Must win weekend for the Sharks

British Basketball League Trophy

The permutations are lengthy but one thing is clear. The B. Braun Sheffield Sharks need to win their final two British Basketball League Trophy group stage games to stand any chance of progression in the competition. The back-to-back games begin on Saturday when Plymouth City Patriots are the visitors to the Canon Medical Arena, followed by a trip to the North West on Sunday to take on Cheshire Phoenix. Results elsewhere also have an impact on the Sharks fate but ultimately, nothing less than a pair of dubs will do. A big weekend to come!

Saturday – Sharks v Patriots – Canon Medical Arena – 8.00pm

Tickets – Fanbase | Schedule (fanbaseclub.com)

Ones To Watch

Mason Faulkner – A huge offensive threat for Plymouth this season with 14.1 points per game and 4.9 assists. Played just 18 minutes in last Sunday’s road defeat at Plymouth, scoring 4 points.

TJ Atwood – Big finisher for the Patriots, making 54% of his shots inside and 40% outside the perimeter. Averages 16.1 per game with a healthy 7.1 rebounds.

Jacob Wiley – The forward did his best to keep Plymouth in touch with Cheshire but couldn’t prevent the 102-74 defeat. Finished with 18 points and 5 rebounds as the hosts big start took them to victory.

Tyrell Green – The imposing Green poured in 20 points on the Phoenix from the bench as the short-handed Pats took a loss in the North West. Plymouth have now reinforced with the signing of 6’ 7” guard Cameron Copeland.

Last Meeting

October 25th 2023 – Plymouth City Patriots (Faulkner 14 Wiley / Johnson / Atwood 11) 55 B. Braun Sheffield Sharks (Koch 17 Nichols 15 Allen 10) 67

Sunday – Phoenix v Sharks – Cheshire Oaks Arena – 6.00pm

Watch - Trophy Week 3: Cheshire vs Sheffield - LIVE - YouTube

Ones To Watch

Ethan Chargois – Forward Chargois has constantly improved as the season has worn on. Had a 26 point, 6 rebound, 5 assist outing as a 32-17 opening quarter saw the ‘Nix on their way to beating Plymouth last Sunday.

Cam Christon – Came from the bench to better Chargois’ index rating by 2 in another athletic display. Finished with 26 points and 6 rebounds as well as 2 assists, a steal and a block on 10 of 14 shooting.

Maceo Jack – Another insane shooting day for Cheshire skipper Jack as he torched the Patriots for 24 points on Sunday. Missed only one shot all afternoon as the Phoenix showed why they are one of the hottest outfits around currently.

Aaryn Rai – Has translated his form from the NBL quite easily into the British Basketball League. Could easily be described as a ‘point forward’ with stats of 17.8 points per game, 6.5 rebounds and 3.4 assists.

Last Meeting

December 10th 2023 – B. Braun Sheffield Sharks (Nixon 20 Pipkins 16 Adekoya 15) 85 Cheshire Phoenix (Rideau 24 Rai 17 Chargois 16) 104

Shark Bites

The Sharks have won 5 of the last 6 encounters with Plymouth in the competition. The only loss was the most recent clash in January 2021.

This weekend will see the Sharks play Trophy games on consecutive days for just the 4th time in club history. All the previous occasions resulted in one win and one loss.

Sunday will see the Sharks play Cheshire for the 25th time in the British Basketball League Trophy. They currently hold a 16-8 advantage, comprising 9-2 at home, 7-5 away and 0-1 on a neutral court. 3 of those 24 games went to overtime.

The Sharks have won their last 4 home Trophy games against Cheshire. They have also won 3 of the last 4 away Trophy games with Cheshire; the only defeat coming last season in the semi-final.

SharkNation

The all-important scenarios!

·         The Sharks must win both of their remaining games.

·         If Surrey beat Caledonia, the Sharks need Surrey to beat Cheshire so that a Sharks win over the Phoenix will give them the head-to-head.

·         If Caledonia beat Surrey, the Sharks need Surrey to beat Cheshire and the Sharks would need to beat Cheshire by 13 or more to make up for points difference in the tie-breaker.

What this means for you: get down to the Canon Medical Arena this Saturday and make an insane amount of noise! While we’ve got all eyes on Thursday’s Caledonia v Surrey game, only 2 wins will do for your Sharks and as ever, we’re relying on you to help us protect our fortress and home court. This weekend, we need to be UNBEATABLE! #FearTheFin

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Adam Bates