Sunday 8th February 2026
Super League Basketball Championship
B. Braun Sheffield Sharks 77 Cheshire Phoenix 75
An astonishing second half comeback saw the B. Braun Sheffield Sharks take victory at the death over Cheshire Phoenix. Jordan Ratinho’s three point basket with just 0.9 seconds remaining led his side to a 77-75 win over their old rivals from the North West. The Sharks were down by 14 points at half time and it took some crucial performances from the old guard of Mike Ochereobia, skipper Rodney Glasgow Jr and eventual MVP William Lee to see the hosts over the line. The Sharks move back to a positive win / loss ratio before their return to competitive action on February 20th when they travel to Caledonia Gladiators.
Starting Fives
Sharks: Williams, Nixon, James, Ratinho, Kern Jr.
Phoenix: Rideau, Policelli, Lindo, Brenchley, White.
Key Moments
Frankie Policelli shot the ‘Nix into a 2-5 lead before Prentiss Nixon assisted to Nick Kern Jr, starting in place of the injured Rodney Chatman III, for a 2 handed dunk. That was about as good as it got for the Sharks in a tough first half as Cheshire began to run a now-familiar series of plays. Patrick Robinson, Matthew Zona and Michael Diggins all found success with the three point shot and it took a William Lee putback to keep the Sharks in touch at 16-21 by the quarter end.
Policelli was allowed the freedom to drain another from deep at the start of the second quarter and by the time he had found success from the line, the lead had extended out to 10 at 16-26. William Lee broke a 2-12 run in the ‘Nix favour with another trey and when Skyler White scored off the glass at 27-44, things looked ominous for the Sharks. A Dirk Williams corner three inside the final minute gave the Sharks hope but with a mountain to climb at 30-44.
The reaction came as the Sharks outscored Cheshire by 44-31 in the second half. They opened with a 9-2 run on a Prentiss Nixon bucket but the Phoenix remained very much in charge when Michael Diggins connected for three from the wing at 43-56. The quarter ended well for the Sharks. Veteran Mike Ochereobia picked up an offensive rebound and scored to make it 49-58 and a half-court buzzer-beating three from Prentiss Nixon closed the gap to six points at 52-58.
A Sharks victory was still far from certain when Policelli drained a three point stepback shot from the corner with the score at 54-68. More veteran intervention saw skipper Rodney Glasgow Jr assist to Ochereobia for a two-handed throw down and Glasgow nailed the triple on the following play. Dirk Williams sold a fake and hit a three that saw Cheshire calling for time at 62-68. Ochereobia and Glasgow did their utmost to keep the Sharks in contention before a dramatic final minute played out. A huge block by William Lee on Skyler White showed the Sharks had the heart for a positive result. Glasgow’s three fifteen seconds later drew his side within range at 74-75 and the arena erupted when Jordan Ratinho’s trey from the corner took the Sharks into the lead with 0.9 second left to play. Patrick Robinson’s hook from timeout failed to hit the target and it was left to the Sharks to celebrate a memorable 77-75 success.
MVP
The Sharks improved their shooting percentage from 36 to 45 by the end of the game and secured 20 second half points in the paint on their way to a memorable win. The veteran pairing of Mike Ochereobia and Rodney Glasgow Jr were keys to the victory. Ochereobia pulled down 6 rebounds, including 4 off the offensive glass, on his way to a crucial 9 points. Glasgow missed just one shot all afternoon and was perfect from three point territory to finish with 10 points, 2 rebounds, 3 assists and a steal. The bulk of the Sharks scoring came from Prentiss Nixon and Mervin James, who both weighed in with 15 points apiece; James racking up 6 rebounds for the afternoon as well. The MVP was William Lee however. His 9 points were very timely but it was the 10 rebounds, 1 steal and 3 huge blocked shots that caught the eye in limiting Cheshire to a mere 75 points and allowing the Sharks to take the win.
Next Game
Caledonia Gladiators v B. Braun Sheffield Sharks, Friday 20th February 2026, Playsport, 7.30pm Tip Off.
Image
Josh Rackham
