New-look Newcastle Eagles dug deep to close out a victory built on grit, determination and some clutch shooting down the stretch as Super League Basketball took its bow on Tyneside.

Sheffield Sharks felt the full force of a homecourt roster that refused to buckle under pressure on opening night at the Vertu Motors Arena.

And the hosts proved they could play hard and win ugly after clinching a thrilling come-from-behind 78-73 Trophy scalp.

Neither side led by more than eight points as nerves were shredded and pumped-up players went toe to toe in a typically fierce battle for northern pride.

Twelve lead changes only added to the drama of a nailbiting clash before Newcastle finally took control in the fourth quarter.

Even then the Sharks trimmed the deficit to a point with 71 seconds on the clock — forcing debutants Mike Okauru and Jordan Spencer to drain the well one last time.

With Cole Long injured and both Will Neighbour and Sauveur Kande benched, Marc Steutel relied on a fluid eight-man rotation to get the job done.

And all eight players put points on the board to see the hosts over the line ahead of Sunday’s trip to Manchester.

Josh Ward-Hibbert personified a team performance bursting with passion as the Great Britain international led from the front.

A modest stat line of nine points, five rebounds and two steals in 31 minutes didn’t tell the true story where the returning guard was concerned as the fired-up star covered every corner of the VMA court.

And where Ward-Hibbert led, his team-mates followed.

Okauru came off the bench to add eight boards and four assists to his game-high 21 points.

And fellow import Seneca Knight shrugged off foul trouble to bag 16 points, four rebounds, two assists and a steal inside 21 minutes.

Enigmatic all-rounder De’Sean Allen-Eikens became the third Eagle to hit double figures and the elusive rookie already looks like emerging as Newcastle’s X-factor player after deservedly claiming a starting five spot.

But an attritional affair against Atiba Lyons’ well-drilled Sharks — the two teams combined for 47 fouls with three players thrown out — revealed plenty of work to do for the men in black.

On a night when neither offence fired, Steutel knows his remodelled roster has much more to give when it comes to scoring the ball.

But a coach for whom defensive intensity and energy in the paint is everything will have delighted in a flurry of eye-catching steals and a slew of vital second chance points.

Newcastle didn’t lead until the 14^th minute and the Sharks regained their advantage immediately.

Lyons’ men were four points up at the half but the Eagles took a two-point lead in to the fourth quarter before finally seizing an element of control.

Strong leadership and a keen focus saw the men in black over the line despite both Knight and the evergreen Darius Defoe fouling out at the death.

And Steutel will ask for more of the same — and a better return from the bonus stripe (12/21) — when Newcastle take on the Giants from 3pm on Sunday.