On Saturday, he led all scorers against the defending champions from only 21½ minutes' court time. His qualities and passion deliver the same kind of ultimate match value as Thunder's previous king warrior, Gaylon Moore.

The Chicago south side native is pleased to be exiled at the moment, he says, from a hometown city that leads the USA, not in scoring or steals, but in shootings and robberies. "The people here have shown me a lot of love, and I can sleep at night in Worthing," Woods confessed, after he had hit 22 points, pulled down nine rebounds, made a block and committed only one turnover against the superior Eagles.

His game-leading nine points and four rebounds had helped conquer the opening quarter 22-21. He then opened Thunder's second-quarter scoring with a three-pointer after a blank first 2min 50sec, and added two more baskets for 16 points.

However, his speed of anticipation and deed in defence cost him foul trouble and bench time. And no sooner had he sat down at that point, halfway through the quarter, Eagles ahead 36-32, than Newcastle won the game with a 20-4 runaway to take the quarter 35-14 and close the half 56-36.

With Woods absent the whole third quarter, Thunder showed they have other guns ready when Lijah Perkins, Janis Ivanovskis, and debut-making rookie American shooting-guard, Colby Bargeman, put an 11-0 spurt on the scoreboard, from 71-45 down. And their surge was ended only by the urgent intervention, with five points in two baskets, of Newcastle's main source of energy and influence, their experienced player-coach Fabulous (yep, his real name) Flournoy.

He sent Eagles into the final quarter 78-56 up but Thunder, Woods back, won the fourth quarter by eight points. However, their hopes of limiting the damage to single digits were dashed ironically almost at the end, when Worthing's Danny Hildreth pointed out a blood injury on Andrew Bridge's hand — only for Bridge's replacement Will Spragg then to sink a three-pointer and a two — with his first touches of the game.

Nevertheless, the high jump bar dropped a notch nearer Thunder in their second match of their BBL debut-season, but their first with all their players on board at last. And they expect their third attempt at clearing the height to go closer still on Sunday at Cheshire.

Thunder 84: Woods 22pts (9rb), Patton 19 (4 ass), Ivanovskis 17 (13rb, 3st), Bargeman 15 (2 ass, 2st), Perkins 8 (7rb 2ass).

Newcastle 98: Moore 19 (6rb 5st), Sullivan 17 (2 ass), Bridge 17 (4rb 3st), Flournoy 15 (5rb, 2ass 2st), Stewart 14 (9rb 2ass).

Newcastle finished first, third, first and second over the past four BBL seasons, and added three play-off championship titles plus two cup finals and a semi. They are the Tyneside city's most successful team sports club.

• Fab Flournoy declares they have more depth on the bench than ever - and on Saturday, including new temporary signing, Great Britain captain Drew Sullivan, they had enough troops to necessitate leaving at home on Saturday no less a player than Charles Smith.
  
  
  
  
  • As rain and wind kept some Thunder fans away, Eagles' party of 22 men and women supporters - the men with a wig or two and a drum, the ladies with tinselled Texan hats - brought their own brand of entertaining colour.
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  • Young Colby Bargeman went to University in Natchitoches, Louisiana – the same state as his residence, Lafayette, some two hours from New Orleans.
  
  
  
  
  He commented: "Apart from a playing tour to the Bahamas, this is my first period abroad. I'm glad to be in England. They speak the same language here.
  
  "I'll be needing to get a little more in game shape. I hadn't played since my last college game in March, in the conference finals. Last season I averaged 11 points and five rebounds and played anywhere from the two to the four spot (shooting-guard, small-forward, power-forward]. Tonight, the coach just told me to go out and play my game."
  
  Coach Gary Smith: "What hurt me tonight was we played without discipline and keeping to our offensive system and our defensive sets.
  
  "Especially in the second quarter, but on a different night the game could have had a different ending. With 1½ minutes left we were still down only nine points, even after two intentional fouls called on Janis Ivanovskis and Daniel Hildreth.
  
  "We're now going in the right direction. These two games have been our pre-season and now we have to build on each match and learn from them.
  
  "I did not use Russell Jordan because of the rotation while we were looking at some other guys (Bargeman debut, Dan Wardrope after injury in first friendly]. Colby showed good defence and did not make too many errors. He'll be our shooting-guard but he will also be able to play small-forward.
  
  "I can start more than five different people on this team. I have Ivanovskis, Bargeman, Woods, and Patton, but Wardrope, Dan Midgley, Daniel Hildreth, James Brame and Lijah Perkins can also do it. But it's totally different in the BBL and we won't be able to afford to have too many people having bad games.
  
  "We can teach Jonathan Woods to defend a bit smarter. And remember that Ryan Patton has not played at this level before – teams are already struggling to guard him. I brought him in to be a scoring threat but he is also getting steals and going to the foul line so we can stop the clock and score.
  
  "We've got athletes and, at the moment, Janis does the centre's job well. But I still want to find a big man."
  
  Jonathan Woods: "Every team makes a run during a game and we need to keep our heads up when the opposition's run comes. We want to surprise people and we're going to gel together. I think we're going to be okay."
  
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