Captain Koch steers Sharks to winning Wednesday

Wednesday 25th October 2023

British Basketball League Regular Season

Plymouth City Patriots 55 B. Braun Sheffield Sharks 67

A short-handed B. Braun Sheffield Sharks restricted the Plymouth City Patriots to their joint lowest ever score at home against the South Yorkshire franchise in claiming a 55-67 victory. The Sharks took three of the four quarters and tied the other to seize the win in a game where points were at a premium. Captain Bennett Koch led from the front with 17 points as the Sharks climbed back to fourth in the league standings.

Starting Fives

Patriots: Wiley, Faulkner, Johnson, Hart, Atwood.

Sharks: Allen, Pipkins, Ratinho, Nichols, Koch.

Key Moments

The Sharks were without Devearl Ramsey as well as longer term injury absentees Marcus Delpeche and Rodney Glasgow as Terrell Allen moved up to a starting point guard berth. Indeed it was Allen who commenced the scoring as the visitors moved out to a 4-10 lead midway through the period. Taylor Johnson restored parity for Plymouth from beyond the arc at 11-11 but a Jordan Ratinho corner three and a Jubril Adekoya and-one play saw the Sharks ahead by 13-17.

Joe Hart and Jalon Pipkins traded threes at the top of the second quarter but a canny and-one from RJ Eytle-Rock and an Allen mid-range 2 in transition saw the Sharks ahead by 18-25. Again Plymouth fought back – Mason Faulkner making the extra point from a spin move at 25-27. Bennett Koch followed suit but despite a pair of Faulkner free throws, it was the Sharks who maintained a 28-32 half time lead.

The Sharks took the third and fourth quarters by four points each. Both sides committed shot clock violations during the third but it was the Sharks who went up by ten on Allen’s jumper at 32-42. Baskets from Kipper Nichols and Jordan Ratinho made the difference eleven but a Johnson three on the buzzer gave Plymouth hope at 43-51.

Johnson repeated the feat at 46-57 but in truth, the Sharks kept their hosts at arms length throughout the fourth stanza for a comfortable win. Six Bennett Koch points, ending on a one handed throwdown, took the score out to 50-67 and despite TJ Atwood making the final five points of the encounter, it was the Sharks who were fully deserving of their 55-67 success.

MVP

Terrell Allen did a fine job from his starting ball handling duties, going on to 10 points, 8 rebounds, 2 assists and 3 steals. Another game, another Kipper Nichols all-round performance! He filled the statline with 15 points, 6 rebounds, 5 assists and 2 steals in a further crucial display. There was a lead-from-the-front performance from the MVP however. Sharks’ joint-captain Bennett Koch was the go-to guy in the paint where the Patriots were outscored by 40-22. He finished with 17 points, 7 rebounds, 2 assists and a steal to see his side to a 5-5 record and back up to fourth in the table.

Next game

B. Braun Sheffield Sharks v Manchester Giants, Saturday November 4th 2023, Canon Medical Arena, 8.00pm Tip Off.

Image

Adam Bates