Sharks break Surrey jinx with stunning overtime victory
The B. Braun Sheffield Sharks finally broke their Surrey jinx with a stunning victory over the Guildford-based side last Sunday. The 89ers were 3-0 for the season over the Sharks but Atiba Lyons’ side claimed a vital win as the race for Playoff seedings heats up.
Next up for the Sharks is a Good Friday encounter with old adversaries Leicester Riders, a side they will be facing three times in the final seven games of regular season.
A much-improved Surrey 89ers appeared to have a hold over the Sharks this season. They were 3-0 in league play and their last win over the Sharks was by 95-77 back on March 14.
The Sharks have sadly lost the services of William Lee for the remainder of the season but announced the signing of Troy D’Amico to plug the gap for what is hopefully 12 games to come in the 2025-26 campaign.
Surrey started impressively last Sunday but the Sharks dug deep to never be too far away from Coach Lloyd Gardner’s team. Indeed, the Sharks did go ahead at 44-42 by half time but the game was still too close to call. The Niners went up by 84-86 in the dying seconds but an athletic Nick Kern Jr finish tied the game and sent it to overtime.
Surrey went ahead by 4 in overtime but an outrageously long three point shot by Prentiss Nixon plus trips to the free throw line saw the Sharks to a memorable 99-96 win in the added 5 minutes.
There were big performances from Prentiss Nixon (18) and Dirk Williams (19) and vying for the MVP award was veteran forward Fahro Alihodzic, who produced an outstanding 21 point, 10 rebound double-double. He was just pipped at the post however by Nick Kern Jr, who used all his athleticism to end with 29 points and 9 rebounds.
The win cements the Sharks in fourth place in the SLB Championship table, which currently matches them up against fifth placed Bristol Flyers at the quarter final stage of the post-season Playoffs. However, that could change with 7 games remaining in regular season.
The first of those games sees the Sharks welcome 7th placed Leicester Riders to the Canon Medical Arena on Good Friday (7.30pm tip off). The Riders, coached by Rob Paternostro, have traditionally been one of the Sharks’ biggest rivals but have struggled to find their identity this season so far.
Tickets have been reduced to just £10 for this fixture to aid families in the Easter holidays and can be purchased from the Sharks website.