It was the final game of the men’s 2023/24 British Basketball League season and the Manchester giants hosted the Newcastle Eagles. 

Newcastle have bested Manchester on every possible occasion this season, going 3-0 in the regular season and a clean sweep in the Trophy group stages, Newcastle would be looking for the full sweep of the season and after beating the Cheshire Phoenix, hopes are high. 

On the other hand, Manchester are riding high off the back of their first win in 2024 as they stole a win away at the Leicester Riders last night. The Giants would be looking to disrupt the playoff picture once more. 

Starting 5’s: 

Manchester Giants: Mason Bourcier, Nicholas Lewis, Nick Stampley, William Lee, Austin Lawton. 

Newcastle Eagles: Larry Austin Jr, Rickey McGill, Jordan Johnson, Darius Defoe ©, Tajh Green. 

First Half: 

It was another lively start for Manchester this opening quarter. Mason Bourcier and Austin lawton were seemingly playing to the same tune from the off as the duo combined for a plethora of baskets in the paint and even some dunks too from Lawton. Meanwhile Newcastle’s McGill went lights out from 3 to start off going 80% from beyond the arc. Manchester began to struggle defensively as the fatigue from a quick turnaround became prevalent, Manchester succumbed to giving away 30 points to Newcastle who let loose from 3 on a consistent basis whilst also finding Green and Neighbour down low. The Eagles led by 13 at the end of Q1. 

Quarter 2 turned the whole fixture on its head. A big 27-15 scoring quarter from Manchester that started with a Mason Bourcier 3 ball and ended with a 3 ball from Nick Stampley for a Giants lead at the half. Inbetween, points were coming from up and down the Giants rotation. From Austin Lawton to Callum Jones, Manchester were operating at high efficiency and even chasing and winning their offensive rebounds through Nick Stampley. William Lee and Nicholas Lewis pitched in from beyond the arc after the commercial break to set up Nick Stampley in the corner for 3 off the back of an Evan Walshe dime. Giants up at the half. 

Second Half: 

Newcastle came back in the 3rd quarter and stole the lead back from the Giants through more 3 balls from Rickey McGill and Josh Ward-Hibbert. Meanwhile Manchester lost their rhythm from 3 but kept the game competitive from 2 point range as Nicholas Lewis and Nick Stampley found their way inside with the former even getting multiple trips to the line. Lewis eventually found his rhythm from 3 hitting back to back in quick succession.

Stampley and Lewis connected from 3 one after the other and took the lead for Manchester before Ward-Hibbert tied it from the free throw line at 70 a piece heading into the final quarter of basketball in the Giants 2023/24 campaign. 

The final 10 minutes of Giants basketball were electric. Newcastle opened with a 9-3 scoring run to take a 6 point lead. William Lee proceeded to put on a midrange masterclass in the 4th quarter as the Giants forward was unable to miss. Nicholas Lewis and Nick Stampley got in on the scoring antics scoring from 3 point land.

Lewis did not stop there as his scoring got the Giants through a majority of the quarter and kept them within touching distance of their opponents. Lewis was also the deciding factor with 10.9 seconds left. A pair of free throws being the deciding factor as there was too little time left on the clock for the Eagles to mount an equaliser. 

Stats: 

William Lee: 20 Points, 10 Rebounds, 60%FG. 

Nicholas Lewis: 29 Points, 9 Assists, 2 Steals.

Nick Stampley: 15 Points, 12 Rebounds, 66%FG.

Mason Bourcier: 13 Points, 3 Assists, 57%FG. 

With this game that marks the final matchup of the 2023/24 season for the Manchester Giants. A massive thank you to all the fans who have supported week in week out for the team. We look forward to seeing you all back at the National Basketball Performance Centre for the 2024/25 season. 

All highlights from tonight's big win will be available to view below: