Sharks 1840 6290

Northants 2438 5978

After a big loss in the league on Saturday, Northants were expected to be determined to put things right and be fired up for the Sureshot Cup Q’Final at All Saints. The Thunder more than met these expectations, jumping out of the gate at a furious pace with aggressive full court defence and effective penetration on offense. The Sharks did not respond well to the visitors’ quick start and spent most of the period throwing the ball away (14 times!!!) or missing lay-ups. Eventually, Sheffield began to regain some composure and put some points on the board. Conor Faulkner’s 3pt buzzer beater reduced the gap to 6 points going into the 2nd quarter.

A change in the Sheffield defence seemed to slow Northants down although they were still shooting the ball very well. Henryk Krajniewski continued to impress all in attendance by blocking the lane, changing shots and passing out of the post. In addition, Josh & Renny began to show their strength getting to the basket as the Sharks drew level and then went ahead. The Thunder responded to retake the lead in what was becoming a close and exciting game. The home side went into the locker room with a 2 point lead.

Whilst trying to find some positives it was reasoned that to have played so incredibly badly in the 1st half and still come in at half-time with a lead must be a good thing? The Sharks pledged to start again and did show some improvement in the 3rd period. Quincy picked up a knock and had to sit which gave Aidan the chance to show his worth with a safe & solid performance. However, the momentum that Northants had built in the 1st half continued as there speed and accurate shooting kept them close. Sheffield edged the stanza 22-21.

In the final 10mins of play the Juniors showed their quality & character. George’s hustle and defence was inspiring, several times he would sprint back to strip the ball from a Northants player about to take an open lay-up. His heroics spread as the rest of the team were FINALLY rotating on defence, Callum was picking up rebounds and steals as a direct result. Offensively Henryk’s screening was opening things ups, Josh’s quickness was too much for the Northants defence and Conor nailed some big shots as the hosts moved away to secure a 12 point victory and a place in the Sureshot Cup Semi-Final.

On a positive note, the boys showed great determination to drag themselves back and win the game, despite an excellent performance from Northants who shot the ball as well as any team I’ve seen this season. However, a team with this ability should never have allowed themselves to get into such a hole in the first place. For some reason this squad flat out refuses to play with intensity, energy and desire unless they find themselves in serious trouble. As soon as we find a way to play as we did in the 4th quarter from the get-go we will be dangerous.

•Special note to the 4 players who did not get to play. Their attitude and support was commendable & shows the true camaraderie of this team.

Conor Faulkner – 25pts, 4 assists, 2 steals, 1 reb

Josh Adams – 22 pts, 12 rebs, 4 assists, 3 steals

Callum McKenzie – 15 pts, 4 rebs, 4 steals, 2 assists

Renny Nascimento – 12 pts, 3 steals

George Brownell – 9 pts, 7 rebs, 3 steals, 2 assists, 2 blks

Henryk Krajniewski – 7 pts, 5 rebs, 3 blks, 1 assist

Aidan Appleyard – 1 steal

Quincy Kaka – 4 rebs, 2 steals

Sheu Matewe - DNP, Coach’s Decision

Zach Fenech - DNP, Coach’s Decision

Dale Stennett - DNP, Coach’s Decision

Dennis Kaka – DNP, Coach’s Decision