Red rose triumph….this time

Sheffield Junior Sharks U18

V’s Manchester Magic 15.02.2009
Sureshot Cup Final

Sharks 65 (14, 10, 24, 17)
Manchester 87 (18, 22, 20, 27)

Sharks juniors made the familiar trip over the pennines to play long standing rivals Manchester Magic to decide the winners of the first silverware of the season. The familiar surroundings of the Amaechi Basketball Centre was the “neutral” venue, this was certain to be a tough assignment.

Without starting players Will and Danny it was time for their team mates to step up and fill the void. The game started at the expected fast pace with baskets being traded evenly until the final moments. The buzzer saw Manchester holding a 4 point lead but this was still anybodies game.

A 14-0 burst from Manchester extended their lead to 18 points before Sharks finally recorded a score and settled the ship with Devon and Joseph stopping the rot. A steal and enormous dunk from Joseph gave the Sharks fans something to cheer at this difficult time. At the half Manchester’s lead had been marginally reduced to 16 points.

After strong words and offensive changes Sharks started the second half with renewed hope and showed the “home” team the game was back on. Joseph, AK and Calvin combined to score 19 points, including three NBA 3’s for Calvin which brought the crowd to their feet and Sharks to within 8 points of the team in red. Unfortunately Manchester responded with a 9-0 run but a 3 from AK and 2 from the stripe for Calvin saw the quarter close with a 12 point deficit to make up in the final quarter.

From the start of the 4th, Manchester controlled the clock and made big scores at critical times, gradually extending their lead while limiting Sharks scoring opportunities. Sharks can have no complaints and congratulate Manchester on another trophy. We look forward to another encounter at RAF Cosford.

Calvin 13 points, Ben C 4, AK 9, Devon 24, Ben H, Dan J 3, John 4, Aiden, Mykel, Joseph 8, Javan, Tom.