A Rickey McGill-inspired Sheffield Sharks exacted swift retribution for Friday night’s loss against Newcastle Eagles with a hard-fought homecourt win.

A second clash inside 48 hours between two of British basketball’s fiercest rivals threw up another fascinating game of big runs and brutal defence.

But ultimately Marc Steutel’s men paid the price for sloppy starts to both halves with McGill in no mood to slip up again against his former club.

The US star had struggled to conjure up anything meaningful on an atypically flat return to the Vertu Motors Arena two days earlier.

And McGill cut a crestfallen figure as he exited the scene of so many famous nights in a Newcastle jersey on the back of one from nine shooting from the field.

But it was a different story back at the Canon Medical Arena as the do-it-all guard’s 19 points, eight assists and four rebounds proved to be the difference between two fully committed teams.

Prior to tip-off, Steutel had confessed that the Sharks trio of McGill, Donovan Clay and Prentiss Nixon gave Super League Basketball coaches sleepless nights.

And the Eagles’ playcaller will be having nightmares when he looks back on a topsy-turvy performance that allowed all three to impact a tight affair at different times.

Combining for 49 points, 20 boards and 11 assists, Sheffield’s triple threat did enough to keep battling Newcastle at bay.

But it could have been a very different story for the men in black had it not been for a disastrous start.

In the blink of an eye the visitors were 16-0 down as Sharks’ revenge mission got off to the perfect start from the tip-off.

And more than five minutes had elapsed before Trey Pulliam stepped off the bench to drain the Eagles’ first points of the game.

That vital bucket was the spark for a gritty fightback and Newcastle closed the quarter with a 17-9 run that gave the hosts plenty of food for thought.

Pulliam continued to pull the strings in period two while Christian James stayed strong from the bonus stripe on the back of several bullish moves to the basket.

In fact, the Eagles’ perfect 11 from 11 from the free throw line was keeping the 2025 Trophy winners in contention and Sheffield’s lead had been trimmed to just two points at the half.

But lightning struck twice at the start of the third quarter as Atiba Lyons’ men launched another devastating scoring run — a 16-5 tear opening up a 13-point lead with 25 minutes played.

Tempers flared at the end of a touchy period as Newcastle were convinced they should have been awarded a buzzer-beating two due to goaltending. The officials disagreed and an irate Steutel picked up an untimely technical foul.

In what fast became a relentless fight to the finish, a fadeaway De’Sean Allen-Eikens floater with four minutes remaining saw the Eagles close to within three.

But Mike Okauru and Pulliam both fouled out down the stretch as McGill and Prentiss continued to pile on the pressure at both ends of the court.

And when Stuetel called a timeout with 34 seconds on the clock — and with his side trailing by six — it was do or die time for the Tynesiders.

A brace of fumbled offences handed the points to Sharks as a memorable late March mini-series ended 1-1.

But Newcastle head into April with plenty still to play for ahead of a European North Basketball League semi-final and a point to prove in the SLB playoffs.