PREVIEW: Hit the North! Sharks on the road for double header this weekend

BBL Championship

Hit the North! The B. Braun Sheffield Sharks go on the road this weekend with a northern double header. Fresh from last week’s vital win against Plymouth, the Sharks have an equally important game on Friday when they travel to ninth-placed Newcastle Eagles. They then follow that up by crossing the border into Scotland to take on Caledonia Gladiators, defeated only twice at the Emirates Arena in the league this season.

Friday – Eagles v Sharks – Vertu Motors Arena – 7.30pm

Watch – Newcastle Eagles vs Sheffield Sharks, BBL Championship – LIVE – YouTube

Ones To Watch

Javion Hamlet – Has been a consistent force in a season of rebuilding for the Eagles. Point-scoring floor general, who averages 21.5 for the campaign so far with an eye-catching 55.7% inside shooting percentage.

Justin Gordon – Recently re-signed at Newcastle, he added 21 points in the 86-76 loss at Bristol on January 22nd. Third stint on Tyneside for this noted volume scorer and very effective rebounder.

Kyle Johnson – First time ever in the BBL for the GB guard and is currently putting up 12.9 points per game with 4.2 rebounds and 1.8 assists. Again, very effective inside, shooting 52.9% from an average of 22 minutes on court.

Hasahn French – A November recruit for Newcastle who has showed extraordinary prowess off the glass in his nine games so far. Had a huge 19 point, 18 rebound outing against Manchester recently and followed that up with 13 boards in the Bristol defeat.

Last Meeting

October 23^rd 2022 – B. Braun Sheffield Sharks (Ogunyemi 14 Banks 14 Delpeche 14) 87 Newcastle Eagles (Varner 13 Hamlet 10 Cohn 9) 62

Sunday – Gladiators v Sharks – Emirates Arena – 5.00pm

Watch – Caledonia Gladiators vs Sheffield Sharks, BBL Championship – LIVE – YouTube

Ones To Watch

David Sloan – All-action guard who has been one of the standouts for the Glads this year. 19.7 points, 3.5 rebounds, 5.1 assists and 1.2 steals shows why he is highly rated throughout the league.

Princeton Onwas – Very effective from the bench for Gareth Murray’s men with 12.2 points per game on 67% inside shooting and 38% from beyond the arc. Averages 1.6 steals and has managed 4 twice this season already.

Patrick Tape – Talented big man who forms part of this very cohesive Gladiators roster. 18 points, 7 rebounds, 4 steals and a block in a rare home defeat for the Scots against Bristol last Friday.

Jeremiah Bailey – Another key player for Caledonia. Foul trouble limited his action against the Flyers in the 76-88 defeat but ordinarily averages 27 minutes on court for 14.2 points, 8.5 rebounds, 2.9 assists and 1.3 steals.

Last Meeting

December 23^rd 2022 – Caledonia Gladiators (Sloan 21 Bailey 15 Onwas 11) 77 B. Braun Sheffield Sharks (Banks 17 Koch 10 Nichols / Sako 8) 60

Shark Bites

The Sharks have won their last 7 games with Newcastle Eagles. Their best ever winning sequence against the Eagles is 8, which has been achieved twice.

Since legendary Coach Fabulous Flournoy left Newcastle, the Eagles and Sharks have met 19 times with 13 wins for Sheffield, 5 for Newcastle and 1 draw.

The Sharks game in Glasgow will be their 9^th encounter with the Rocks / Gladiators franchise within a year.

Caledonia have won all 3 previous games this season plus the last one in 2021-22 season to equal their longest ever run of wins against the Sharks at four.

SharkNation

Did you see the Dunk Contest last weekend? Huge congratulations to the winner, our very own Hensy Sako, who made that amazing leap over three spectators on his way to the crown. That capped a great weekend, especially after we had claimed the head-to-head over Plymouth on Friday night. But back to BBL Championship business once again as we head north for two vital games. If you can’t be with us in Newcastle and Glasgow, follow the links above to watch the games live and for free on the BBL’s YouTube platform. Our next evening in The Tank is on Friday 24^th February for another huge one against Surrey Scorchers. Get your tickets at B. Braun Sheffield Sharks v Surrey Scorchers – BBL Championship Tickets, Fri 24 Feb 2023 at 19:30 | Eventbrite – you do not want to miss this one! It’s time to #FearTheFin!

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Adam Bates