Leicester Riders fell for the first time in 2024-25 on Friday, losing 82-79 at home to Sheffield Sharks.
It was an electric affair and a heartbreaker come the final buzzer for Leicester, who battled back at the hands of Zach Jackson late in the fourth but fell short by only an inch with his game tying attempt on the buzzer.
The Riders and Sharks have faced off in high-stakes battles over past seasons, but for this new Riders group, there is plenty to take from their first encounter with Sheffield in Super League Basketball.
Big time moments, big time players
Despite the Riders loss, Zach Jackson again showed his ability to put the scoring load on his back in the clutch to will his team into contention.
His Player of the Game performance saw him bag 20 points, and 8 straight for the Riders to claw them back in it.
The Riders were down six with three minutes on the clock before back-to-back threes tied it up. Following a Sharks bucket, Jackson putback Riley Abercrombie’s miss to once again level the scores, and his game tying attempt on the buzzer missed by an inch for what would have been his 11th straight.
Jackson, the league’s leading scorer, demonstrated his late game heroics earlier in the year on the road to Bristol Flyers, where he led the team to an overtime win. Having the American suited up in red when the game gets close breeds late game confidence for the entire Riders unit.
Sheffield’s second unit scorers
The Sharks got their biggest scoring contribution from the bench on Friday, with EC Mathews checking in to log 18 points and 5 rebounds.
Mathews was a part of the closing unit which got the visitors over the line in Leicester, hitting what proved to be the game winning three with a minute remaining. It was his fourth three of the night- the 6’5” American providing a red hot hand off the bench.
Backing Mathews in the second unit was Prentiss Nixon, who was a thorn in the Riders’ side in last season’s playoffs. Nixon went for 11 and 4 on the game in 24 minutes, shooting 50% from the field and finishing with a +/- of 7.
In a three point win, the Sharks’ bench had an average +/- of 5, proving the difference in a game which came down to the thinnest of margins.
The Riders will have to stay wary of the Sheffield second unit if they want to come away from South Yorkshire with a win.
Stick to the process
A back and forth fourth quarter saw big swings of momentum, the Sharks having the best of the late form to win the game.
But the Riders, after a hot start to the final period, got themselves up double digits for the first time in the game after a Spencer Johnson three, and looked in good position to see it out.
The Sharks caught fire at a pivotal part of the game to win it, a three from Jacob Groves kick starting a 16-0 run to give them a six point lead.
But that three minute stretch, which cost Leicester the game, should not take from the Riders’ play which brought them within seven minutes of an 8-0 record to start the season.
Despite shooting only 40% from the field on the game, the Riders were within a possession of sending it to overtime, so a reversion to the mean and a solid offensive showing should put them in good stead to add a point to the win column this weekend.
The Riders are back at home on November 29 against Manchester Basketball. You can get tickets here!
