Belting Threes, Narked, Chinned, Basket Sunk and Triumphant
Sheffield Junior Sharks V Manchester Magic
1.00 pm, Saturday December 5th 2009
Amaechi Basketball Centre (ABC), Manchester
1 2 3 4Final
Sharks: 15251718 75
Magic:20151821 74
This game saw the absence of a number of Sharks, but the welcome return of Berhe.
Despite the relative warmth of the sunshine going over the top to Amaechi, this game began amidst relative quiet. It was as if ABC being quiet gave rise to the low tempo start of this first League encounter between the two teams. By the end the match, however, it was a very different picture. A one point win against the League leaders will not have made much of a dent in the difference in points between the clubs. It did make a big dent in their confidence and will prompt other teams to take their game to the Mancunians. The League has opened up a little, if only just. Well done to the nine Sharks players and Coach Ransom for the win. With two victories now against Manchester the prospect for the next Roses encounter on December 20th (at EIS, 4.15 pm) has added attraction. Two games up against Manchester is significant. Three would be better.
Manchester elected to change their disposition of players by assigning Lee Goldsburgh to seek to tether John Stewart. Still freeing himself, his sallies to basket usually met with contacts that went uncalled. What this attention allowed was to free Joseph Baugh for an astonishingly powerful and fluent first half performance in which he belted five threes, four twos and a free-throw (twenty four points). These laid the foundation for the game. But I get ahead of the play. It was Mykel Moody that opened the game in the way that Coach Ransom likes, with a pass and cut into the paint assisted by Ben Cepulis. For the next minute and a half Sharks recorded nothing other than attempts at the basket whilst Manchester progressed to a lead of four. Only after a sensible Time-out did the fortunes change and Joe took a three from an assist from John. Both teams maintained the measured progress through the game where the general sense was one of a lacking urgency. John finally penetrated to score helped by Mykel Moody, before Manchester’s McGinn took them to a six point lead. A fruitless two minutes for both teams only ended with an Adam Townley lay-up extending the Manchester advance. Jim Rose assisted John to basket; Ben made a three pointer as a ‘no you don’t’ statement. The lead stayed with Manchester at five points. A further period of no scoring ended with Spence making a three for Manchester taking their score to twenty. Not to be outdone the Sharks, through Joseph, made a tremendous three courtesy of an assist from Jim, so that the quarter ended with only a five point advantage to the home side: Sheffield Junior Sharks 15, Manchester Magic 20.
The second quarter was far more eventful and acted to raise the game temperature. John took a bite at the deficit and reduced it to three, helped by Ben. John Gould for Manchester slapped a three as he will always do when he is left to float free of being marked (please, someone listen). The deficit was now six. Joe made his own two-pointer and was quickly followed by a Mykel assisted basket by Ben. That meant that the difference between the two teams was two. With a bench of twelve Manchester was resting players whilst Sharks soldiered on. Ben equalled the score from an assist by John and thereafter the quarter was hot, and the game was truly taken to Manchester from outside the arc which is usually their strength area. Joseph was the man-on-the-day and saving for the final Sharks’ points coming from Ben it was a Joseph field-day. Uncharacteristically John had grown annoyed through the half at the lack of calls and made it plain to the referee. Nicely, and quietly, Coach Ransom took him off the court to preserve him from attracting a technical. And so, with John ‘stewing’ for a while, Dave Price got a good opportunity on the court. Sharks went to rest with a lead of five: Sheffield Junior Sharks 40, Manchester Magic 35.
The third stanza was quite an even affair, but might have been more advantageous for the Sharks had lay-up, shots and free-throws been banked. After a block by Joseph, Mykel took the pleasure of an extremely fine basket assisted by Ben. Shortly after Mykel took what others would call a charge and lay flat on his back behind the baseline. Unfortunately the referee called it his foul. The result was that Manchester took just one of the two points available and Mykel needed to seek assistance for a split chin. Conor Faulkner took his place and sensibly managed the important time he was on the court. John had freer rein and persistently ‘mixed-it’ so that he was so regularly at the line he might now have been called ‘referee’s pet’; a far cry from the first half. He took seven for the quarter. Not before long Mykel was back and was fouled and he took a point after ringing the till. Joe, Jim and Ben also went to basket. Jim was rested and Vonn Tapiz took up duties well for the rest of the quarter. By the quarter’s end the Sheffield lead was four points: Sheffield Junior Sharks 57, Manchester Magic 53.
The fourth quarter, when everything mattered so much, saw an unfortunate loss of composure that had supporters and Coach anxious. Coach Ransom was right to complain about dribbling and shooting rather than the team game of passing and cutting. Before that John, Joe and Ben added six points without an answer establishing a lead of ten. Josh McGinn for Manchester got free enough to shoot and drew-back three from their overdraft, with their Matt Clarke shaving away another two using his height under the basket. John took relish in determined post-play putting two more points on the board. After this and in the course of a couple of minutes, Manchester’s tear of ten points gave them a single point lead. What better example of what happens when concentration and energy are allowed to slip, is hard to find. It was Jim Rose that restored faith with a basket and successful And-1 after another Ben assist. Manchester erased the Sharks’ two point advantage before troublesome Gould and McGinn gave Manchester a cushion of four points. Gaining possession after Manchester’s scoring it was Jim that managed to feed Joseph who reprised his three-point shooting from the first half. One point with Manchester was all that there was in it. There was now acute concern amongst supporters from both sides. It was then Ben that fed the ball to Mykel who knew that he had to shoot and a long two went smoothly through and there were loud shouts from the Sharks’ supporters. Everyone, including Mykel, knew the significance of his shot – and that a long one had gone in. The effect on others was sobering. With time running quickly away Manchester made a furious last concerted assault at the Sharks’ basket. Sheffield, though, played tough defense. Manchester’s Gould drove into the lane and pulled up with two Sharks on him. A block or deflection meant that he air-balled the shot. Lee Goldsburgh won the ball but under intense pressure threw the ball upwards to hit the underside of the rim. Time had run out. Klaxon from the table, hoots from the travelling Supporters, Mykel and others feted. Sheffield Junior Sharks 75, Manchester Magic 74.
Thanks go to Coach Ransom, the happy band of supporters who travelled back home with light hearts, and to Joe and Alex for their wonderful statistics.
After-note: Mykel’s last basket made him the toast of the dressing room after the game. For his troubles the post-game celebrations would be tempered by a two hour visit to A&E to be put together again.
Personal Statistics: Joseph Baugh: 30 points, 16 rebounds, 2 blocks, 2 steals; John Stewart: 17 points, 4 rebounds, 6 assists, 1 blocked shot, 2 steals; Ben Cepulis: 13 points, 4 rebounds, 10 assists, 2 steals; Mykel Moody: 10 points, 5 rebounds, 1 assist. 1 blocked shot, 2 steals; Jim Rose: 5 points, 3 rebounds, 4 assists; Conor Faulkner: 1 assist, 1 steal; Vonn Tapiz, Dave Price, Berhe Tesfa Yohannes.
