Injury-ravaged Newcastle Eagles lost the battle but won the war as the men in black secured fifth place and a playoff quarter-final against Manchester Basketball.

Not for the first time this season, late drama defined an action-packed affair at the Cheshire Oaks Arena.

But never-say-die Newcastle managed to avoid the 12-point defeat that would have enabled hosts Cheshire Phoenix to relegate Marc Steutel’s men to sixth in the final Championship standings.

With the two teams tied at 14-18 for the season overall and 2-2 in the head-to-head league series, a titanic last-day game came down to points difference.

And Phoenix moved to within a layup of finishing one place above their northern rivals, only to surrender the initiative at the death.

Never has a 10-point loss felt so much like a joyous win but it was Newcastle sporting the bigger smiles on the final buzzer.

And Phoenix playcaller Ben Thomas had to be pulled away from the match officials as he angrily confronted the referees once the clock ticked down.

Cheshire’s talismanic ex-Eagle Larry Austin Jr looked the player most likely to steer Phoenix to the 12-point win the hosts badly desired.

But the feisty guard fouled out inside the last 20 seconds — just one assist short of a famous triple double and with his team leading by 12.

In one fateful second Phoenix had conceded an unsportsmanlike foul and a technical to gift Newcastle three invaluable late trips to the bonus stripe.

And on a night when the nerveless visitors sank 21 of their 22 free throws, Mike Okauru and Darius Defoe netted all three shots at the line to reduce the deficit to nine.

Will Neighbour — playing more than 30 minutes for the first time in two years — followed up with four from four free throws to keep Cheshire at bay.

And even a late triple from Skyler White wasn’t enough to fire Phoenix into fifth.

The Eagles were always up against it less than 48 hours after Defoe, Josh Ward-Hibbert and Cole Long all failed to finish a brutal fixture against league runners-up Leicester.

Seneca Knight remained sidelined with Friday’s playoff quarter-final in mind and Newcastle headed to the north west down to the bare bones.

Defoe and Ward-Hibbert were the surprise names in a patched-up starting five but the latter, perhaps unsurprisingly given his agonising fall against the Riders, lasted less than three minutes of the first period.

And when De’Sean Allen-Eikens limped out of the action 17 seconds into the second half it was all hands to the pump in the race for fifth place.

Okauru — with 27 points, five rebounds, two assists and two blocks — proved a constant threat.

And Trey Pulliam continued his productive run to the postseason, adding seven assists to 22 points off 60 per cent shooting.

But it was Neighbour’s 16 points (including a perfect five from five from the free throw line), four assists and three rebounds that leapt out of the box score in the final analysis.

After an injury-disrupted campaign, the veteran forward left it late to emerge as the Eagles hero but the former Cheshire star deserves huge credit for a towering display in the face of immense pressure.

And on this showing who would bet against Neighbour emerging as Newcastle’s new sleeper threat heading into the playoffs?

Cheshire found themselves in the box seat after a free-flowing first quarter found the hosts 30-16 ahead.

But the shorthanded Eagles battled back to take the second period by five and stay out in front in the pursuit of fifth place.

A ding-dong battle gathered pace after the break as Newcastle somehow overcame the absence of Allen-Eikens and stayed in their zone.

That focused defensive shape caused Phoenix trouble all night and meant no Eagles’ player racked up more than three personal fouls.

But after Steutel’s men clung on to fifth spot it remains to be seen just what Newcastle’s overworked medical team can do in time for Manchester’s visit on Friday.

And right now Ward-Hibbert and Knight look like the most serious doubts ahead of what’s become the biggest game of a memorable season.