Sharks lose in the Battle of the Roses

Wednesday 17 April 2019

BBL Championship

Manchester Giants 93-65 DBL Sharks Sheffield (26-10, 55-25, 73-42)

Manchester Giants moved back into the top eight after an emphatic home win over DBL Sharks Sheffield in pursuit of a place in the benecos BBL Play-Offs.

The Giants improve to 14-17 ahead of their final two league games with Sheffield still not guaranteed a top eight finish as they drop to 16-15.

Leading scorers – Mike McCall Jnr 19, Torry Butler 18, Willie Clayton 16 (Giants); Chris Alexander 16, Drago Brcina 14, Dirk Williams 13 (Sharks)

Turning point – Manchester raced out of the blocks with a 16-4 start and their lead ballooned beyond 30 points in the second with their no way back for the visitors.

Key stat – The Giants shot at nearly 60% in the first half and dominated the battle on the boards, out-rebounding their opponents 49-30.

Game hero(es) – There was an array of top displays from Giants. Clayton was unstoppable with 16 points, 9 rebounds, 3 assists and 3 steals, while Butler was on-form with 18 points, 9 rebounds, 4 assists and 4 steals. There was also a double-double of 13 points and 10 boards from Vlatko Granic, while Mike McCall Jnr had 19 points and 7 assists.

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