REPORT: Demanding weekend for Sharks ends in Riders defeat

Sunday 30^th October 2022

BBL Championship

B. Braun Sheffield Sharks 72 Leicester Riders 86

A physically demanding weekend ended for the B. Braun Sheffield Sharks with a 72-86 defeat at the hands of the reigning champions Leicester Riders. The Sharks made a terrific start to the game against the Midlanders but the exertions of Friday’s exhausting win against London took their toll as Leicester claimed the win behind 21 points from point guard Derryck Thornton.

Starting Fives

Sharks: Nelson S, Nichols, Ratinho, Glasgow Jr, Koch.

Riders: Thornton, Loving, Whelan, Jackson, Nelson-Henry.

Key Moments

The Sharks picked up where they left off on Friday night by racing out to a 10-0 lead. Four points apiece from Kipper Nichols and Bennett Koch saw Leicester into an early timeout and the lead went out to 11 on a fantastic perimeter move that was finished from behind the arc by Jordan Ratinho. As the quarter wore on, the Sharks showed no let-up – Nichols shimmy in the corner resulted in another three and Javion Ogunyemi assisted to the same player to jam home at 18-6. Conner Washington, Blake Bowman and Darien Nelson-Henry brought about a slight Riders recovery but a first quarter score of 24-15 reflected the Sharks confidence.

The early part of the second quarter looked equally rosy for Sheffield. Channel Banks joined the three-fest and baskets for Rodney Glasgow and Sa’eed Nelson saw the lead become fifteen at 33-18. The normally-influential Marc Loving made his first points midway through the period as Leicester began to fight back. A pair of Derryck Thornton and-ones were followed by treys from Great Britain international Patrick Whelan and Kimbal Mackenzie and by the time Whelan had connected again inside the final thirty seconds, the Riders had closed the difference to 44-43 by half time.

The momentum that Leicester had gathered at the end of the second quarter carried through into the third. A technical foul on Sharks Coach Atiba Lyons saw the Riders take a first lead shortly afterwards and a Thornton triple plus a Zach Jackson alleyoop saw their lead become five at 54-59. Jackson and Loving hit further treys to conclude a 13-27 third period with the score at 57-67.

Fatigue clearly hit the Sharks as the fourth stanza commenced; Whelan and Loving finding further success from distance as Leicester took their biggest lead at 59-76. A Kipper Nichols three was a rare positive as Sheffield shots failed to drop and Coach Lyons second technical on what appeared to be a clear no call saw him ejected from the game for the final two minutes. The Riders chose to shoot on the final play – Thornton’s and-one ending the game at 72-86.

MVP

Bennett Koch, Jordan Ratinho and Sa’eed Nelson all produced ten point outings and were especially effective in a scintillating opening for the Sharks. The afternoon MVP was a clear one however. Marking a 42 point weekend, Kipper Nichols poured in a further 20 with 5 rebounds, 3 assists and a blocked shot to underline his versatility and importance to the Sharks for the journey ahead.

Post Game Interview

Sharks skipper Rodney Glasgow Jr took the time to discuss the afternoon’s events after the game.

Next game

Plymouth City Patriots v B. Braun Sheffield Sharks, Sunday November 13^th 2022, Plymouth Pavilions, 3.00pm Tip Off.

Image

Adam Bates