At half-time in the Vertu Arena on Saturday night the Newcastle Eagles were well placed to bounce back from their loss at Caledonia before Christmas. A nine-point lead over last season’s Cup and Regular Season Champions Oaklands Wolves a platform to take another signature win.

However Wolves had other ideas and produced a superb second half effort particularly at the defensive end to completely turn the game around. It left many in the Arena from a Newcastle persuasion stunned as they reflected on a game that got away from them.

Eagles had leading scorer and rebounder Andrea Daley back from injury to bolster their squad after she missed the Caledonia defeat but even her presence was not enough in the final analysis of a low-scoring encounter where no-one individual stood out.

Shanique Lucas took Newcastle’s MVP honours and her driving play was certainly a feature throughout and in particular in Head Coach Chloe Gaynor’s sides first half performance. But Lucas like her teammates was stifled in that second tough twenty minutes by Wolves’ tenacity.

Daley did make double figures along with Lucas and Maria Mongomo who did well from the bench in the second period after not starting the game. But in truth the Eagles lacked their normal ball-moving fluency throughout and ability to score from multiple sources.

Alyssa Marin had picked up a nasty cut right-hand in practice just the day before the game. She did bravely start the game with the hand heavily strapped and as the minutes ticked by it was clear that the injury was affecting her normal impact on the game.

All that though is a reflection after the game. The first quarter went the way of the Eagles. After Wolves had led 4-2 six points in a row from Newcastle gave them a lead early. From there it was a case of both defences being on top.

Newcastle just about held sway but every time they threatened to pull away Wolves found a basket to peg them back. A Zoe Willis deuce and two free-throws from Lucas the last four points of the first period giving Newcastle the quarter 16-12.

Eagles then scored the first six points of the second quarter to actually give them a double-digit advantage. Wolves pulling back to within four before Gaynor called a time-out that had a galvanising effect on her side.

From the tactical discussion her players ramped up their defence once again and got just enough offence of their own to give themselves a nice run into the end of the half. Twice they got the lead to ten points but in the end it was a single-digit gap at 37-28 when the half-time buzzer sounded.

Interestingly enough, Wolves Coach Lee Ryan was back in his sideline seat well before both teams and his opposite number. Perhaps delivering a short message to his players or even leaving them to figure things out for themselves.

Whatever occurred in either locker room there was certainly a massive change in the third period which in the final reckoning was clearly the defining ten minutes of the game. The Eagles simply could not buy a basket as they were almost completely shut down by Oaklands.

Seven minutes went by before Mongomo netted Newcastle’s first points of the second half. The Wolves had hardly been prolific in the same time frame but had managed 12 points unanswered to enable them to take a three-point lead.

Daley added to Mongomo’s basket and the Eagles were briefly back in front. But a further 7-2 burst by the visitors enabled them to go into the final period ahead 47-43 with Newcastle only registering six points in the quarter.

The momentum had swung and the belief in both sides clearly shifted. Oaklands continued their newly found dominance and a 9-2 start to the final period gave them a double-digit lead for the first time and left Eagles with a mountain to climb.

To their credit Gaynor’s side found some determination and fight to get back to within four points late on but they were also in foul trouble. It meant that Oaklands were afforded the free-throws down the stretch they needed to clinch a win that for long periods they hadn’t looked like to pull off.

Disappointment and frustration for the Eagles but also perhaps a measure of their ability. To run a powerful side like Oaklands all the way shows the presence and promise they also possess.

These two sides meet next week in a SLB Cup quarter-final and now both know what each other’s relative strengths and weaknesses are for that crucial match-up. It will be the team that learns their lessons better and puts their plans in place in the more positive mode that will no doubt win the day.