Despite a tremendous fourth quarter comeback the Newcastle Eagles slipped to their second SLB Championship of the weekend in Cheshire on Sunday night. The hometown Phoenix extracting a modicum of revenge after being knocked out of the Trophy semi-finals last weekend by the Eagles.

It was another explosive high-octane offensive match-up between two sides that really know each other inside out after now having met five times in all this season. The crucial statistic at the moment is the 2-1 lead Phoenix now have in the best of four league series.

Not that Eagles could have given much more in their search to take a victory in a tough venue to visit and one they have now lost three times this season. It was perhaps the first half performance that Head Coach Marc Steutel will consider more than his team’s determined second half effort.

A game where they never led and from virtually the midway point in the first period they were always chasing the game as Phoenix pumped up from the start seemed determined to ensure that they would bounce back after last weekend.

A 7-0 start for the home side did not phase the Eagles who came flying back with seven unanswered of their own to level the game up. Cheshire scored three Eagles replied with three. Cheshire scored another three and again Newcastle levelled. At 13-points each it looked early on a tight affair.

Phoenix then made their first decisive run with Michael Diggins on his 28^th birthday looking to celebrate early setting his side away on a 9-0 burst to give them the lead. Gus Okafor hit four straight and Eagles were back within 5.

Patrick Robinson, the Phoenix’s leading scorer this season, was off the bench and immediately into his stride and his final four points of the first quarter gave Cheshire the period by 26-17. The second period opened with four more from Cheshire including two more from the prolific Robinson.

It meant eight unanswered and for the first time in the game Cheshire had a double-digit advantage. Eagles did get on board and steadied the ship a little clinging on to the Phoenix’s claw but another 7-0 run from the home side pushed them 21 in front.

Eagles were in a hole and trying to dig themselves out of it. Encouragingly they managed to net the last six points of the half and reduce the deficit but down 14 points at 54-40 as they headed to the locker room was clearly not what they had planned.

That late work in the second period was largely undone as once again Cheshire started a period strongly. A 9-2 run this time once again giving them a 21-point lead and good control of the game. Newcastle rallied again and a finished the quarter well.

They tied the ten-minute period 24-24 which included a good 7-1 run and the teams with ten minutes to go were still separated by 14-points. Then in the almost polar opposite of what had happened seven days earlier it was Newcastle that put in the big final period.

Maceo Jack broke some of the shackles he’d had put on him through the first thirty minutes. Cole Long was as consistent as ever and Newcastle’s two-guard offensive threat of Terrell Burden and in particular Ray’Sean Taylor pulled the Eagles back into the game.

Long and Taylor both netting triples as a tremendous Eagles run of 12-1 to start the final period saw them close the gap to within before home captain Skyler White helped push the gap back to double figures.

Cheshire called a time-out and came out of it well to seemingly clinch the game going into the final two minutes up by 12 on the back of another Robinson lay-up. But the Eagles were not going away nor lying down and hit Phoenix with another big run as time ticked down.

Deion Hammond nailed a triple. Taylor another one and then Long with an And-1 play and two free-throws combined for ten points without reply and suddenly Eagles were back within one with 11 seconds left on the clock.

White was fouled by Hammond and made both free throws meaning Eagles needed a three-point basket to tie the game and send it to overtime. It so nearly happened as well. Jack getting a look that rimmed out but Hammond took an offensive board and found Burden.

Burden got his potential game-tying shot off before the buzzer but his effort was just not accurate enough hitting the rim and bouncing away to safety for the Phoenix and to spell another tough night on the road and ultimately a loss for the Eagles despite that last-gasp effort.

Ray’Sean Taylor took the MVP honours adding 8 rebounds to his 22-point effort from the bench. Cole Long had 16 points and 9 rebounds for another solid consistent performance and Maceo Jack’s late scoring spree gave him 16 points along with 4 rebounds against his old team.

Gus Okafor with 15 points and 4 rebounds and Terrell Burden with 14 points, 6 rebounds and 6 assists being the other main contributors on a night where their combined efforts just fell short.