Newcastle Eagles completed their pre-season programme with their third win out of three games played with a comprehensive win over long standing Super League Basketball (SLB) rivals Sheffield Sharks in the Vertu Arena on Sunday evening.

The margin of victory in the end was convincing, but it was a totally different game to the one that had taken place less than 48 hours earlier against Caledonia. That one had been an offensive explosion. This one earned by some excellent defensive work inside and outside by the Eagles.

Not that Newcastle did not score when they needed too. They did but whereas on Friday they had scored at will they had to show more thought and smarts to outplay a Sheffield side that showed lots of character after Coach Marc Steutel’s men in black had made a good start to the game.

The end analysis will show that it was the first and final quarters that made the difference with the two middle quarters being shared. However, it was the Eagles start powered early by Cam Christon that enabled Steutel to rotate his players at will and give all valuable minutes.

Sheffield played their part in a competitive outing where perhaps early season fatigue crept in to their play as Eagles finished the game well in the fourth. Sheffield were also not helped by only having eight players on their roster.

Three summer signings in Donovan Clay, Mike Ochereobia and Dan Gherezgher all worryingly ruled out with injuries picked up in pre-season training and previous games. Their absence proving crucial as Coach Atiba Lyons had to play what he had for longer than he would have liked.

Eagles on the other hand had a full roster to call upon and were able to throw fresher bodies and different line-ups at the Sharks as they blunted their visitors bite time and time again and only allowed 63 points all night.

The first quarter was comfortable for Newcastle. They perhaps did not score as freely as they would have liked and only netted 22 points to set their tone offensively but at the other end, they only allowed Sheffield 8-points in the first ten minutes.

Indeed, when you look at the Eagles scoring statistics, they were extremely consistent in all four and really did the job at the other end early on in the piece and down the stretch as well. It meant the final margin of victory confirmed a reasonably comfortable night for Steutel’s side.

The Eagles once they established a double-digit advantage pretty much held that throughout until aa late flurry in the final period was enough to put the game away after Sheffield had hung around for a good period of the game.

In the third period Sharks flickered briefly and cut the gap to a mere 9-points but that was as close as they got and by the end of that third quarter Eagles had pretty much put the game to bed leading by 16-points before their solid final 10-minute stretch.

Credit in particular to Sharks new recruit Sean Bairstow in particular who showed promise at this level with a game-high 20-points. The returning William Lee also in double figures for Sheffield with 11-points.

For the Eagles it was another well spread scoresheet. A statistic that will please Steutel as much as the win. His side sharing the ball and the scoring burden really well. Aussie Mitch Clarke led Newcastle’s scorers with 16 points with Christon scoring inside and out for 15.

The big man in the middle Adam Hamilton had a very solid all-round game in the paint and also weighed in with 15 points and he was well supported by captain Josh Ward-Hibbert with 12 and Trevond Barnes with 10.

Guards Blondeau Tchoukuiegno and Tavis Smith facilitated rather than scored and Smith in particular had an offensive night to forget. But they paced their side throughout and certainly helped the others to find the buckets needed to complete another good pre-season win.

The next competitive game for this new-look Eagles side comes next Sunday with the SLB season’s opener down in London against the reigning National Champions Lions. A side that took all four senior titles last season.

A tough opener for Steutel and his charges to open up their campaign but they go into it looking like a side that is gelling early and that can play at both ends of the court with effect. Attributes they are going to need as they go into the Lions den this coming Sunday afternoon.

Tickets for next Friday night’s Eagles home opener against Bristol Flyers are available to book now from the box office.