REPORT: Sharks wrap up regular season with Surrey success

Sunday 24^th April 2022

BBL Championship

Surrey Scorchers 69 B. Braun Sheffield Sharks 83

The Surrey Sports Park continued to be a happy hunting ground for the B. Braun Sheffield Sharks as they finished regular season with a 69-83 win over the home town Scorchers. The Sharks eleventh win in twelve visits was paced by Joe Mvuezolo, who became the eleventh Shark to top-score this season on his way to 17 points.

Starting Fives

Scorchers: McLemore, Gannicleft, Raftopoulos, Ogedengbe, Wanliss.

Sharks: Nichols, Ratinho, Glasgow Jr, Mvuezolo, Koch.

Key Moments

The Sharks were without Oscar Baldwin and the Scorchers without any of their import players but both sides gave their all in the regular season swansong. Marcus Delpeche took the Sharks out to a 2-13 start midway through the opening period and it took Scorchers vet Tayo Ogedengbe to get his side back into the game with the three at 5-13. The Sharks continued with their offensive approach as Nate Montgomery made it 9-22 from distance and despite a similar reply from Scorchers’ Henry Wilkins, Marcus Delpeche wrapped up the first ten minutes with the score at 14-24.

The Sharks went one better in the second quarter. Kipper Nichols and Jordan Ratinho’s triples were matched by another big score from Wilkins but Devante Wallace joined the party with two of his own as the score became 23-38. Caylin Raftopoulos and Adam Riabi reduced the deficit to twelve but five Joe Mvuezolo points saw the half close at 34-49 in the Sharks favour.

Surrey went to an early timeout after threes from Kipper Nichols and Rodney Glasgow Jr and the already stretched Surrey roster became even more so when Dean Wanliss fouled out with 2.20 of the period to go. Undeterred, former Shark Sol Rolls-Tyson and Raftopoulos again found success from beyond the arc but another twenty point plus quarter for the Sharks was ended by Devante Wallace’s reverse layup with the score at 48-70.

The Scorchers concluded their season by taking the final stanza by 21-13. Riabi and Raftopoulos again connected from big three point shots and they were twice matched by Martelle McLemore with the score at 69-81. Fittingly, on his former home court, it was Joe Mvuezolo who closed out a fourteen point Sharks win with a hook shot at 69-83.

MVP

The game was a dead rubber for the Sharks so it was vital that workloads were managed carefully ahead of the post-season playoffs. Having spells of ball carrying, Kipper Nichols was highly-effective for 14 points, 4 rebounds, 3 assists and a steal. Again working quietly and efficiently was Marcus Delpeche. He finished a rebound short of a double-double with 16 points and 9 rebounds. There was a season-high assist tally for Nate Montgomery with 4 and the MVP went to another player who posted a season-high. Joe Mvuezolo became the eleventh Shark this season to top-score with an eye-catching 17 points, 7 rebounds, 1 assist, 2 steals and a block on his return to the club where he once plied his trade.

Next game

Glasgow Rocks v B. Braun Sheffield Sharks, Friday April 29^th 2022, Emirates Arena, 7.30pm Tip Off.

Image

Adam Bates