Newcastle Eagles’ weekend serves as a reminder of the gulf between how good they can look and their inability to win right now.

A one-possession loss to Bristol on Friday, followed by a four-point defeat to Manchester Basketball on Sunday, extends the losing streak to five.

Both games had different flavours throughout, but ultimately came to the same conclusion. Eagles spend most of their time chasing the flow of the game, requiring their shot-makers to bail them out.

Against Bristol, physicality on the glass unwound them. But against Manchester? A second-quarter collapse meant, as has become all too frequent, an insurmountable mountain to climb.

Overtime Heartache

Newcastle, for much of this game, would defend the initial action relatively okay, but then switch off. Being prone to conceding points by back-cuts and ball movement meant the Eagles’ defence was easily bypassed. 

Even when Newcastle forced overtime, the shape of the contest didn’t change. The hosts made shots, but Bristol dominated from a physical standpoint: On the glass and getting to the stripe. 

For context, Bristol won the boards battle 49-32, had 34 more points in the paint and had a greater FT shot volume. And Newcastle needed more than three points than two just to hang around. It’s the clearest indicator that Newcastle’s unwillingness to crash the boards on both ends will cost them dearly in certain situations.

A Fightback Necessary From A Q2 Collapse

Sunday offered a different rhythm to the game, and a lesson in how quickly it can change.

The first quarter in Manchester had Newcastle looking as free-flowing as ever for the first time in weeks. The ball moved, actions flowed, and the dribble handoff use was excellent. A track meet ensued as not much defending occurred, with the score reading 32-30 to Manchester. Both teams traded clean offence and decisive ball movement, trading off any defence.

The second quarter, however, became Manchester’s wheelhouse. The pace dialled down, and defensive intensity went up, forcing Newcastle into a spiral and the gap to widen. By the half, Manchester led by thirteen as the game threatened to leave the Eagles in the dust.

To their credit, they never became deterred. The second half proved that the Tynesiders could chip away and bring the contest to touching distance.

Deion Hammond made vital threes, Mitch Clarke found his lanes, and Cole Long hit a series of huge shots to keep the game in reach. Gus Okafor as well stretched the floor and gave a two-way performance to benefit Newcastle’s cause.

However, the final minutes showed again what Newcastle fail to do: Capitalise on the momentum shifting, which has sunk them to 6-12 in league play. 

The hole from Q2 became the insurmountable mountain that Newcastle could not climb or conquer.

Competitive, But Not Controlling

Neither contest became a blowout. Being within two and four points respectively shows the  Newcastle Eagles have fight, runs and shot-making.

A consistent problem remains, though: Control is lacking across long enough stretches.

The possession and sequencing battle against Bristol and Manchester, respectively show that exact problem.

To prevent reliance on late-game adrenaline, own possessions and tempo from the offset. Right now, opponents don’t have to beat Newcastle twice, as they do the hard part for them. And especially with two important games coming up against Rigas and London, lapses in concentration must be avoided.

Close cannot continue to be the strategy, otherwise eighth place in the league and rock bottom of the European North Basketball League (ENBL) looks cemented.