Newcastle Eagles picked up where they left off last season with a typically powerful performance on foreign soil.

Marc Steutel’s men were the surprise package of the 2023/24 European North Basketball League (ENBL) as they stormed all the way to the playoffs.

And if that roster has been reshuffled then the intent remains the same — a determined display was far too much for a shellshocked Spišski Rytieri.

The Slovaks clung on for long periods of a free-flowing affair but Newcastle were always in control thanks to a familiarly focused Steutel gameplan.

And the Eagles’ 91-84 win probably flattered Spišski after the visitors allowed their Group A rivals back into the game at the half.

Five Newcastle players hit double figures as the hosts’ three-man game ultimately faltered.

And Steutel said: “I’m satisfied with the win.

“We’re in the middle of a run of four games in eight days and this was our third road trip in a row. So with that schedule and all of the travel I’m proud of the guys.

“I thought we approached the game in the right way and mentally we were solid.

“I’ve told the new guys that they have to learn the difference between European basketball and Super League Basketball but they will.

“We shared the ball really well and different guys attacked at different times — that’s a real strength of ours.

“Defensively I thought we did a good job of taking out their key players down the stretch.”

Spišski relied on the prolific Dylan Frye (23 points), Nigel Hawkins (20) and towering centre Ilja Gromovs (17) to keep them in the game.

But after Frye got off to a flier, Newcastle knuckled down and closed him down — leaving head coach Teo Hojc in trouble.

The Eagles edged an entertaining first period 26-22 before taking their foot off the pedal in quarter two.

And two committed teams were tied at 47-47 at the half — a Seneca Knight steal and reverse dunk the highlight of an eye-catching opening 20 minutes.

The visitors were back to their stifling best after the break as they restricted Spišski to just 17 points in the third quarter.

A Mike Okauru two-pointer with four minutes on the clock opened up a 80-71 Newcastle lead.

And although the hosts trimmed that advantage to just four points inside the final minute, De’Sean Allen-Eikens and Josh Ward-Hibbert sealed the win.

Last season’s ENBL leading scorer Knight paced the Eagles with 19 points but a stacked stat sheet illustrated Newcastle’s total team basketball.

Ward-Hibbert added nine rebounds and four steals to his 15 points off the bench.

And Jordan Spencer — promoted to the starting five — bagged 13 points, six boards and five assists.

Allen-Eikens (15) and Malcolm Delpeche (11) both played key roles on a night when Spišski faced too many offensive threats from too many corners of the court.

But perhaps the most impressive numbers of all were rebounds — the undersized Eagles winning the battle of the boards 41-32.

Newcastle are back in action at the Vertu Motors Arena on Friday when arch rivals Cheshire Phoenix head north.

But on this form even a fatigued Eagles roster can gain revenge for last weekend’s narrow loss in the North West.

The next ENBL action is just around the corner too, with tip-off at 7:30pm on Tuesday night in Newcastle against Spartak Pleven from Bulgaria.

Tickets for both Friday and Tuesday night’s games are available from the box office.