Marshall MK Lions 98 (22,39,55,75,83) (Harrison 23, Morris 23, Holmes/Spinks 13)
Sheffield Sharks 89 (16,46,57,75,83) (Cook 27, Patton 24, Lawson 10)
The Marshall MK Lions beat the Sheffield Sharks by 98-89 in a double overtime game between two of the BBL's form sides on Friday night. It was the second game in a row between these teams that has gone to overtime, after the Sharks beat the Lions 83-80 in an extra period at the end of last season. It's only the ninth time that the Lions have beaten the Sharks in 48 meetings between these teams in the BBL Championship.
After the game, Head Coach Vince Macaulay said, "It was a terrific game, the Sharks really came to play but I'm proud of how we played. We had 30 turnovers but were still able to come through; we also had 63 rebounds and that just shows the effort that the guys put in."
The Lions were led by 23 points each from EJ Harrison and Dawud Morris, while Frank Holmes took his fair share of those rebounds with a double-double of 13 points and 16 boards. The Sharks were led by Mike Cook's 27 points.
After a tight game throughout, the Lions took the lead early in the fourth, having trailed 55-57 at the end of three, as Yorick Williams hit a three-pointer to make it 64-63. However, the Sharks took the lead back as Harrison was called for an unsportsmanlike foul on Perry Lawson, whose trip to the line gave them a 64- 66 lead, and the Sharks still led heading into the last minute. The Lions missed a trio of three-pointers before captain Dru Spinks snatched a rebound and putback to get them within one at 72-73 with 45 seconds left. The teams traded free-throws before Atiba Lyons fouled out and gave the Lions the ball back with 12 seconds remaining. Morris missed the shot only to get his own rebound and put it in with 3 seconds remaining to force overtime as the Sharks failed to get a shot off.
The teams traded runs in the first overtime period as Ryan Patton started it with a three-pointer and the Sharks scored the first five points. But the Lions came back with the next seven points and regained the lead at 82-80 on a Morris score. The Lions led 82-81 within the final minute when Toney emphatically dunked for the Sharks to give them the edge at 82-83. The Lions had the ball with 20 seconds left, facing a similar situation to that at the end of regulation, and Frank Holmes was sent to the line, where he made 1/2 for double overtime.
Patton and Mike New exchanged baskets early in the second overtime period as they each scored 5 points to see the teams tied once more at 88. The Lions eventually managed to decide the game in the final two minutes with a 7-1 run, capped by a Morris score, to lead 95-89 within the last minute, from where there was no way back for the Sharks. It was MK's fifth consecutive win in all competitions.
BBL Championship Table
P W L Pts
1 Newcastle Eagles 7 6 1 12
2 Sheffield Sharks 9 6 3 12
3 Marshall MK Lions 7 5 2 10
4 Guildford Heat 5 4 1 8
5 Cheshire Jets 6 4 2 8
6 Jelson Homes DMU Leicester Riders 7 4 3 8
7 Worthing Thunder 7 3 4 6
8= Essex Pirates 5 2 3 4
8= Glasgow Rocks 5 2 3 4
10 Everton Tigers 6 2 4 4
11= PAWS London Capital 6 1 5 2
11= Worcester Wolves 6 1 5 2
13 Airwaves Plymouth Raiders 4 0 4 0
Source: www.bbl.org.uk
