South Yorkshire welcomed basketball fans, as Manchester Giants defeated Sheffield Sharks 68-85 at Ponds Forge on Friday 8th October 2021 in a closely contested encounter that went back and forth.
The Sharks seemed to be in control straight away, and scored in the first minute thanks to Jordan Ratinho, but the Giants equalised later on.
After a tight first half, the home team took the lead again through Jonathan Williams, who scored immediately after being substituted in with only 21 seconds remaining, leaving the Giants at a disadvantage at the end of the first quarter.
The Sharks began the second half with a two point lead, but failed to keep their momentum up. The Giants led by one point at the end of the second quarter.
Fortunately, the poor end to the quarter did not impact the attitude of the Shark fans, whose enthusiasm stayed strong as they cheered and showed their support.
The Sharks made an unsuccessful attempt to pick up their pace and settle back into their passing rhythm. However, the Giants regained possession of the ball, and captain Dan Clark, who scored 20 points and had seven assists that game, allowed his team to take the lead by four points.
Both teams continued to be neck and neck, until McKnight beat the buzzer, once again allowing the Giants to edge closer to victory. While the last quarter kicked off with a three-pointer by the Sharks, their efforts were not enough to turn the game around. The home team lacked a strong defense, which resulted in the Giants being 17 points ahead in the last quarter, as McKnight scored the last basket.
The Sharks travel to Cheshire Phoenix on 10th October, before welcoming the Newcastle Eagles on 15th October. Both games are part of the BBL Cup.
