Sharks battle gamely but London prove tough on home soil

Thursday 8th February 2024

British Basketball League Regular Season

London Lions 84 B. Braun Sheffield Sharks 73

As expected a typically tough night was endured by the B. Braun Sheffield Sharks as they took on leaders London Lions at the Copperbox. Delayed by the bad weather and without Nate Montgomery and Prentiss Nixon, the Sharks battled gamely but were unable to stay with a London side that shot 59% from beyond the arc. A 26-9 final quarter gave the Sharks some respectability ahead of their rematch with the Lions on Sunday but they now fall to sixth place in the standings with an 11-12 record.

Starting Fives

Lions: Olaseni, Nwaba, Phillip, M Morgan, Grantham.

Sharks: Ramsey, Eytle-Rock, Green, Ratinho, Koch.

Key Moments

The Sharks were able to live with London for the opening five minutes. An exquisite no-look pass from Malek Green allowed Bennett Koch to convert at 8-7 but former OKC man Donte Grantham hit his third triple as the Lions went ahead by 13-7. Kipper Nichols and Jordan Ratinho made threes as the gap came down to two but London’s riches from the bench saw Conor Morgan pour in 7 points as the quarter ended at 24-18.

Big second and third quarters saw the men from the capital open up a virtually unassailable lead. The free-scoring Matt Morgan joined the three point-fest with a trio of makes as the score became 36-22. Grantham and GB guard Tarik Phillip followed suit as Conor Morgan jammed home to cap a 12-0 run at 48-23. Rodney Glasgow found success from the top of the key and followed that up with a long two on the buzzer but the odds were very much in the Lions favour at 53-35.

London took the third quarter by 22-12 as the lead grew to 28. Grantham drained his five trey of the evening out of the corner at 61-43 and a sizeable shot from Conor Morgan grew the gap at 70-47. A rare triple from GB forward Josh Sharma capped a destructive period as the quarter ended at 75-47.

Mindful of the rematch to come, the Sharks ended with some momentum in a positive 26-9 final stanza. Five Bennett Koch points chipped away at the deficit and co-skipper Rodney Glasgow took up the mantle with five of his own at 79-63. Marcus Delpeche finished Kipper Nichols pass on the alleyoop and a Jalon Pipkins three in the dying seconds showed that the Sharks at least had some pride. The 84-73 final scoreline reflected more success for the stellar London side and some belief that the Sharks can trouble the champions-elect with some serious commitment and determination.

MVP

The Sharks leadership duo of Rodney Glasgow Jr and Bennett Koch showed the heart required to carry their side along with them. Glasgow handled the ball for long spells and unfurled his full range of three point and mid-range shots on his way to 12 points, 2 rebounds and 2 assists. Likewise Koch. He was effective across the statline to end with 13 points, 6 rebounds, 1 assist, 2 steals and 2 blocked shots. Starting from the bench, it was Kipper Nichols who caught the eye however. His 18 point, 2 rebound, 2 assist and 1 block outing also saw him make five of his six shots from the line, nearly half of the Sharks successful attempts on the night.

Next game

B. Braun Sheffield Sharks v London Lions, Sunday February 11th 2024, Canon Medical Arena, 3.00pm Tip Off.

Image

Adam Bates