Newcastle Eagles reign victorious over Bakken Bears with a 177-160 aggregate victory to cement a place in the ENBL semi-finals – 93-73 on the night.

It has been another turbulent week in the soap opera that is Super League Basketball as it continues to find grave new depths that reflect negatively on a product that has shown so much promise since its rebranding after the 777 debacle.  However, the Newcastle Eagles have displayed that there are brighter days to come for the British game.

Head coach Marc Steutel and his players carried a heavy burden for British basketball – a burden to show Europe that this nation is thriving and has potential to compete on the international stage.

The pressure never showed as the Tynesiders dominated proceedings from the first tip as they looked to put the reigning ENBL champions, the Bakken Bears, to the sword.

Magic Mike returns

It felt like the stars had aligned for the Eagles as Mike Okauru made his long awaited return to the Vertu Motors Arena – setting an electric tempo for the whole evening.

Despite a thinned out crowd in the Vertu Motors Arena, the home side relinquished any worries of a lethargic start to the game –  Newcastle’s quick transition offense and ball movement was too much for Bakken to handle.

A direct approach and efficient use of the pick and roll saw the home side take a promising lead into the half-time break – 44-33.

The ever-impressive Trey Pulliam and reliable Josh Ward-Hibbert continued to pose the Danish side problems with their relentless drives at the basket – scoring 16 and 14 points respectively.

Ward-Hibbert imposed his physical presence in the paint as he bullied helpless opposition players to contribute 10 rebounds on a night where Newcastle had to acquire all the marginal gains possible to gain the outcome they required.

However, it was De’Sean Allan-Eikens who provided the killer instinct that would send the Bears back to Denmark with shattered dreams  – sinking an incredible 12 points in the fourth quarter and finishing the game with 19 points.

Allen-Eikens was awarded the MVP accolade for his heroics on a night that will live long in the memory of Newcastle and British basketball fans – with the game finishing 93-73 in favour of the home side.

What next for the Newcastle Eagles?

Bamberg Baskets will be praying for a miracle as they face an uphill battle to salvage a 21-point deficit in their tie against heavily backed favourites, Dziki Warszawa – trailing 74-95.

Newcastle will play the winner of this tie which already appears to be over, but stranger things have happened… 

Inter Bratislava and CSO Voluntari are the two sides that will face-off on the other side of the draw.

Tyneside fans will be eagerly anticipating the confirmation of their opponent. 

The game is scheduled to be played on Tuesday, April 8th.