Report by North Derbyshire Radio’s David Bell
The B. Braun Sheffield Sharks split their weekend with a nine point defeat at the hands of the Bristol Flyers. The game was a nip and tuck affair that the Sharks managed to make a single possession encounter right down to the final two minutes. Bristol, who led for nearly 35 minutes overall, had the strength to see out the win from the line by 85-94 to climb above the Sharks in the SLB Championship table. Dirk Williams single-handedly tried to see the Sharks to victory with an impressive 24 points but Atiba Lyons’ side must now wait until Wednesday week for their next attempt to secure that best possible playoff seeding.
The game was unusually high scoring for a Sharks – Flyers encounter and the tone was set by Bristol, who drained three straight triples to go up by 2-9. Mike Ochereobia claimed all six points for the Sharks to keep his side in touch at 6-11 but the gap soon became 13 as Zach Anderson dunked home with the score at 10-23. A 12-0 run to the end of the quarter kept things close; Jordan Ratinho finding success from the line to make it 22-23. However, former Shark Marcus Delpeche laid in on the buzzer as Bristol closed ahead by 22-25.
The Sharks took their first lead early in the second period as William Lee’s and-one play capped an 8-0 spurt with the score at 30-25. An impressive mid-quarter spell of shooting from Bristol’s Joseph Anderson saw them re-establish a 32-36 advantage but the first points on home court by recent signing Fahro Alihodzic ensured the Sharks were never very far away at 39-41. Anderson continued his hot streak with a four point play late in the period as Cam Holden’s late bucket sent the Flyers in at half time with a 43-51 lead.
A Nick Kern Jr reverse dunk was an early highlight of the second half but Bristol’s focus continued through their captain Owen McCormack’s three pointer at 53-62. Dirk Williams was masterful from deep, making a pair of big treys and when Mervin James turnaround jumper splashed through the net, a 10-1 run levelled the game at 63-63. However, Mike Ochereobia was benched on 4 fouls following an unsportsmanlike call – Cam Christon capping another Bristol mini-run as they closed the quarter at 63-71.
Christon steered the Flyers to a 14 point lead, 67-81 early in the final stanza but Williams’ determination saw him splash another pair of threes at 77-83. His floater inside the final two minutes drew the Sharks to within 3 at 82-85 but the game slipped away at the death. Trips to the line for Zach Anderson saw the win head back down to Bristol with the scoreline at 85-94.
The veteran wiles of Mike Ochereobia were crucial early and late in the game as the big forward saw himself to 11 points, 2 rebounds and 2 assists. There were also 11 point hauls for Mervin James (with 6 rebounds) and Rodney Chatman III, who also handed out 4 assists and claimed 2 steals. Putting the Sharks on his back in search of the win however was Dirk Williams. His 24 points included 6 successful makes from deep and came with 5 rebounds, 2 assists and 2 steals but he was unable to prevent his side falling to 11-10 for the season and down to 4th in the SLB Championship standings.
The Sharks are back in action on Wednesday 4th March when they travel to seventh-placed Leicester Riders.
Image: Josh Rackham
