Game Report: B. Braun Sheffield Sharks 85 – 104 Cheshire Phoenix

The B. Braun Sheffield Sharks fall to dominant Cheshire Phoenix in Sunday afternoon British Basketball League clash. 

Thanks to a 16-point, 14-rebound double-double from Ethan Chargois, the Phoenix sunk the Sharks 104-85 at the Canon Medical Arena on Sunday afternoon.

Starting Fives:

B.Braun Sheffield Sharks starting five: Devearl Ramsey, Jalon Pipkins, Kipper Nichols, Bennett Koch, Parker Stewart
Cheshire Phoenix starting five: Laquincy Rideau, Maceo Jack, Aaryn Rai, Ethan Chargois, Sklyer White

First Half:

Last week, the 9-7 Sharks suffered a tight loss to the Bristol Flyers, who they continue to chase in fourth position.

Atiba Lyons’ side know that building momentum at this stage of the season is hugely important if they aim to hold home-court advantage come playoff time.

The 11-5 Phoenix were fresh from beating the Leicester Riders a week ago and entered Sunday’s contest with the lofty goal of mounting a challenge to the league-leading London Lions, who have recently shown rare signs of vulnerability, losing two games in two weeks.

Competitive home fixtures like this one are of upmost importance if they are to make a realistic run at the Championship.

The early signs were positive. Cheshire opened the game relentless drive and aggression, finding their way to the basket at will.

Sharks appeared overwhelmed, as each member of the Phoenix starting five put their mark on the scoring column within the first seven minutes.

Ethan Chargois dominated the first quarter, putting up nine points through a combination of confident shooting and physical drives to force his way to the line.

The second period started in similar fashion, Cheshire were even able to open up a 28-point lead through a defiant block from Cam Holden and steal from EJ Stephens, which led to multiple easy baskets in transition.

Around 15 minutes into the game, the Sharks appeared to have found a groove on offence, when Devearl Ramsey, Jordan Ratinho and Jalon Pipkins sunk three consecutive shots from beyond the arc.

However, they continued to show very little defensive resistance, as Ben Thomas’ team coasted their way to the hole for the remainder of the half.

The teams entered the break with Cheshire holding a whopping 25-point lead.

Second Half:

Sheffield entered the second half in desperate need of a run, but once again were met by an imposing Phoenix team, who swarmed them defensively from the restart.

Sheffield were forced into more unwelcome turnovers and remained unable to significantly limit Cheshire’s bombastic offensive display.

As Laquincy Rideau and Aaryn Rai drove the ball with determination, the Phoenix strengthened their grip over the game.

The hosts started to show signs of clear frustration as they saw the contest slip away from them, highlighted by a clear unsportsmanlike foul from Jubril Adekoya.

However, the third period closed with a glimmer of hope for the Sharks. They offered increased defensive effort and capitalised with hot shooting.

They strung together a 10-0 run, which was punctuated by Prentiss Nixon, who scored a three before being fouled at the buzzer for a trio of shots from the stripe.

Suddenly, the deficit was down to 14. The pendulum continued to swing further in Sheffield’s direction.

Nixon’s impact grew further on the game, while Pipkins led the Sharks offence with assured shooting and excellent ball movement.

When Ratinho made a pair of baskets with six minutes remaining, Cheshire’s lead was down to single digits. Despite their efforts, the run couldn’t sustain.

More tremendous play from Rideau meant that Cheshire were able to regain control down the stretch.

By the time the final buzzer sounded, the Phoenix were victorious. A huge factor of this Cheshire win was the way that the dominated the boards, pulling down 16 more rebounds than their opponents.

Sheffield can feel buoyant about the way they reacted in the second half, limiting the Phoenix to just 25 points after half time.

Player of the Game:

Tonight’s Player of the Game was Ethan Chargois, who made impact on tonight’s game in every category possible. The forward scored 16 points, grabbed 14 rebounds and dished out 6 assists in a scintillating performance.