Two nights after the London Lions delivered a cold, brutal lesson in game control, the Newcastle Eagles travelled to Ellesmere Port and gave supporters what they needed to see: A response.

Albeit a quarter too late.

Cheshire Phoenix emerged victorious after a thrilling contest. The hosts survived a fourth-quarter rally from the visitors, as they dragged the game from over and out to one possession in a matter of minutes. Eagles cut it to 99-98 with 13.1 seconds remaining, but couldn’t find the winning shot after Skyler White calmly made two free throws at the other end.

For Newcastle, both encouragement and frustration were present in equal measure as the fight was real but the flaws familiar.

The same slow starts- and Cheshire made them pay

If Friday’s contest against the Lions gave a warning about tempo and shot quality, Sunday continued that concerning trend.

Cheshire landed the first punches, racing into a 7-0 lead as Eagles missed their opening three looks. But even as Newcastle settled, the pattern persisted as off-ball movement was non-existent, starts to quarters were sluggish, and the half-court offence visibly disjointed.

Cheshire, meanwhile, didn’t stoop to their opponent’s level. The pace was pushed frenetically, the floor was spaced adequately, and their positionless approach punished Newcastle’s lax defence.

Pat Robinson controlled the game, and Cheshire’s bench swung it

Last time the two sides met in the SLB Trophy Semi Final 2nd leg, Pat Robinson took control, posting 40 points. This felt like a continuation of that stellar performance, with the young guard finishing on 29 points. To no one’s surprise, he got to his spots effortlessly and, when guarded well, made some difficult looks. For a guard who entered pre-season with questions about whether he could step up, he has more than answered those queries.

Cheshire as a collective recorded 52 points in the paint, a figure that usually tells the entire story. The real separator, despite that, was the supporting bench. Cheshire’s bench scored 50 points, spearheaded by Frankie Policelli’s 15, with the rest providing a steady stream whenever Newcastle threatened to halt their momentum.

This matters because Newcastle did actually generate disruption:

Newcastle forced turnovers- but couldn’t take advantage

Cheshire turned the ball over 15 times. Newcastle managed to convert that into 23 points off the turnovers. It’s the kind of statistic that more often than not gives a club the road win.

The issue was timing.

Too often, when Newcastle got defensive stops, they couldn’t complete the possession. It’s because they struggled to:

• Protect the paint,

• Contain the transition offence,

• Get enough from their bench early to keep the game within striking distance.

At halftime, Cheshire would lead by fourteen points with a score of 54-40. The biggest lead of the game got to 21, and Newcastle looked mentally and physically depleted.

A fourth-quarter rally that almost stole it

Then the fourth arrived.

Newcastle found a groove at last and actually appeared to be the team we have become accustomed to watching. Terrell Burden Jr consistently collapsed the defence with rim pressure, in tandem with Raysean Taylor’s energy shift to flip the game on its head.

Cheshire early in the fourth was forced to call time following Cole Long and Taylor’s three-pointers. Those shots cut the deficit to five, with the score at 79-74 with 8:05 remaining.

For a split second, belief coursed through the veins of fans at home and the five on the floor.

However, the Phoenix responded with composure as Skyler White drilled a three and finished in transition to re-establish breathing room. Whenever Newcastle felt momentum was on their side, Cheshire would steady the venue with a calm possession.

Regardless, Newcastle continued to be stubborn.

Taylor would absorb contact and finish, Long went coast-to-coast for an and-one. The deficit had been clawed down to a solitary point with 13.1 seconds to play. Then, with ice in his veins, White sank two free throws right into the hearts of the Eagles faithful.

Newcastle had two looks to send the contest into overtime, but neither fell.

Newcastle’s key learnings from this weekend

The lid was not on offence, unlike Friday against London. 98 points scored, 10 3FG’s made and real pressure was placed onto the hosts in a hostile gym. Heart, toughness and determination made the Eagles almost complete the impossible.

Instead, a core truth reinforced from the prior two games: Newcastle cannot rely on fourth-quarter miracles to win them points.

If this isn’t addressed, the pattern risks becoming not an anomaly, but a defining flaw.

Final score: Cheshire Phoenix 101-98 Newcastle Eagles