Unbeaten streak comes to an end in Surrey

Saturday 15th March 2025

Super League Basketball Championship

Surrey 89ers 69 B. Braun Sheffield Sharks 65

The B. Braun Sheffield Sharks unbeaten streak came to an end with defeat on the road at Surrey 89ers. The Niners gained revenge for defeat in the SLB Cup Final by holding the Sharks to 25 points in the second half after the visitors had led by as many as 16 points at one stage. An 11 point, 11 rebound double-double from Jacob Groves almost got the Sharks over the line in the 69-65 loss as a tough run of games comes to an end with the visit of Leicester Riders to the Canon Medical Arena on Sunday.

Starting Fives

89ers: Gooden, James, Steel, Ray, Adelekun.

Sharks: McGill, Nixon, Clay, Ratinho, Anderson.

Key Moments

The Sharks shaded a close 13-15 opening quarter. Cam Gooden opened the scoring for Surrey with a 3 point jump shot but the Sharks took charge as Prentiss Nixon put them into the lead from the mid-range. Jacob Groves drove the open lane to make it 3-8 and a Drake Jeffries three kept the Sharks in front at 11-15. Di-Jani Parkinson’s layup concluded a tight first period.

The Sharks put their foot on the gas in a 13-25 second quarter. Treys from Drake Jeffries and James Reese increased the difference to 16-25 and the gap became 14 as Nixon dished off to Clay for the dunk at 20-34. The lead became 16 as Rickey McGill made a tough finish with the score at 22-38 and a Reese jump shot put the Sharks in command by 26-40 at the break.

Josh Steel set about reducing the deficit for Surrey with an opening three ball but a trademark Jordan Ratinho reply on the angle allayed any fears at 29-43. The gap narrowed until McGill made an athletic finish with the score reading 37-46 until the guard and Donovan Clay were called for technical fouls. A Mervin James layup gave Surrey a way in with the gap at just 2 points but 3 free throws from Prentiss Nixon closed the stanza at 45-50.

Surrey claimed the four point victory on the back of a 24-15 final period. Jalen Ray’s triple put them into the lead at 54-53 as the teams traded baskets for four and a half minutes. James’ turnaround jumper finally put the Guildford-based side in front and his dunk opened up a gap of four at 67-63. Jamell Anderson laid in but the Niners gained revenge for their Cup Final loss as Nedas Cholevinskas sealed a pair from the line and the win at 69-65.

MVP

There were four double-figure outings for the Sharks but a twelfth consecutive victory escaped them on this occasion. Jordan Ratinho contributed 10 points and a 71% shooting effort saw James Reese V to 11. Rickey McGill led the Sharks scoring on the night with his 13 point, 2 rebound, 5 assist, 1 steal display but it was the performance of Jacob Groves that caught the eye the most. His 11 point, 11 rebound double-double signalled a return to health but sadly wasn’t enough to put another notch in the win column.

Next Game

B. Braun Sheffield Sharks v Leicester Riders, Sunday 16th March 2025, Canon Medical Arena, Super League Basketball Championship, 4.00pm tip off

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Adam Bates