Sharks stave off Lions to tighten grip on play-off spot

Sheffield Sharks wrapped up four games in eight days with a fourth quarter rally to defeat fellow playoff contenders London Lions 79-63 in the unfamiliar surroundings of the Blue Hall at the EIS.

Sharks skipper Mike Tuck led the way prior to his 30th birthday with 25 points, BJ Holmes weighing in with 20 in support.

Starting Fives

Sharks: Babalola, Tuck, Lewis, Holmes, Jemison.
Lions: Sturt, Lawson, Brown, Ogedengbe, Martin.

Both sides appeared bemused by the multitude of court markings and the slippery surface of the Blue Hall as a dreadful first quarter unfolded. The game opened with a Tayo Ogedengbe triple and the score scraped to 10-11 by the end of the period. The second was little better. Ogedengbe converted a Rod Brown pass on the alley oop to give London a 14-17 lead and Nick Lewis threatened to reproduce his heroics of Friday night with a three and an acrobatic tip in off a BJ Holmes distance effort.

Atiba Lyons was clearly unhappy with the manner of the Sharks play, giving the full hairdryer treatment on the first timeout of the game before walking away to emphasise the message to his players. Sheffield suffered a further scare when Lewis became the latest in a succession of slips and had to leave court to receive treatment. An Orlan Jackman score concluded a pretty dire half with the Sharks just holding the upper hand at 28-26.

Former Shark Perry Lawson made his presence felt with three triples early in the third quarter. The Sharks hung on in thanks to an ‘and one’ play from Tuck, although the game was undeniably scrappy and frustrations boiled over with Holmes collecting a technical for his protestations. Nick Lewis made his way back on court but ran into foul trouble, Jackman making two out of three from the line. An Adrian Sturt score put the Lions up by 43-47 which was reduced by two courtesy of a trademark Olu Babalola drive into the paint.

Two scores from the influential Rod Brown opened the final period, giving London a 45-51 lead. The game suddenly sprung into life as both sides finally appeared to realise the value of the Championship points on offer in the fixture. Babalola scored from downtown, immediately matched by the beanpole Sturt as the Lions took a 50-56 lead. Sheffield finally found some defensive cohesiveness and a BJ Holmes three pulled the Sharks back to within two points at 55-57 and six minutes to play. Mike Tuck reigned in the next eight points unanswered and despite Nick Lewis fouling out of the game, two more triples from Babalola and a mesmeric run to the basket by BJ Holmes saw the Sharks open up a twelve point lead. The Lions despite their robust style of play could only run in two more points during the last two minutes of action and trips to the line with London in penalty saw Holmes close out the game at 79-63.

Sharks guard BJ Holmes was only too aware he had been in a battle despite contributing a valuable twenty points in the win: “It was definitely a scrappy first three quarters. They come and try to play with their own style and we tried to slow it down. They like to put pressure on the ball and force the turnovers but we managed to win out in the end.”

Commenting on a vital win for the Sharks, Zac Gachette was moved to say: “Obviously it’s been a rough season apart from the Trophy run. We needed that to secure our spot in the playoff positions.”

Speaking of a fourth game in eight days, to be followed by a further five games before March is out, Zac commented: “It’s tough, no-one is used to this amount of games. It’s been a crazy month!”

Play of the Game

Highlight moments were few and far between as the game was largely an ugly scrap for three periods. The Lions pursued a streetball style throughout, not averse to the odd robust challenge. They produced one stellar play that would have garnered high fives all round on the municipal courts however. An inch perfect pass from Rod Brown was met by Tayo Ogedengbe to perfection on the alley oop that produced a gasp of admiration from the elevated EIS crowd.

Game MVP

Twenty five points, six rebounds, 1 assist and 1 block with a 55 per cent field goal average saw the award go to Sharks skipper Mike Tuck, one day shy of his 30th birthday. Tuck inspired the Sharks to regain their defensive qualities in that vital fourth quarter and poured in bucket after bucket to finally break the London stranglehold. That his efforts came in a week where he had lifted the BBL Trophy and rallied his side to two wins over their nearest rivals made the award all the more sweeter.

Next Up

Marjon Plymouth Raiders at One Health Sharks Sheffield, Wednesday 20th March 2013, 7.30pm, EIS – Blue Hall.
London Lions at Surrey Heat, Sunday 31st March 2013, 3.00pm, Surrey Sports Park.