A season high 37 points from Seneca Knight wasn’t enough to save Newcastle Eagles from another loss on the road following a dramatic finale to a frantic clash in Cheshire.

The US star — in his first season with the men in black — equalled his career best score as he converted 12 of 15 shots from the field.

But in a cruel twist at the death it was Knight who committed a shot clock violation with just three seconds on the clock and with the game tied at 103 apiece.

And from the restart, red hot rival Nick Timberlake drained a huge triple to seal a buzzer-beating win for the homecourt Phoenix.

The nerveless guard equalled Knight’s 37-point haul to send the Cheshire Oaks Arena crowd into raptures and leave crestfallen Newcastle wondering what might have been.

The Eagles looked set to bury their away-day hoodoo after outscoring their prolific hosts for the bulk of the game.

Two fast-paced sides combined for 110 points after the opening 20 minutes — the highest half-time total in Super League Basketball this season.

But fouls were being committed almost as fast as baskets were being drained and Marc Steutel’s limited rotation ultimately felt the squeeze down the stretch.

Although bigs Darius Defoe and Will Neighbour suited up for Newcastle’s second game in three days, neither played a minute in Cheshire.

And with Cole Long sidelined, Steutel had hoped to rely on a seven-man rotation to see him through on the road.

But when Trey Pulliam appeared to break a finger midway through the fourth period, the pressure was on.

Christian James fouled out on a controversial ‘delay game’ technical seconds later and Mike Okauru also exited a feisty affair on five fouls.

That forced Steutel to introduce Jordan Spencer — another player struggling for full match fitness ahead of next weekend’s SLB Trophy final — for the final 150 seconds.

But when Knight made it 101-96 with less than a minute to play the Eagles still held all of the aces.

Somehow a Timberlake-inspired Nix fought back just as Newcastle allowed their focus to slip.

First the Cheshire guard bagged five points within three seconds as he drained a long three before stealing the inbound pass and converting a lay-up.

That tied things up at 101-101 before Eagles MVP Knight equalled his career high tally with a coolly taken brace of free throws.

Cheshire matched their top five rivals from the bonus strip but at 103-103 and with 26 seconds on the clock, the visitors had possession and control.

Knight had barely put a foot wrong from the tip and the former San Jose State was the right man at the right time to bring the ball up court.

But after rejecting a series of scoring opportunities in the face of stifling Nix defence, the forward left it too long to get his final shot off.

Even then it looked like a thrilling fixture would go to overtime before that man Timberlake picked up possession in front of the Newcastle bench and nailed the biggest shot of the night with the clock ticking down to zero.

Knight was one of several standout Eagles who didn’t deserve to be on the losing team — Okauru (27), Pulliam (11) and James (10) all scoring at key moments.

And Malcolm Delpeche hauled down an impressive 11 boards off the bench as Newcastle’s key disruptor inside kept Cheshire keen.

But Steutel’s men know they could — and should — have picked up two vital points on the road to complete the perfect double header weekend.

Instead the battling Tynesiders must lick their wounds and pick out the positives before getting down to business against Bristol Flyers in Sunday’s SLB Trophy final.