“Newcastle did a good job of applying their pressure to us early last
weekend and we had too many turnovers.
We also missed a lot of shots that we should’ve made, so we struggled to put
enough points on the board to win on the road.
The Raiders are a tough and athletic team with many good players,
so I expect it to be a tough battle for 40 minutes.”
SHARK’S FORWARD
Holders One Health Sharks Sheffield produced a powerful last quarter to take a 74-60 success at Plymouth University Raiders and cement their place in the semi-finals of the BBL Trophy.
The visitors held the home side to just ten points in the last ten minutes to seal the deal, with Mike Tuck claiming a double-double of 12 points and 10 rebounds, Demetrius Jemison enjoying a scintillating shooting night and British rising star Nick Lewis delivering an all-action effort of 17 points, nine rebounds, six assists and three steals.
Sharks flew out of the traps and into a 10-2 lead, but once Plymouth arose from their slumber, they had more than halved the arrears to trail by 23-18 by the end of the first quarter.
Their good work continued during the second period as veteran Nick George drained a triple to level matters at 25-25, before Ben Eaves put the hosts in front at 30-28.
But, the pendulum swing vigorously back towards Sharks when they rattled off what looked to be a potentially devastating 13-2 burst which culminated in an ‘and-1′ play by Demetrius Jemison.
Fortunately for the home fans, Matt Pressey then made a big three-pointer to reduce the damage to 41-35 and give Plymouth a lift heading to the locker rooms at the half.
However, Sharks kept Raiders at arms’ length throughout the third period and still held a six point lead going into the last quarter where they subsequently shut down the Raiders’ offence to wrap up a double-digit victory.
TRO Quarter Finals 19:15 Plymouth University Raiders v One Health Sharks Sheffield // Sharks Win 60-74
There were no major changes in the BBL Championship standings on Valentine’s Day, as both title favourites Worcester Wolves and Esh Group Eagles Newcastle were victorious once again.
The current league leaders Wolves registered an 89-82 victory against the visiting Glasgow Rocks, after running away to a double-digit lead already in the opening period.
Alex Owumi paced the winners with 24 points, while Will Creekmore added a double-double of 21 points and 16 rebounds.
Meanwhile, Eagles honoured the BBL All-Time appearance leader Fab Flournoy with a special pre-game presentation and went to make the evening even sweeter with an 83-77 victory against London Lions.
Darius Defoe had a game-high 22 points for the Newcastle club, Malik Cooke scored 15 points, while Flournoy added 10 points and five rebounds.
CH 19:30 Esh Group Eagles Newcastle v London Lions // Eagles Win 83-77
CH 19:30 Worcester Wolves v Glasgow Rocks // Wolves Win 89-82
Surrey United picked up their third victory of the season as they again came out on top 86-79 against fellow BBL new boys Birmingham Knights.
The visiting United dominated the second half with Brandon McGill scoring a game-high 25 points as a 13-3 run midway through the final quarter proved decisive. Birmingham remain winless this season but have a chance for revenge when the teams meet again next Sunday in Surrey.
Plymouth University Raiders used a big fourth quarter to enhance their play-off hopes with an 86-73 victory over Glasgow Rocks.
Seventh placed Raiders trailed 62-57 at the end of the third period but a 13-0 start to the final stanza was enough to get on top of the ninth placed Rocks. Nick George led Plymouth’s scoring with 22 points while Daniel Northern had 20 for Glasgow.
CH 19:30 Birmingham Knights v Surrey United // United Win 79-86
CH 19:30 Plymouth University Raiders v Glasgow Rocks // Raiders Win 86-73
There were no shocks at the Northgate Arena as Cheshire Phoenix comfortably beat National League club Bristol Academy Flyers in the BBL Trophy quarter-finals.
Victor Moses led the Phoenix offence with 25 points as the home side won 85-56 after building a big lead early in the first quarter. The Flyers, who will join the BBL next season, saw Doug McLaughin-Williams score a team-high 15 points.
In the Championship One Health Sharks Sheffield had a strong second quarter to thank for their 84-74 road win at Durham Wildcats.
Sharks lost the other three periods but their 28-11 score in the second stanza gave them a 45-29 half time lead which they would relinquish. Olu Babalola scored 20 points for the Sharks while Wildcats’ RJ Evans led all scorers with 24 points.
TRO Quarter Finals 17:30 Cheshire Phoenix v Bristol Academy Flyers // Phoenix Win 85-56
CH 16:00 Durham Wildcats v One Health Sharks Sheffield // Sharks Win 74-84
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