Sharks set to play big role in end of season standings
BBL Championship Preview
Friday 20th April 2012 – OH Sharks Sheffield v Plymouth Raiders
Sunday 22nd April 2012 – Cheshire Jets v OH Sharks Sheffield
The final weekend of regular season play and much remains to be decided for Sheffield Sharks and their post season aspirations. Defeat by Glasgow last weekend saw the Rocks take a clean sweep of the head-to-head and therefore an unassailable fifth position. The Sharks entertain Plymouth on Friday and travel to the Jets on Sunday hoping to retain their sixth place for the playoff match-ups.
Friday’s visitors Plymouth also have much to play for. Two wins in their final two games gives them a second place finish in the league and a chance to take on the seventh-placed team in the playoffs. The Raiders have been involved in a season-long tussle with Worcester and Leicester at the upper end of the standings and will be looking to cap that off with the best possible finish. A familiar face at the EIS, ex-Shark Paul Williams will no doubt be looking to get another over on his former employers and continue his superb run of form that sees him rated second in the rebounding tables with 11.9. Current BBL MVP Jeremy Bell continues to shoot the lights out for Plymouth with 19.3 points per game and that’s before the threats posed by James Jones, Michael Ojo, Anthony Rowe and Lehmon Colbert are even mentioned. Both sides may be casting half an eye over each other as potential playoff opponents but with so much still at stake, wins and momentum will be paramount.
Not that the Sharks have an easy fixture in their final regular season game at the Northgate Arena on Sunday. Cheshire have put together a run of form, coinciding with their 72-78 win over the Sharks at the EIS three weeks ago. A 78-95 road win at Milton Keynes was followed by a convincing 80-68 success over Glasgow as the Jets confirmed their playoff spot and began to show a degree of consistency at last. Key to this has been the wise old head of Colin O’Reilly, who contributed 54 points in those two games as well as livewire guard Adam Brown with 42 and a whole host of assists. The initial round of weekend games will leave the picture much clearer as to what sides need to do, although the head-to-head stands at one game apiece; a Sharks win and they will retain sixth place.
Getting that win is easier said than done. The Sharks went down 76-83 at home to the Rocks last Friday on another frustrating evening. Glasgow dominated the first half but saw a much-improved Sharks display for the final twenty. Once again Mike Tuck was central to that performance with his now-customary double double of twenty points and ten rebounds. The Sharks now have an abundance of shooting talent on display in Messrs Patton, Langhurst and Reinking. Ryan Patton put up a decent display with 18 points and 7 assists against Glasgow, but an off-night for Jimmy Langhurst (8 points) saw Nate Reinking take the court for 28 minutes, contributing three trademark triples. Reinking in theory is still being rehabilitated with a view to the Olympics in July but it would appear that if all three find their range, then this would be key to the Sharks making further progress in post-season. Two final wins would go a long way to helping this progress, lack of consistency having dogged Sheffield throughout the 2011-12 season.
Friday’s home tip-off is at 7.30pm (@billybadknees on Twitter for regular updates) with a 5.30pm start on Sunday away at Cheshire.
