BBL Championship
B. Braun Sheffield Sharks 72-64 Leicester Riders (22-15, 39-36, 54-44)
(Sharks: Glasgow Jr., 15; Nelson, 14; Nichols, 12 – Riders: Loving, 18; Mackenzie, 13; Whelan, 8)
The B. Braun Sheffield Sharks triumphed on their court at Ponds Forge, winning 72-64 over the Leicester Riders.
Sheffield have
been on fire in the month of March, going undefeated to boast a six-game
winning spree.
With five players
in double-digit scoring, the Sharks excelled against an experienced Riders
side.
Sharks guard Sa’eed Nelson contributed across the board, with 14 points, seven rebounds, four assists and three steals.
Sharks started
off strong in their fierce match-up against top-tier side Leicester Riders.
Jalon Pipkins was hot out of the gate for the home team, producing an emphatic dunk down the middle of the lane.
Pipkins continued
punishing the basket with another dunk, this time going coast-to-coast for a
poster slam over Leicester’s Kimbal Mackenzie.
Devearl Ramsey,
one of the quickest guards in the league, got in on the scoring action for
Sheffield – hitting a wide-open triple after losing his defender.
The Sharks’
suffocating defence was on full display, with Leicester only mustering one
field goal across four minutes of play.
But the Riders forged a
comeback in the second quarter.
Carrington Love
played a key role, coming off the Leicester bench to ignite his team for some
much-needed scoring.
Barely a few
minutes on the floor, Love set up Zach Jackson with a well-timed dump down pass
off an intense drive, with Jackson able to finish confidently.
Sheffield
responded through centre Bennett Koch, who made his presence felt, scoring an
impressive and-one layup with a perfect entry pass from Ramsey.
Sheffield’s
defence generated 10 turnovers with seven minutes left in the first half.
Despite this, the
Riders battled back and reduced the Sharks’ lead significantly.
Floor general Mackenzie
delivered a handful of crucial plays, scoring in traffic, as well as from
midrange.
A monster
put-back dunk by 7ft 3in Riders centre Aaron Menzies had Riders’ bench
applauding, but Sharks maintained the advantage.
At halftime, the
Sharks remained ahead by a slim 39-36 margin.
The third quarter
saw Sheffield continuing their impressive performance, dominating the Riders
both inside and outside the perimeter.
Koch opened up
the second half scoring with a clean hookshot past a pair of Riders defenders.
And his teammate Kipper
Nichols followed it up with a clean elbow shot – hitting the bullseye.
Sheffield kept
control of the game with pace to maintain a modest 10-point advantage.
A beautiful
connection between Nelson and Koch resulted in an inside lay-up and-one play,
further increasing Sharks’ lead.
Leicester
successfully chalked their first and only field goal of the third quarter with
under a minute remaining – Marc Loving pulled off a captivating drive inside,
able to finish close to the rim.
Sharks looked poised to
take the game but the tables were turned in the last quarter.
Leicester mounted a
quick 5-0 run behind a dagger three-pointer by Patrick Whelan, followed by a
Jubril Adekoya two-point jumper.
Riders defence also
intensified, denying Sheffield plenty of looks at the basket.
Nelson able to break the
Sheffield scoring drought with a high-arching floater layup off the glass.
Loving, locked
and loaded from the wing, sank a three to tie up the game for the Riders – the
first time since the opening quarter.
But Sheffield
skipper Rodney Glasgow Jr. came straight back at the Riders defence with a
clutch triple of his own.
With the late
thriller in full-swing, both teams hustled hard to accumulate vital buckets.
Leicester found
opportunities at the free-throw line, but a late surge by the Sharks, rounded
off by a big-time Glasgow Jr. triple, paved the way for a clutch Sheffield home
win.
With that,
Sheffield extended their undefeated home record – stretching since January – as
they improved to 14 wins, moving up to sixth in the standings.
Leicester incurred their ninth loss of the 2022-23 campaign.
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