First blood to Sharks in Trophy semi-final first leg

Cheshire Phoenix have left their chances of making the BBL Trophy final further out of reach than what they would have anticipated, as a third quarter showing of shots outside the arc helped give Sheffield Sharks a 14 point advantage going into Friday’s second leg of the semi-finals.

Jerome Gumbs was missing for the home side through illness for the second Phoenix game in a row, leaving the home side to run with a six-man rotation at Northgate Arena.

Starting fives

Cheshire Phoenix – Myers, Haskins, Marks, Thomson, Bland

Sheffield Sharks – Williams, Holmes, Tuck, Babalola, Jemison

To begin with, neither team showed interest in wanting to take any real control of the tie. Sheffield had their short runs, and then late on Cheshire made a much needed 7-0 run to take the reins before Mike Tuck levelled matters up at the end of the first quarter at 16 apiece.

Much of the same in the second quarter, with Cheshire taking a lead of three points twice in the period, but that was always pegged back by Sharks, points being traded between both teams, and it was that man Tuck again who made the difference, as his two free throws on the end of the half giving the visitors a one point lead, 31-32.

Whether the game plan for either side was to wait on the outcome of just Friday, it was certainly working, but that was all to change after the break.

Over the half-time, Sheffield went on a 13-0 run, and one could feel that they were not finished with their unforgiving mood, as Tuck stepped up and their next six points were from him beyond the perimeter.

Cheshire would make the baskets, but not closing down their men allowed Sharks to make the most of it, BJ Holmes picking up his second three of the quarter and roaring to the crowd, before Olu Babalola and Micah Williams dropped threes of their own late on to give Sheffield a fifteen point lead going into the final period, 43-58.

It became a question of damage limitation, and just how much of it Cheshire Phoenix could carry out, going into the final stanza.

Gabe Haskins responded and Phoenix brought it back to just 10 thanks to Chez Marks, but Sharks could smell blood, and began to heap more pressure on Cheshire, going on a 10-2 run pushing the deficit to 18. Marks hit a three before baskets were traded, and when the crowd thought the game would be taken into Friday 17 points adrift for Phoenix, Haskins planted a three from way outside right on the buzzer to finish things up 60-74.

Chez Marks finished overall top scorer with 22, but Sheffield’s Mike Tuck ended the game with 16 points and 19 rebounds.

Play of the game

Cheshire suffered a similar fate on Friday night against Manchester Giants, attempting to play the outside game, and it didn’t seem to work again against Sheffield.

Cheshire’s 6 from 21 shots at three points to Sharks’ 7 from 15 – 6 of 8 came in the third quarter alone, which you can call plays of the game. In the final quarter Cheshire went 2 from 9 trying to chase it; imitation is often known to be the sincerest form of flattery.

Game MVP

Mike Tuck

Matt Lloyd highlighted that Tuck would be the key man for his men to target coming in to the game, but he still went about his work in stellar fashion.

Next up

For both sides it is the return leg at EIS Sheffield, 7:30pm, Friday 1st March

Post-game interviews from coaches Matt Lloyd and Atiba Lyons still to come…