Caledonia Gladiators 'have work to do' to rescue play-off dreams

Caledonia Gladiators head coach Gareth Murray admits his side have left themselves a lot of work to do after Newcastle Eagles took a 1-0 play-off quarter-final advantage at PlaySport on Friday night.

The 97-78 defeat means the East Kilbride side must win in Newcastle on Friday evening if they are to take it to a decisive third game on Sunday, as the competition reverts to a ‘best of three’ format.

Defeat on Friday eliminates Gladiators from the competition and ends their season.

As third-placed finisher, they were expected to beat Eagles, who finished three spots below them in the British Basketball League season.

Murray said: “For me we should have won this game at home and now we need to go down to Newcastle, win on the road, and then bring it back up here and win.

“That’s not going to be easy, they matched us physically, they knew what they wanted to take away, and did a good job of doing that.

“I don’t think our physicality matched theirs.”

Former Caledonian Gladiators star Jordan Johnson came off the bench to score 31 points and seven assists to secure what could be a crucial advantage for the English side.

Gladiators star Princeton Onwas said: “One thing we are going to do is fight.

“We’ve beaten them twice, they’ve beaten us twice in the regular season, so it is a battle.

“We have to bring the energy and a game-plan to execute.”

Tip-off for Friday’s crucial return leg in Newcastle is at 7.30pm.

For those unable to attend, Caledonia Gladiators are hosting a ‘Play-off Watch Party’ in the PlaySport Arena fan zone on Friday.

Doors open at 7pm and entry is £5 for adults and £3 for under-16s.

Meanwhile, the women’s team are in action on Sunday in their play-off quarter-final tie.

They face Durham Palatinates at 12pm and