Sheffield Sharks may have lost in the capital on Wednesday, so seeing their grip on top spot in Super League Basketball loosened by the defending champion London Lions, but the manner in which they fought back to nearly snatch the game will steel them in the long run.

That is the belief of Jordan Ratinho, their dependable, long-standing guard who put in a customarily selfless shift in the 80-77 defeat to the Lions at the Copper Box Arena.

Sharks went into the game on top of the standings despite losing heavily to London in the same venue just seven weeks earlier.

Once they fell 39-22 down midway through the second quarter, Sharks would have been forgiven for thinking it wasn’t going to be their night and that Lions were simply too strong an opponent.

Jordan Ratinho in action for Sheffield Sharks at London Lions on Wednesday night

But the Sheffield Sharks team Atiba Lyons has assembled in 2024/25 is made of sterner stuff than recent seasons and they stormed back to take the lead in the fourth quarter and almost forced overtime in the dying moments.

“We had a tough first quarter, first half, but we fought back and showed the way we can play,” said Ratinho, 26.

“We readjusted to the way they were playing and I think in the end we probably beat ourselves a little bit, we had a lot of turnovers.

“But that’s all stuff we can control and I guess that’s a good take-away for us from the game.

Jordan Ratinho makes a basket for Sheffield Sharks against London Lions.

“There was a lot of stuff we did to ourselves, so we can control that.

“We showed a lot of fight and we’ve done that a lot of the year, so hopefully we can build off this.

“We’ve got a lot of guys that are really talented, we’ve got a deep team, we’re only going to get better.”

Despite the defeat and the fact that they could be back in third by the time they play again next Friday at Newcastle Eagles, Ratinho feels the league is more winnable this year than in previous seasons with London not as handsomely resourced as previous seasons.

“Absolutely it is,” said Ratinho, who had six points in London with Donovan Clay and Jacob Groves top-scoring with 16 apiece.

“There’s a lot of good teams in the league, it’s very balanced. Any team can beat anybody on their day, it’s been like that for a while but especially this year.

“This year silverware is super attainable, it’s going to be difficult as all the teams are good and have talented players, but I think we have a great chance this year.

“The goal is top of the league so we’ve just got to keep winning.”

'We showed a lot of fight': Sheffield Sharks lose battle to London Lions but take heart in title chase