Sharks need points to keep chasing pack at bay
BBL Championship Preview – Friday 30th March 2012
One Health Sharks Sheffield v Cheshire Jets
The end of season tussle for playoff places becomes ever more focused following an intriguing set of results last weekend. The rollercoaster ride that is Sheffield Sharks took an unexpected dip with two defeats. A 74-85 reverse at home to Mersey was followed by a 95-80 defeat away at high-flying Worcester as the Sharks maintained their sixth place but allowed Guildford to pick up valuable ground and failed to capitalise on a defeat for Glasgow.
Visitors Cheshire Jets suffered a horror defeat at home to Worcester, going down by an emphatic 65-94. Coach John Lavery pulled no punches when describing the magnitude of the loss and his side’s lowly position, which is baffling given the quality and numbers put up by his roster. Rookie Guard Adam Brown contributes a very healthy 19 points per game, as well as 5 assists, and these numbers are ably backed up by Colin O’Reilly (18.1ppg), Bill Cole (17.7ppg) and Matt Schneck (16.9ppg / 10.6 rebounds). Clearly the stats don’t tell the full tale with the Jets languishing in tenth position, a 7-16 record and some way to go to overhaul ninth placed Mersey and eighth placed Milton Keynes. As well as Friday’s trip to Sheffield, Cheshire host Guildford on Sunday and will see both games as vital to their playoff aspirations. The Sharks own three wins over the Jets this season so far; 66-62 and 86-84 in the Trophy with a 90-77 win at EIS in the league being the most recent.
A lack of team cohesion appeared to be at fault for last weekend’s two Sharks defeats. The Sharks had become used to running with a limited rotation and therefore, roles were highly focused. The welcome return to the court of Atiba Lyons appeared to disrupt that siege mentality slightly although running with greater numbers is clearly a necessity that the team are going to have to adjust to.
Those numbers may soon be bolstered even further with news that Nate Reinking is back in training. Reinking is unlikely to be risked immediately, his rehabilitation being of great importance to the GB national squad, but hopefully he will be available to help the Sharks playoff bid. Despite the lacklustre displays last weekend, Shooting Guard Jimmy Langhurst still managed to contribute 19 and 24 points respectively, with Forward Mike Tuck achieving a 19/19 double double on Friday, followed by a ‘near-miss’ on Saturday, when he didn’t appear to make too many friends in the Worcester region! Having experienced the dip of the rollercoaster, hopefully Atiba Lyons will be leading his men to the highs again in a vitally important game against Cheshire.
The Sharks tip-off at 8pm this Friday as part of an innovative double-header at the EIS. Superleague netball opens proceedings at 5.30pm with Yorkshire Jets taking on Team Northumbria, hence the slightly later tip-off for the Sharks. A value ticket for both games is available, see www.sharksbasketball.co.uk for details.
Dave Bell tweets regular updates throughout the Sharks’ home games. Follow Dave on twitter @billybadknees
