Head to head secured by Sharks in Surrey tussle

Thursday 7th March 2024

British Basketball League Regular Season

B. Braun Sheffield Sharks 71 Surrey Scorchers 62

The B. Braun Sheffield Sharks came out on the high side of a Thursday night tussle with near-rivals Surrey Scorchers. A Sharks first half run was tempered by a Surrey fightback in the second before the hosts saw out a 71-62 success and the season head-to-head. RJ Eytle-Rock led all scorers with 16 points but there were further eye-catching displays from Prentiss Nixon, Bennett Koch and eventual MVP, Malek Green. The Sharks now hold sixth place in the standings outright with eight games remaining in regular season.

Starting Fives

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

Scorchers: Mohamed, Gooden, Jamison, Wang, Steel.

Key Moments

The Sharks began solidly with a Malek Green putback closing a 7-0 opening. Saiquan Jamison levelled for Surrey at 9-9 but it was the Sharks, who made the best of the concluding four minutes of the quarter. An effortless Prentiss Nixon triple was followed by a long two, and when the same player found success from beyond the arc on the buzzer, the Sharks had been on an 11-0 run with the score at 20-9.

The run continued into the second period when Nixon’s fadeaway took the lead out to 16 at 26-10. Surrey’s Josh Steel broke the 17-1 streak from downtown and the Scorchers repeated the feat through Padiet Wang and Andrew Lawrence to make it 33-21. Jalon Pipkins drove the lane inside the final minute and a 37-25 half time scoreline was capped by a Green putback.

The third quarter and the opening of the fourth quarter became a rather ugly affair before the Sharks took charge on their way to victory. Surrey’s Abdul Mohamed poured in a three from the wing at 39-28 but a Jalon Pipkins reply at 46-30 tempered any rally by the Guildford-based franchise. A sizeable Pipkins trey put the Sharks ahead by 57-39 but back-to-back baskets from Emeka Obukwelu closed a scrappy ten minutes at 57-43.

Scorchers vet Tayo Ogedengbe made five quick points at the top of the fourth stanza and when Quin Cooper found the hoop, Surrey had been on a 0-13 run and drew within five points at 57-52. RJ Eytle-Rock, benched for a spell with 3 fouls, returned to fire the Sharks back up. Six points from the GB squad member saw the visitors into the bonus with four and a half minutes left to play and a Malek Green bucket late in the shotclock opened up a double digit lead at 65-55. Surrey’s frustrations came to the fore on a technical foul call given to Coach Lloyd Gardner as Eytle-Rock profited from further trips to the line. The Scorchers’ Padiet Wang closed the scoring but the Sharks had done enough to hold their opponents at arms length and secure a 71-62 victory.

MVP

The Sharks shot the ball well with double figure scoring being recorded by five different players. Jalon Pipkins made 80% to register 10 points with 6 rebounds, an assist, 2 steals and a blocked shot. Co-skipper Bennett Koch led from the front once again for his 10 points, 9 boards, 2 assists and a block and guard Prentiss Nixon stepped off the bench with 12 points, 5 rebounds, 3 assists and 2 steals. RJ Eytle-Rock steered the Sharks to the win in the latter stages, top scoring with 16 points including 5 of 6 successful makes from the free throw line, but the MVP plaudits again went the way of Malek Green. His energy told throughout the encounter and his 14 point, 7 rebound outing was undoubtedly a factor in securing a very important win for the Sharks.

Next game

Newcastle Eagles v B. Braun Sheffield Sharks, Friday March 15th 2024, Vertu Motors Arena, 7.30pm Tip Off.

Image

Adam Bates