REPORT: Short-handed Sharks edged out in double overtime thriller

Sunday 25^th September 2022

BBL Championship

Manchester Giants 105 B. Braun Sheffield Sharks 102 (2OT)

A short-handed B. Braun Sheffield Sharks team went down in a double overtime thriller against Lancastrian rivals, Manchester Giants. The Sharks ran with a roster of eight after injury to Rodney Glasgow and a bout of illness for Hensy Sako. An astonishing contest saw the Giants leading by a sizeable 21 points at one stage, only for the Sharks to stage a remarkable recovery and send the game into two periods of additional time. A William Lee basket plus a Dirk Williams free throw inside the final 40 seconds saw Manchester claim an incredibly hard-fought win.

Starting Fives

Giants: Roberson, Green, Williams, Lee, Fletcher.

Sharks: Nelson, Banks, Nichols, Ratinho, Delpeche.

Key Moments

Manchester raced out to a 13-0 lead on the back of 7 points from former Shark Dirk Williams. Channel Banks finally got the Sharks on the board with a triple and followed that up with two more as the score moved to 24-13. A three-laden opening quarter was concluded by Manchester’s William Lee and another former Shark, Nicholas Lewis, with the home side in front by 33-21.

The breathtaking pace continued throughout the second quarter. Williams hit another outrageously long trey with the score at 50-32 but a pair of dagger triples from Kipper Nichols saw the Sharks constantly narrowing the gap at 53-40. Despite the Sharks best efforts, the Manchester half time lead at 58-42 looked a solid one in twenty minutes of basketball where 16 of 25 three point shots splashed through the net.

The Sharks fightback well and truly commenced in the third period. The South Yorkshire side restricted the free-scoring Mancunians to just 9 points as new point guard Sa’eed Nelson went to work. His three point score plus free throw saw the Sharks make 16 in return as the third quarter ended at 67-58.

The drama continued into the fourth period. The gap came down to 8 on Jordan Ratinho’s trey and then 6 on a Bennett Koch bucket. Unfortunately, a double foul saw Koch leave the game having accumulated his five but the Sharks showed renewed determination. The Giants entered the penalty with 4.09 left to play and soon found their 81-75 lead wiped away by six successful free throws from Nelson. Influential guard Rahmon Fletcher restored the home side’s lead with 21 seconds remaining but Kipper Nichols’ long two, with his foot just cutting the arc, sent the game into overtime at 83-83.

The first period of overtime saw the Sharks’ Javion Ogunyemi wiping the offensive boards and profiting from two trips to the line with the score at 86-88. Channel Banks found success again from beyond the arc at 89-91 but a William Lee basket saw the game move into an additional five minutes at 91-91. The roses rivals traded baskets at 98-98 in the middle of the second additional period. Banks’ fifth three-pointer levelled matters at 102-102 but another Lee basket saw Manchester inch into a two point lead with 36 seconds to go. Dirk Williams made a further point from the line to make it 105-102 but Kipper Nichols shot in the dying seconds failed to hit the target; the Sharks man appearing to have been impeded as the game ended in a Giants victory.

MVP

It was a superhuman effort from the Sharks, given their short numbers and the mountain they climbed throughout the game. Three newcomers particularly caught the eye. Channel Banks poured in 17 points with 7 rebounds, an assist and a block, connecting with 5 of his 9 three point attempts. There was an excellent double-double for Javion Ogunyemi. The big centre shot 55% from the field on his way to 16 points, a mammoth 18 rebounds, an assist and a steal. The MVP award went to incoming point guard Sa’eed Nelson. He finished agonisingly short of a triple-double, having also shot an outstanding 18 of his 22 free throws. His final statline of 33 points, 9 rebounds, 10 assists and 5 steals was worthy of winning the game on any other night but bodes well for the campaign to follow.

Next game

Bristol Flyers v B. Braun Sheffield Sharks, Saturday October 1^st 2022, SGS College Arena, 7.30pm Tip Off.

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Adam Bates