Newcastle Eagles conquer the Bristol Flyers to lift the inaugural Super League Basketball Trophy.

Energy. Passion. Commitment. The most successful team in British basketball history showcased it all to end the trophy drought that had plagued the city since 2021.

Marc Steutal’s pre-match speech must have been pure poetry as the Eagles soared out of the blocks.

Mike Okauru displayed his ability to takeover in the biggest games during a first quarter that Newcastle dominated – sinking a devastating five 3-point efforts and tallying 17 points.

The Eagles went into the first break with a lead that would strike fear into the hearts of the Bristol Flyers fan base – 31-19.

It was much of the same from Newcastle in the second quarter as their quick transitions down the court and the rapid ball movement left the Flyers bamboozled on defense.

Seneca Knight and Mike Okauru were electric on offense, as Bristol struggled to come up with a solution to contain the star duo – combining for 33 of the Eagles’ 52 first-half points.

Keddy Johnson could not find his usual destructive rhythm that had carried his team this far in the competition – finishing the first-half with a worrying six points.

Newcastle Eagles lead the Bristol Flyers with two quarters left – 52-31.

A huge response was needed from the Flyers if they had any chance of turning round the 21 point deficit.

However, the brutal performance continued to rear its ugly head as they did not score a point for three minutes and 49 seconds in the third quarter.

Knight continued to ooze class as Bristol ran out of superlatives to throw in his direction. By the time the third quarter had finished, he had put up an impressive 22 points and did not look like slowing down.

Bristol looked deflated and out of ideas by the time the third quarter whistle was blown, as they were losing the game – 73-50.

Tensions appeared to start boiling over as De’Sean Allen-Eikens and Corey Samuels were close to coming to blows with a shove coming from the Newcastle man.

The Eagles had to avoid being drawn into any unpleasantries with the game continuing to go in their favour.

At least that altercation gave the loyal Bristol fans, who made the trip to Birmingham, something to celebrate.

Marc Steutal’s men managed the game expertly after the incident, chewing up every second of the clock they could and draining any gasp of air that remained in an unlikely Bristol comeback.

The fourth quarter may have been a stale affair for the neutral, but fans from Tyneside who had made the four hour journey, relished every passing moment as they knew that a celebration was imminent.

Despite the trophy was clearly heading in Newcastle’s direction, Steutal continued to bark out orders from the touchline as he demanded his side stayed professional until the very last moment of the game.

Then it happened. Jubilation! The final whistle came and so did the party. An intoxicating atmosphere swept throughout Utiltia Arena.

Newcastle Eagles were crowned SLB Trophy champions!

They defeated the Bristol Flyers with the score finishing 97-78 in a match they commanded from start to finish.

Commiserations to Flyer’s fans as they were glorious to watch throughout the competition.

What a way to start the new era of British Basketball.

MVP: Mike Okauru (19 points)