Chapman the star as Eagles tighten grip on BBL lead

 JOE Chapman was the star performer as Newcastle Eagles tightened their grip on the BBL top spot after overcoming a shaky start to comfortably see off Marshall MK Lions.

Chapman continued his excellent recent form, racking up 21 points to lead all scorers as the Eagles turned the screw in the third quarter and promptly tamed the Lions with a 99-68 victory.

It was the Eagles who started the brighter and moved into a 16-10 early lead but an 11-2 burst from the Lions handed them the advantage after the first period.

But Newcastle came back into proceedings and once Charles Smith's three-pointer gave them the lead at 29-27, they were never behind again as they streaked out to 44-34.

The Lions trimmed the deficit to just six at half time but Newcastle took control in the third quarter and a three-pointer from Andrew Bridge took the lead into double figures.

Then Chapman came to the fore as the Eagles soared into a 20-point lead before the quarter final ended at 75-51.

Newcastle's lead peaked at 86-55 in the final quarter on Darius Defoe's free throw before they cruised home to a 31-point victory for a four-point cushion over Sheffield Sharks at the top of the table.

Elsewhere, Cheshire Jets moved closer to fourth place and a home play-off berth with an excellent 59-88 win at Glasgow Rocks.

The Jets were in dominant form and were led by the outstanding Chez Marks, who bagged 25 points to help his side to a convincing 88-59 victory.