BASKETBALL: Sharks face tough weekend as they look to extend winning streak

Sharks face a back-to-back weekend today and tomorrow, starting with Leeds Force at home before closing out the weekend with an away tie to Manchester Giants.

Five of their six-game winning streak came in the league, a run which dates back to December 11.

And the Sharks have impressively picked up three of those wins without Mike Cook, the talented guard who was released two weeks ago on personal grounds.

Since Cook returned to the USA, Atiba Lyons’ men have performed excellently, producing multiple blowout wins against decent opposition.

The latest came against Worcester Wolves last Saturday. Jerrold Brooks and Mike Tuck starred in Sharks’ 10-point victory over the third-placed Wolves.

Brooks stole the show with his 21 points, 11 assists and six rebounds, while captain Tuck continued his excellent recent form, grabbing 22 points in the win.

Brooks will be hoping to continue his MVP calibre season this weekend against, statistically speaking, the league’s worst offence and worst defence respectively.

Force and Giants have both had their troubles this season and both teams find themselves outside of the playoff spots looking in as the season begins to hit the halfway stage. Force have lost seven of their last eight games while Giants have fallen victim to 16 losses in their last 19 matches.

Despite neither side managing to get the better of oach Lyons’ men this campaign, Sharks will not be taking their opposition lightly. Sheffield only just managed to squeak by Manchester in the first round of the BBL Cup in October and had to endure a physical test during their derby match with Leeds in December.

Giants will also have the advantage of being well rested when they host Sharks, who will likely be tired after an emotionally charged derby match the night before.

Sharks could increase their winning streak to eight matches, but it won’t be anywhere near as easy as it looks on paper over this difficult weekend.

The home match against Force is scheduled to tip-off at 7:30pm on Saturday and the away match against Giants is at 6pm on Sunday.