BBL Cup
Final, NIA
Scottish Rocks
70 (14, 36, 64)
(Williams 26, McGee
15, Martin 12, Bunyan 6)
Sheffield Sharks
83 (24, 46, 64)
(Coleman 22, Stewart
17, Reinking 13)
An MVP performance
from Lynard Stewart helped Sheffield Sharks to lift the Haribo Cup in a
fairly one-sided final at the NIA, 17 points and 8 rebounds from the American
inspiring Peter Scantlebury's men to an 83-70 victory over the Scottish
Rocks.
In front of an announced
crowd of around 6000, the Sharks enjoyed a 16-4 tear towards the end of
the opening period to take the score out to 24-11. The Sharks
then scored the first eleven points of the second quarter to open up what
proved to be an indelible cushion as Stewart and Justin Phoenix established
dominance inside.
Terrance McGee -
shaking off an ankle sprain to play - scored five points in a 14-2 burst
to trim the deficit back to single figures at 43-36 with 48 seconds left
in the half.
An Iain McKinney
three-pointer with eight seconds remaining bought the lead back to ten
points at 46-36 going into the second half.
The third period
saw the Rocks begin to fight back as Jerry Williams scored six of the their
eight points in an 8-2 run to trim the deficit back to nine points at 59-50,
but Sheffield bagged the last five points of the quarter to lead 64-50
going into the final stanza.
The Rocks opened
the quarter with a 12-5 burst to get back to within seven at 69-62, but
they could get no closer as the Sharks sealed the victory from the foul
line and it was HL Coleman who led the team scoring with 22.
“They pushed us all
the way and although we had a gap, they came back and chased us to the
end,” said Scantlebury.
“But we’ve worked
hard this first half of the season and I’m glad the guys have something
to show for it.”
Former Shark Williams
led all scorers with 26 for the Rocks but he was too often a lone competitor
for his side.
“He was fairly along
alone out there at times and I don’t think he could have done any more,”
praised Rocks coach Steve Swanson, who will step up his search for a much-needed
replacement for Niki Arinze this week.
“He made some really
big shots and losing is toughest on him because he carried the load even
when Sheffield were keying in on him."
Sheffield: Coleman
22, Stewart 17, Reinking 13, Phoenix 11, Yanders 9, McKinney 6, Windle
5, Okorie/Keeley/Lawson DNP
Scottish: Jerry Williams
26, McGee 15, Martin 12, Bunyan 6, Perre 5, Gordon 3, Kruse 3, Junior Williams
0, Tackie/Campbell DNP
