PREVIEW: Sharks Cup journey leads down to the Lions Den

BBL Cup Quarter Final

After that stunning 2-0 start to the BBL Championship season, your B. Braun Sheffield Sharks turn their focus to the quarter final stage of the BBL Cup. Standing in their way at the Copperbox Arena are the London Lions – beaten only once domestically so far this season.

Saturday – Lions v Sharks – Copperbox Arena – 5.00pm

Watch – www.bblplayer.co.uk

Ones To Watch

Dirk Williams – needs no introduction to Sharks fans and is still fondly remembered for his two year stint in South Yorkshire. Has averaged 22.5 points per game throughout London’s Cup campaign shooting at only a fraction under 60 percent.

Isaiah Reese – Had an outstanding game against Leicester Riders to confirm London’s top of the table finish. Scored 17 points with 8 rebounds, 8 assists and 5 steals in the 83-97 success for Vince Macaulay’s men.

Lorenzo Cugini – hit four triples on his way to a team-high 20 points in the Leicester win. Italian small forward with plenty of experience in the European game.

Kylor Kelly – High flying 7’ 0” centre who has NBA G League experience with the Austin Spurs. Scored 15 points and pulled down 5 boards against the Riders in last Sunday’s success.

Last Meeting

April 30^th 2021 – B. Braun Sheffield Sharks (Hemsley 14 Koch 12 Lillard 9) 68 London Lions (Williams 20 Robinson 13 Alihodzic 10) 80

Shark Bites

The Sharks have met the Lions franchise seven times previously in the National / BBL Cup. Five of those games ended in a Sharks win.

In twenty three previous Cup quarter finals, the Sharks have recorded fourteen wins.

The Sharks lost their only previous Cup game at the Copperbox Arena exactly one year ago to the day on 13^th November 2020.

The Sharks have won all games this season when scoring 79 or more points.

SharkNation

Got your breath back from that Rodney Glasgow buzzer beater against the Giants? Well prepare to have it taken away again as your B. Braun Sharks head down to the capital to take on London Lions in the BBL Cup quarter final. The Lions have only lost once in domestic competitions this season so far so another thrilling game is guaranteed! If you can’t get down to London, don’t forget to tune in on Saturday evening at 5pm when you can watch all the action unfold on the BBL Player (www.bblplayer.co.uk). Also a reminder that we return to the Tank on November 28^th when Leicester are our opponents – we can’t wait to have you back!

Image

Adam Bates