Deveal Ramsey inspired, but Sheffield Sharks fall to second BBL Trophy defeat to Caledonia Gladiators

Sharks were beaten 78-72 by the Caledonia Gladiators at a raucous Canon Medical Arena to make it two defeats from two in the group phase of the Trophy, meaning they need to beat Plymouth City Patriots back here on Saturday week and Cheshire Phoenix on the road the following night to have any chance of advancing to finals weekend in Birmingham at the end of January.

Even then, Atiba Lyons’ side are reliant on results elsewhere going their way.

They can take a lot of heart from the way they fought back, and the bigger picture for the team is a crowd in excess of 1,500 people was by far their biggest Thursday night attendance since moving to their new arena and the league switching games to this midweek slot for their American broadcasters.

But their sluggish start, which is becoming a theme, and their shooting accuracy, is a concern.

Sharks’ accuracy from three-point range – just one from eight – summed up their shooting inefficiencies in the first half.

They trailed by 18 points at one stage before a late rally led by Ramsey and a three-pointer at the buzzer from Kipper Nichols took them into the locker room with the deficit not looking so insurmountable at 13 points.

And they took that momentum into the second half with a blistering third quarter led by the irrepressible Ramsey who ran at the heart of the Caledonia defence time and again to set up repeated lay-ups from inside the paint.

A fade-away two as he fell to the ground was the pick of the 26-year-old’s baskets; that it gave the Sharks the lead at 51-49, at the end of a 22-7 run, was fitting given his immense contribution.

He needed assistance, and Bennett Koch provided it with great efficiency at both ends of the court and 11 points (he has recorded double-doubles in points and rebounds in successove games), while Nichols (11) with a two-pointer from the top of the key levelled the scores.

A couple of huge three-pointers from Jordan Ratinho fell, where in the first half they had hit the rim, and Jalon Pipkins (13 points) burst into life as the Sharks roared were back into it.

Just how much energy they had expanded in fighting back would eventually tell in the fourth quarter as Gladiators rebuilt an eight-point lead and managed to keep an increasingly-desperate Sharks at arms length as time expired, to revive their own hopes of progression after losing their first two and leave Sheffield's hanging by a thread.

Lyons made a roster change before tip-off, releasing former Leicester Riders forward Jubril Adekoya.