Manchester Basketball completed a fourth-quarter comeback on the road against the Newcastle Eagles to win 98-95.

Manchester were down nine at the half and five going into the fourth, but rallied late to battle for a win in the clutch.

Pjay Smith and Max Jones each scored 21 points. Smith had three triples from the point guard position to lead the barrage from deep.

DJ Mitchell, shortly after re-signing with the Club, hit the ground running, putting up 17 points and 8 rebounds off the bench in just 23 minutes.

Meanwhile, Jordan Johnson had a near-double-double with 12 points and 9 assists, and made pivotal plays in the clutch to win the game.

This was an intense affair throughout the fourth quarter. Manchester were banging on the door for the entirety of the period, led by Mitchell’s 10 points in the first seven minutes of the fourth.

Manchester cut the difference to a single score on numerous occasions, but in front of their home crowd, the Eagles found crucial buckets to keep their opponents at arm’s length.

With two minutes remaining in the game, the breakthrough. Gabe Osabuohien fought his way to the foul line to tie the game at 91, then found the bottom of the bucket from in close to snatch the lead for Manchester.

Johnson followed up with a layup, and after trying desperately to get in front, they had a two-score advantage.

Newcastle continued to keep within touching distance as the clock ticked down, but foul shots from Johnson and Smith meant Manchester had a slight edge. Smith made the lead three with 10 seconds remaining.

Maceo Jack’s game-typing attempt missed, and Manchester secured the crucial rebound, which sealed the victory.

The win means Manchester improved their record to 17-11 to claim second place in the Super League Basketball Championship.

Next, they return to the National Basketball Performance Centre to play the Bristol Flyers on Sunday, April 12, at 3pm.