Season ends for Sheffield Sharks with Quarter Final Playoff exit
The season is over for the B. Braun Sheffield Sharks.
Despite a three point victory in Leicester last Friday over the hometown Riders, an 87-97 loss at the Canon Medical Arena on Sunday meant that the Sheffield Sharks exited the playoffs at the quarter-final stage a d ending their campaign.
It has been a frustrating season for a team with undoubted talent that unfortunately hasn’t made its mark on Super League Basketball in the way that was expected. A summer of rebuilding awaits in anticipation of the new campaign that will commence in September.
With two recent victories over the Sharks, it was pleasing to see Atiba Lyons’ side come out with intent in Leicester last Friday. A 27-18 opening quarter showed their determination and things looked healthy with a 51-41 half time advantage. Predictably in their own gym, the Riders started the second half with purpose in a 22-10 third period but the last three points of the game went the Sharks way and they were able to claim a 78-81 road win.
A solid 14 point contribution from Rodney Chatman III was only bettered by Fahro Alihodzic’s 18 point, 7 rebound outing and it was MVP Nick Kern Jr who filled his statline for an impressive 19 points, 6 rebounds, 3 assists, 2 steals and a blocked shot.
Three points however is a narrow margin of victory and therefore there was all to play for in the second leg of the aggregate quarter-final tie. Leicester wiped out the deficit in the opening minutes on Sunday and led from start to finish. A scoreline of 56-76 by the end of the third quarter saw the Riders ahead by 17 on aggregate and despite the Sharks losing Prentiss Nixon, Fahro Alihodzic and Jordan Ratinho to foul trouble, they did battle back to close the gap to 5 late in the encounter. However, with the need to stop the clock, Leicester profited from a series of trips to the free throw line and their 34 point leading scorer on the day, Keddy Johnson, saw out an 87-97 on-the-day win and a seven point success overall.
Nick Kern Jr wasn’t too far behind Johnson with an outstanding 32 point, 8 rebound, 2 assist, 4 steal, 1 block outing but it wasn’t enough to prevent the Sharks exiting playoffs at the quarter-final hurdle.
In truth, it has been a frustrating season with injuries to key players throughout and a team that was undoubtedly packed with talent but never really developed the chemistry needed to deliver success. A summer of recruitment awaits to get back on track for the third season of Super League Basketball that commences in September 2026.