Solid showing by Rocks stuns Sharks

Mike Ringgold was the main man for the Rocks as they defeated Sheffield 85-65 in Glasgow on Sunday.

The Rocks rode a 22-4 run either side of half-time to blow open a game that was tied at 32-32 midway through the second quarter.

Starting Fives

Glasgow: Davis, Robinson, Ringgold, Harrison, Murray
Sheffield: Williams, Holmes, Tuck, Babalola, Jemison

It was the somewhat unlikely duo of Mike Ringgold and Brice Fantazia that stole the show for the Rocks in their 85-65 win over the Sheffield Sharks on Sunday.

Ringgold top scored with 18 points and brought down 10 rebounds. He was ably assisted by back-up guard Fantazia, who notched up 17 points and 8 assists.

The two teams were neck-and-neck after the opening 15 minutes. Both teams were playing strong, tight defence, but a 22-4 run edged the game in the Rocks favour and the Sharks couldn’t wrestle it back.

Jamie Vanderbeken had six points and three assists in 20 minutes on his Rocks debut. The Canadian looked like he could be the perfect replacement for departed GB international Kieron Achara. The ex-Iowa State forward stated that he was delighted with his performance and has settled in well with his new teammates.

The Sharks led at the end of the first quarter, 23-21, and things were all tied up at 32 just four minutes before half-time. A great block from E.J. Harrison, of all people, followed by Andrew Wedemire converting his own missed free-throw, seemed to galvanise the Rocks and change the complexion of the game. The Rocks went on an 8-0 run to close out the first half with their lead sitting pretty at a dozen points.

Sharks coach Atiba Lyons clearly had more than a few words to say to his men during the interval as the referees had to delay the start of the second-half with Sheffield still in the locker room.

Whatever he said, however, didn’t work as a 12 point deficit quickly became 18 just three minutes in to the third quarter.

Lyons must have gone into the game knowing that if his men could keep Robinson and Harrison at bay, they would be odds on favourites to win the game. Yet, the starting guard combo combined for just 13 points on 5-of-16 shooting and still he saw his team lose heavily.

The Rocks have been frustratingly inconsistent this season, but both Ringgold and Fantazia played brilliantly and showed the kind of performances that have been lacking from them on a regular basis. Coach Davis said after the game that he has seen a marked improvement in Ringgold and hopes he can use this display as a platform for bigger and better games down the stretch.

At the end of the third quarter Glasgow had stretched their lead to 22 points.

In between quarters B.J. Holmes was carried off the court with a serious looking shin injury following a collision with Fantazia. The Sharks guard later left the arena in a wheelchair.

Sheffield were unable to chip away at the vast Rocks lead as the home side ran out comfortable winners. If there was any doubting the dismay of Lyons, that doubt was well and truly extinguished when, with just over six minutes left on the clock and his team trailing by 22, he called a time-out only to walk away from his team and not utter a single word.

Silence, they say, is powerful.

The two teams meet again on Friday in Sheffield in the quarter-final of the BBL Trophy and the Sharks will need to add some more bite to their performance if they are to progress to the next round.

Play of the game

With 65 seconds left in the first-half, Andrew Wedemire beat two Sharks defenders to the rebound from his own missed free-throw and popped it home for two points. It wasn’t necessarily the best play of the game, but the Sharks heads went down and a four point Rocks lead became a 21 point lead just six minutes later. It was the catalyst for a 22-4 run that proved the difference between the sides

Game MVP: Mike Ringgold

Finally, the Rocks fans are seeing the player they thought they would see. A solid all round display from the big man, he looked comfortable at both ends of the floor, notching 18 points (9-of-10 shooting) and 10 rebounds. It must be said, however, that this was a solid all-round performance from all eight Rocks players that had significant game time.