Newcastle Eagles made it through to the SLB Trophy for the second time in as many seasons after a thrilling aggregate win over Cheshire Phoenix that concluded on Sunday night. The Eagles lost the game in Cheshire but the 11-point advantage from Friday’s first leg in the end was just enough.

No-one expected it to be easy at the Ellesmere Port Sporting Village as the Phoenix attempted to rise from the ashes of Friday’s burning. So it proved in a crazy game of basketball that exploded in an extraordinary way. Especially in a second half and a in particular a final period that felt never ending.

The Eagles having to survive a late barrage from the home team to finally seal the deal on an aggregate win that takes them back to the Utilita Arena Birmingham on Sunday 1^st February. Their opponents will be London Lions who came through the other semi-final 154-134 over Bristol Flyers.

The Lions will attempt to take away the Trophy that Newcastle hold after they beat the Flyers last January in the same building by 97-78 with ‘Money’ Mike Okauru taking the MVP honours with 19 points. Now there’s a chance for another Eagle to write his name into the history books.

A measure of how crazy though Sunday’s game at Cheshire can be read many ways. There were a total of 55 fouls called during the game. Five players fouled out of the contest during the 40 minutes. There were 79 free throws attempted. Cheshire making 37 of 46 and the Eagles 25 of 33.

That made for a long night for both teams especially in the final quarter where Cheshire mounted one last massive comeback that ultimately fell short as the Eagles kept their composure under enormous pressure to seal the deal.

As with Friday, Newcastle’s bench really supported the starting five with a great contribution. Ray’Sean Taylor with 22 points leading Eagles’ scorers and Gus Okafor also netting double figures. Up front in the starting five it was Terrell Burden, Maceo Jack and MVP Cole Long leading the way.

The Eagles started the game well after Patrick Robinson opened the game’s scoring for the home team, Newcastle responded with seven straight to take an early lead on the night. It also pushed the aggregate up.

Burden netted a deuce and Eagles led 15-9 and were looking comfortable. But this Cheshire side are a dangerous offensive unit and with Robinson in unbelievable form they finished the quarter with an 11-4 run to edge the first ten minutes by a single point.

Robinson on his way to a career-high 40-points was at it again as the second quarter opened with five more personal from him. His teammates responded and the Eagles were asked their first real question of the night when Cheshire led 29-21 to be only 3 behind in the tie.

But Newcastle didn’t wobble and kept chipping away with Burden, Taylor and Long prominent. Long hitting the first two of his six triples of the night. The second of which took the Eagles back into the game lead at 35-34.

From there the rest of the second period was close and reflected in the fact that the sides could not be split both netting 25-points apiece to mean Phoenix still had a single-point advantage at 45-44 as the teams headed for the locker rooms.

Eagles Head Coach Marc Steutel the happier of the two sideline callers with Ben Thomas of the Phoenix needing to find some answers, wisdom and inspiration to fire-up his players for the second half if they were to turn things around.

The game continued though to be tight. No ground being conceded by either side in a fiercely contested contest in which the fouls were being continually called and the scoreboard reflected this lighting up like a bingo board.

At 56-56 it was Newcastle that made what they and probably everyone in the packed noisy atmospheric arena thought was the decisive run. Okafor and Jack started it and Long finished it with three consecutive triples to cap a 16-2 burst that put the Eagles up by 25-points overall.

With 3:10 to play in the third quarter and a full ten minutes to come in the final period it looked a gap too far as Newcastle looked in complete control. Even an 8-1 reply from Cheshire to close the third only meant the gap on the night was seven at 77-70 and overall Newcastle were still up by 18-points.

Taylor and Okafor pushed that gap to 11 with the opening four points of the final period. Cheshire hit back with Robinson virtually unstoppable and ten unanswered gave them hope until Mitch Clarke nailed a deuce to stop the home run.

Eagles though were in foul trouble now and Cheshire were hanging around and getting to the free throw line at regular intervals. Newcastle though had time on their side and went into the last three minutes up by two points on the night.

Cheshire launched one last onslaught and Eagles wobbled slightly. A 7-0 run putting the home side up by five and only down six on aggregate. But Maceo Jack drove the dagger into the hearts of his former team with an And-1 play that gave Phoenix too much to do.

Taylor’s two free throws for Newcastle with 25 ticks left on the clock finally icing the cake and putting the seal on the deal to take him to Eagles’ top scorer and sending his team through to that Final in Birmingham next month.

A hectic, often breathless and even at times nervous 40 minutes but Newcastle completed the job they’d started on Friday night. They now relax knowing their storied franchise has once again secured a place in a National showpiece event.

Tickets for the Eagles fans section at the Utilita Arena Birmingham are available now from the box office.