focused on helping my team-mates get a vital win to keep our push going as we look forward to the playoffs.”