Ruthless Newcastle Eagles swept aside reigning champions Bakken Bears to write a fresh chapter in the franchise’s history books.

The men in black marched into their first overseas semi-final on the back of a convincing win against the shellshocked Danes.

And it’s on to Slovakia for the Final Fours of this season’s European North Basketball League (ENBL) and the chance to bag a second trophy of the season.

Newcastle trailed the tie by three points following a battling display in Aarhus the previous week.

And the Eagles headed into the biggest game of the season on the back of a dispiriting defeat against Bristol Flyers.

But Marc Steutel’s side snapped a five-game losing streak in some style to keep alive hopes of clinching the ENBL title in just their second season of European hoops.

The hosts won every quarter of an absorbing clash after starting strongly and finishing with a flurry of quality buckets.

The return of talismanic leading scorer Mike Okauru was a huge boost to a Newcastle side that had been sorely lacking the American’s consistent firepower.

But the Bears were immediately on the back foot as big man Jacob Polakovich — who bagged a double double of 27 points and 11 rebounds in the first leg — failed to recover from an injury suffered in domestic action last Thursday.

If all eyes were on Okauru then five of his locked-in team-mates hit double figures on a night when everything finally went right for the Eagles.

MVP De’Sean Allen-Eikens added four assists and seven rebounds to his Newcastle-high 19 points as the rookie put in a thrilling 31-minute shift.

And Josh Ward-Hibbert made good on his pledge to pick things up — following a damning assessment of the Flyers defeat — by bagging a double double of 14 points and 10 boards.

Steutel’s men won the battle of the boards as they outrebounded Bakken 37-32.

And while the Bears struggled from the bonus stripe — missing 10 of their 21 free throws — the hosts hit 11 of 15 in a tie where every point mattered.

“We’ve been through a tough patch, for sure,” admitted Newcastle’s proud playcaller after watching his team tough it out against top class opposition.

“Our motivations, each game, from the players’ standpoint, probably could have been a little bit more consistent during that period.

“But unless you’re an absolute powerhouse you have to go through that tough patch.

“You learn from it and you try to grow from it. We were fresher and more focused against Bakken.”

The Eagles — who soared into the quarter-finals with a 7-1 record to top ENBL’s Group A — raced into a 25-15 first quarter lead.

And Newcastle increased their advantage at the break with all five starters enjoying a strong start to a must-win clash.

Backcourt duo Trey Pulliam and Christian James kept the scoreboard ticking over while Ward-Hibbert was everywhere during a typically all-action first half.

And if Okauru looked tentative on his return from an ankle injury then a couple of trademark baskets under pressure announced a welcome return for Super League Basketball’s top scorer.

“Mike’s production wasn’t the same level as where he’s been,” added Steutel. “It’s probably what I expected and it’s important that we manage those expectations while he gets back to full fitness.

“But just having him back on court gave the team some much-needed balance and in the end we had six guys in double figures.”

The hosts closed out the second half 49-40 to book their place in Bratislava on April 8-9 and move one step closer to adding to this season’s SLB Trophy success.

And now attention turns to securing fourth spot in an increasingly competitive SLB Championship with Friday’s trip to Leicester looming large.