Steutel so proud after Eagles Euro bid ends in heartbreak

MARC Steutel expressed his “bitter disappointment” at losing Newcastle Eagles’ first European final - but insisted his warrior players had punched above their weight all season.

- By SIMON RUSHWORTH

The men in black arrived back from Bratislava yesterday after slipping to an agonising 95-82 defeat at the hands of CSO Voluntari.

But a silver medal in this season's European North Basketball League (ENBL) represents huge progress for a club that had never even dipped its toes into competitive overseas hoops until 2023.

"We were playing against the number one offensive team in the tournament and a club that's exceptionally well resourced," explained Steutel.

"It's important that we put this week into context.

"We've punched above our weight consistently throughout this ENBL campaign and, remember, we needed a 16-0 fourth-quarter run to beat CSO by four points at home in the group stages.