Lyons: “Most important game of the season” part II
It was billed by Atiba Lyons as ‘the most important game of the season” before passage into the semi-finals of the BBL Trophy was secured in an 84-81 overtime win over the Glasgow Rocks, however Lyons may well be repeating those words about Friday night’s BBL Championship encounter with the Durham Wildcats.
The two sides enter Friday’s game level on points in a four-way tie for the final playoff berth along with the London Lions and the Manchester Giants. The Sharks hold the upper hand by virtue of a game in hand but will be only too aware of the stellar weekend the Wildcats have just experienced.
First up, fourth placed Plymouth were dispatched with ease by 98-81. Durham were deadly from downtown as Brad Guinane (32), Keith Page (21) and forward Andrew Keister (19) filled their boots in front of a partisan Devon crowd.
They followed that up two days later with an equally-heartening 94-82 win over Cheshire Phoenix, Page (22) and Keister (20) this time providing an accomplished support act to Mike Baldarelli (26). The Wildcats run a short rotation but veteran guard Ralph Bucci is at the heart of all their hard work and his season stats of 10.8ppg, 9.0rpg and 5.3apg prove that age is just a number to the 37 year old New Yorker.
A further win would put pressure on seventh placed Cheshire, themselves running with just six players and go a long way to ensure a place in the final shake-up as we enter the business end of the season.
A superhuman effort from Sharks point guard BJ Holmes was key to their Trophy quarter final win over Glasgow.
Holmes was crocked in the previous week’s game in Glasgow and only got the all-clear from an x-ray late in the week. His participation was in doubt until just before tip-off but he shook off his injury problem to play 43 of the 45 minutes, contribute 25 points and come up with some valuable clutch plays down the stretch. Sheffield bigs, Mike Tuck and Demetrius Jemison, weighed in with 20 and 18 point double doubles respectively and provided a vital tonic to the spectators who braved terrible snowy conditions on a night where Sheffield’s public transport ground to a halt.
A man of carefully chosen words, even Atiba took to Twitter to say, ‘great game from my guys tonight, I’m very proud of them.’
No doubt that steely resolve will be tested once again as Lyons looks for a repeat of October’s first league win of the season. The Wildcats were swept aside by 74-58 at the EIS on the back of 21 crucial points from Micah Williams and solid defense from skipper Mike Tuck, who weighed in with a sixteen point, sixteen rebound double double. Last weekend’s results prove that Durham are a totally different prospect this time round but the principle of an up-tempo game allied with tight defense should be bywords if the Sharks are to cement their position in the table.
Tip-off is 7.30pm this Friday 1st February at the English Institute of Sport and tickets are available online at www.sharksbasketball.co.uk by clicking on ‘Shop.’
