BBL Trophy semi-final second leg preview: Phoenix @ Sharks

Sheffield Sharks will attempt to add an eleventh game to their March schedule by overcoming the Cheshire Phoenix in the BBL Trophy semi-final second leg at the EIS on Friday. They hold a fourteen point advantage following Sunday’s 74-60 win at the Northgate Arena that makes them favourites to reach the final in Glasgow on March 9th.

That advantage would have been seventeen were it not for a Gabe Haskins near-halfcourt buzzer beater at the conclusion of the first fixture, which signals the shooting threat employed by the short rotation of the ‘Nix.

Whilst Haskins weighs in with 14 points per game, Cheshire’s clear threat comes from Chez Marks, who records 23.3 points per game, bettered only by Mike Ojo of the Plymouth Raiders. The Cheshire bigs, out of necessity, get through a fair amount of work as well. Alif Bland is currently racking up 15.4ppg with 8.7 rebounds per game ably supported by 43 year old BBL veteran Shawn Myers, who is pulling in 8.9 rebounds to go with double figure points per game. One crucial addition to the Phoenix rotation would be forward

Jerome Gumbs, currently putting up 17.5ppg with 6.8rpg, but has been missing through illness and is touch and go as to whether he will be fit to take the court against the Sharks according to the Chester Chronicle.

One thing is for certain, a fourteen point deficit in the second leg will help dictate the ‘Nix tactics and it is likely that some expressive basketball will be played as they attempt to claw their way back into the tie and claim the first place in the final in Glasgow in a week’s time.

Ten fixtures await the Sheffield Sharks in the month of March and they will be looking to make it eleven by securing the win over Cheshire and reaching the Trophy final. A fourteen point advantage puts them in the box seat and again it was a team affair that helped get them to this point.

Five players made it to double figure scoring, led once again by captain Mike Tuck, who recorded a 16 point 19 rebound double double. Whilst Tuck is becoming a regular feature in the BBL Team of the Week, the contributions of his team mates are never to be overlooked and the efforts of Micah Williams (14), BJ Holmes (13), Olu Babalola (13) and Demetrius Jemison (10) all played their part in Cheshire’s downfall.

Another exciting part of the Sharks team ethos is rookie point guard Nick Lewis. Known for his ability to come up with a big game-changing play, Lewis had this to say about the Sharks upcoming games: “March is going to be a busy month. We’re really confident of getting the win on Friday. We’re just focussing in on our strengths and things that we did well from Sunday but making adjustments to our weaknesses as well.”

The ethic of continual improvement has been marked throughout the Sharks season and key decisions made by Coach Lyons early on have now been clearly vindicated. A trip to a major final and whisper it quietly, some silverware would be the icing on the cake. Forty crucial minutes of basketball stand in the way of that dream and Sheffield will need to stay focused as a team in order to make it become reality.

The game tips off at 7.30pm on Friday at the English Institute of Sport, Coleridge Road, Sheffield.

For tickets contact: leanne.caley@mls.gb.com.