Classy Christian James closed out a huge victory on the road for Newcastle Eagles after the all-action American blazed a trail from the bench at Surrey.

Marc Steutel introduced his mid-season signing five minutes into another must-win game for the men in black.

And what followed was a masterclass in composure and aggression from a player stepping up in the absence of the sidelined Seneca Knight.

James added 14 rebounds, three assists and two steals to his game high 25 points to bag a box score index of 37.

The homecourt 89ers had no answer to 33 minutes of measured basketball as the former Oklahoma Sooner scored big and dominated the glass.

But arguably James was at his best from the bonus stripe — fouled nine times, he stayed super cool to convert a sensational 15 of 17 free throws and see Newcastle home.

On a night when Steutel chose to run another seven-man rotation, three players shared 71 of the Eagles’ 95 points.

James was ably supported by the increasingly confident Trey Pulliam and an in-form De’Sean Allen-Eikens — Newcastle’s self-styled maverick looking back to his best.

And with leading scorer Mike Okauru limited to just four points in 22 minutes — and Knight yet again absent — the 2025 Trophy winners clearly needed the points to come from elsewhere.

Earlier in the week Pulliam had been tipped by ex-Eagles favourite Drew Lasker to provide the X factor for his former club in the playoffs.

And the point guard appears to be building up to a pivotal postseason with a series of increasingly impressive displays.

In tandem with James, the laser-focused Pulliam dominated the backcourt to add eight assists and four steals to his 24 points.

And the US star missed just 103 seconds of an impressive road win as he put in a shift to be proud of in Guildford.

Fellow SLB rookie Allen-Eikens burst onto the scene at the start of the season but this was his best effort for some time in a Newcastle jersey.

Busy from the tip, the undersized forward set the tone for a hard-nosed first quarter with a series of forceful moves to the basket.

And Allen-Eikens remained a threat throughout as he fought his way to 22 points in 25 minutes, including seven from nine two-pointers.

Just 48 hours after a fabulous win against SLB form team Manchester Basketball, the fatigued Eagles could have been forgiven for taking their foot off the gas in Surrey.

The opposite was true as Steutel’s men somehow found the energy to take the game to Lloyd Gardner’s shellshocked 89ers.

And although the hosts closed to within three points at the half, James exploded after the break to put namesake Mervin and his team-mates firmly on the back foot.

Newcastle took the third quarter 29-21 and, with victory in sight, Steutel’s men stayed strong down the stretch.

Back-to-back wins maintain the pressure on fourth-placed Manchester with the two teams edging ever closer to what would be a mouthwatering playoff quarter-final clash.

Next up for James and co. is Bristol Flyers on Easter Monday with a third game in six days set to test the Eagles’ diminishing energy reserves to the limit.

But on this evidence few would bet against the men in black moving to 14-16 ahead of the final weekend of regular season action.

Tickets are available now for Easter bank holiday Monday’s tip-off against Bristol Flyers from the box office.