DBL Sharks Sheffield: '˜Heart' helped us to Newcastle triumph says coach Lyons

DBL Sharks Sheffield head coach Atiba Lyons said his side played with heart in their 95-84 win over ESH Group Eagles Newcastle.
Atiba LyonsAtiba Lyons
Atiba Lyons

A blistering 21-0 final quarter scoring run saw the Sharks come from behind to beat the Eagles for the first time in more than three years.

And Lyons was pleased with how his side dug in against a top side.

“I was really happy with the performance,” he said.

“We made some adjustments in training and came out well.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

“Defensively they showed a lot of heart and energy, and did a good job of closing the possessions, rebounding, all the small things that sometimes cost you when you get hot.”

Lyons was also pleased with how his players bounced back from defeat at Cheshire Pheonix in their previous outing.

“We were keyed in tonight,” said Lyons.

“The Cheshire loss hurt and they came back and they recovered and they did a good job.

“They came out and played with heart and a lot of passion and showed a lot of focus.”

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

Point guard Max Guercy - signed less than a month ago - stepped up in the absence of the injured Jordan Davis against the Eagles, said Lyons.

“Newcastle is a very tough defensive team, very hard for point guards to make space and pick up opportunities because of how aggressively they’re double-teaming the ball, so the fact that Max did a good job of that and did a good job of finding guys, it really helped us tonight and I’m glad to see that.

“We’re getting there. At this stage of the season it’s all about being mentally focused and keyed in, and understanding what’s at stake.

“I think sometimes we think we’ve arrived and we’re there and we’re not.

“Every team in this league can beat anyone and it’s shown, and we have to make sure we do a much better job keying in.”