Sheffield's fightback delivers play-off final glory

Sheffield Sharks denied Leicester Riders a historic domestic treble yesterday as a late comeback ended a 12-year wait for BBL play-off final glory.
Sheffield Sharks players celebrate yesterdays 84-77 BBL Play-off Final win over Leicester Riders at The O2. (Picture: Ville Vuorinen)Sheffield Sharks players celebrate yesterdays 84-77 BBL Play-off Final win over Leicester Riders at The O2. (Picture: Ville Vuorinen)
Sheffield Sharks players celebrate yesterdays 84-77 BBL Play-off Final win over Leicester Riders at The O2. (Picture: Ville Vuorinen)

Mike Tuck finished the game with a 20-point haul as the Sharks produced a stunning final-quarter comeback to win 84-77 in the 2016 Molten BBL Play-off final.

Sheffield had entered the final at the O2 Arena as huge underdogs, with Leicester having finished 18 points ahead of third-placed Sheffield in the regular season

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The Riders had already won the BBL Trophy and the league title and looked on course for more glory after the first three quarters.

The Sharks were 66-59 adrift heading into the final 10 minutes but they fought back to deny the Riders the treble.

Tuck picked up the MVP award after a hugely influential display, including 13 rebounds and four assists, while Jerrold Brooks scored eight of his 18 points in a pivotal 14-0 spell down the stretch.

That included a crucial three-pointer with 90 seconds to go to make it 76-71, while Leicester managed just 11 points in the final quarter.

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“I’m in complete shock right now. I can’t believe it,” said Tuck.

“We’ve played hard, we’ve worked so hard all year, this is the icing on top. I’m so pleased we came through today.

“I’m the type of guy that wears his heart on his sleeve out on the court and I knew if I did that from the start the rest of the guys would follow.

“It’s been a crazy up-and-down season with new players and injuries and something like this makes it all worthwhile.

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“Everybody stepped up, from our bench guys to our starters. Big-time players step up in big-time situations and we did that today.

“It came down to defence and getting stops and we really stepped it up. We stopped their scorers and got it done on the other end.”

The Riders led by as many as seven points at the end of the third period, but saw their bid for a historic treble fall short in front of over 12,000 fans despite a combined 32 points from Neil Watson and Conner Washington.

Atiba Lyons, Sheffield Sharks head coach, said: “I’m truly proud of this team – it’s been a great season.

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“We went down by seven or eight, but kept our heads high and were able to go on a run.

“Credit to Leicester, but I’m happy we were able to come out with the win.”

The enthralling season finale began with a TrayVonn Wright dunk on the opening possession, but the Sharks settled with Tuck asserting himself early with six points to help his side into a six-point advantage at 13-7.

Wright picked up his second foul and would sit the rest of the half, but the Riders bench made an immediate impact before 3-pointers from Watson bookended a 12-2 close to the quarter.

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The barrage from downtown continued at the start of the second as Tyler Bernardini got in on the act to extend the lead to seven. Sheffield tied the game at 30-30 with a 10-3 burst before a three-point frenzy ensued with Washington making three consecutive triples as he raced to 15 points.

Sheffield held their own from downtown and Brandon Hogg’s late triple – their eighth of the half – gave his side a slender 44-43 advantage to take into half-time.

Both teams traded baskets early in the third, Sheffield edging ahead at 59-56 before Leicester put together a 10-0 run to close the period with their largest lead of the game.

Tuck ended a six-minute drought for his side, but the Riders were still in control with a 
71-66 advantage with 6:14 remaining following another Bernardini three.

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The Sharks then went on a remarkable 14-0 run as they kept their opponents scoreless for over five minutes with Brooks netting eight points including a go-ahead three-pointer in a decisive spell that made it 80-71.

Drew Sullivan managed to cut the gap with a late three, but the damage had been done and the Sharks sealed the title.

Sharks guard Brooks added: “I’m just happy we won – probably the best game I’ve played in a long time. We stayed together after they went ahead and came up with some big shots and rebounds in the final quarter.”