'We’ve got a lot of confidence now' - Bennett Koch bullish over Sheffield Sharks' British Basketball League chances

Sharks routed the league’s bottom club for only their second win of the calendar year, but the fact all 11 members of the team contributed to the tally can give them confidence going into a daunting looking trip to second-placed Cheshire Phoenix on Sunday.

Atiba Lyons hailed it a ‘much-needed win’ while for Bennett Koch it was a testament to the mentality of the players in training since their last game 13 days earlier.

"A lot of hard work this last couple of weeks, we knew we had to change something, change our attitude and that’s why we came out with a lot of energy tonight,” said the 28-year-old centre who was dominant on both ends of the floor again.

"There was a great attitude all round, a lot of people scored, we shared it around and it was a great effort from the guys.

"It’s been a while since we won, we’ve been disappointing of late so everyone needed to change their mindset. We’ve committed to each other, committed to the team and we came and played great.”

Now in his fifth year with the team, Koch appreciated that he needed to lead on and off the floor to help drag Sharks out of their slump.

"There hasn’t been anything volatile, we always believe in each other even in the hard stretches but after losing quite a few it is easy to get down on yourself,” he said of the mood in the camp. "We just had to regroup like we did tonight and play well.”

Koch has been one of the standout players of the Sharks’ season, even more so since the addition of the livewire Malek Green in January.

The 24-year-old small forward has not only brought great scoring – he led the team with 20 points against Plymouth – but he is also taking the heat off Koch on the court.

"He’s been great, he’s been a huge factor, bringing in a lot more energy in practice,” said Koch. "He’s yelling at me to pick it up, yelling at guys, holding people accountable which is great and he’s been a great addition.”

Sharks will now look to take that momentum on the road to Cheshire on Sunday night (6pm) to take on a Phoenix team that won the BBL Trophy just five weeks ago.

"They’re an impressive team,” admitted Koch. “We need to be humble, to understand that they’ve got a lot of talent, are well coached and they’re in a rhythm right now. But we’ve got a lot of confidence now.”

Sign up to the new Sports Editor’s Team Talk newsletter coming soon.