Charlie Walker - 11th April 2025
Report: Zach Jackson leads Leicester Riders win in overtime thriller against Sheffield Sharks
Leicester Riders battled out a 100-95 overtime win against fellow title contenders Sheffield Sharks.
The Riders, playing without a point guard from five minutes remaining in the fourth, dug deep late on and in the extra period to get a crucial win over the line.
Zach Jackson led Leicester in the clutch, going off for 28 in the game and hitting momentous shots late. He was backed by Riley Abercrombie whose 7 points in the final five minutes turned the tide of the game, bringing him to 22 on the night.
The Riders thought they had the game won in regulation, but Sheffield’s Rickey McGill had other plans. He hit a three falling away to his right with 5 seconds left to tie the game and Jackson’s attempted game winner was off-line, forcing another period of play.
Jackson started the run to seal it in overtime however, and his steal on McGill with a minute left was the biggest play of the night.
The win meant a four point swing goes the Riders way. They improved to 18-8, moving up to second place above the 18-9 Sharks, and six points behind the table-topping London Lions.
Wright steps up at the point
Leicester were without backup centre Duke Shelton and backup point guard Conner Washington from the jump, a situation which was exacerbated by Jaylin Hunter’s ejection through two technical fouls which left the Riders without a point guard for the final five minutes.
Ethan Wright stepped up to take charge at the point, guiding Leicester over the line late. He finished with 18 points and 7 rebounds off the bench.
Meanwhile Sheffield’s Jacob Groves came up huge on the night, going off in the second to give Sheffield a lead and finishing with 22 points.
Abercrombie throws down exclamation point of opening quarter
It was quickly evident that we were in for a thriller. They went blow for blow from the opening tip, Leicester taking a 10-7 lead in the first five minutes which saw four lead changes.
The battle down low between Charles Thompson and Sheffield’s Donovan Clay was a bruising one in the first quarter. Thompson scored twice in the paint against the League’s second-highest scorer and rebounder to take the early advantage in his matchup.
Riley Abercrombie threw down the exclamation point of the first quarter, connecting with Jaylin Hunter on the break for a thunderous alley-oop jam in transition. That came from an Ethan Wright block as the Riders combined every facet of the game to lead 22-17 after one.
Groves leads Sheffield comeback in second
Leicester threatened to extend their lead in the second through a Zach Jackson and-one and J’Raan Brooks triple- Jackson logging his eighth points in 12 minutes. But 8 straight Sheffield points from Jacob Groves kept the visitors in touching distance at 30-27. Groves neared his season average of 10 points per game in that stretch.
Rodney Glasgow Jr built on the Groves run to tie the game at 30 with a triple with three minutes remaining in the half. Jordan Ratinho hit his second triple of the game, and the Sharks fought back from eight down to five up.
Abercrombie ended the quarter action with a three at the end of the shot clock, bringing his game tally to 8 and cutting it to a one score difference at the break.
Riders battle back to tie it
The two Riders stars of the first half, Jackson and Abercrombie, got back to work out the break for five points to tie the game at 41.
It was bombs away from there, with back-to-back triples from Rickey McGill and Prentiss Nixon rebuilding the Sharks lead, before Hunter hit back with a three of his own. With five minutes on the clock, Spencer Johnson hit string from deep to re-tie the game.
In the absence of Washington, sidelined with a leg injury, the Riders put out a lineup without an out-and-out point guard. Wright stepped up as the primary ball handler, attacking the rim with aggression for six straight points with Hunter on the sideline.
Hunter ejection leaves Leicester without point guard
Leicester dug deep to make a run at the start of the fourth. Jackson got the scoreboard ticking at the foul line, then Hunter followed with four straight, snatching a loose pass from Ratinho for an easy finish on the break.
Wright took the roof off out of the following timeout, sinking an off-balance and-one at the rim to take Leicester’s first lead of the fourth.
Leicester’s momentum was stemmed with Hunter picking up his second technical through an unsportsmanlike foul on Groves, but Jackson breathed life back into the building with another score, plus the foul, to tie it up.
McGill heroics forces overtime
Leicester battled to the finish in an inspired performance. Abercrombie checked in to score seven clutch points and keep the Riders in contention. He threw down a jam from a Thompson feed with 2:17 left to give the Riders an 80–79 lead.
James Reese V drained a clutch three in response to the Aussie, putting the visitors in control down the stretch. But Jackson drained a rainbow from midrange to tie the game at 82 with one minute on the clock.
McGill was sent to the line for two points next time down, then Jackson sank another bomb over a tight contest to take the lead with 24 seconds left.
The first Sheffield shot fell to Donovan Clay, who missed in close. Abercrombie pulled down the crucial rebound and was sent to the foul line, making both to make it a three point lead.
Stepping up in the biggest spot of the game, McGill pulled up off-balance, falling to his right to hit the game tying three with five seconds left. Jackson took on the attempted game winner, but his floater hit the rim and the game was sent to overtime tied at 87.
Riders run takes overtime win
The Riders came gunning out the gate in overtime. Jackson stayed hot, hitting a three from the wing, and Thompson followed with authority at the rim for a monster jam.
Meanwhile Sheffield, looking to battle back once again in the tie, brought it back to a one point difference through Clay at the rim, after holding Leicester scoreless on two straight possessions.
Leicester had to dig deep to get the game over the line, making one last push to close overtime. Wright muscled inside to put back a Thompson miss, then Jackson snatched the ball away from McGill to set up a Spencer Johnson score at the rim and put Leicester up five.
McGill’s reaction saw him receive a technical foul, and Wright was fouled next time town and made it an eight point lead.
The Sharks had one last surge in them. Groves got to the rim for two, and Reese V stole the inbound and threw down a slam to cut the game to four. But Johnson sealed it at the foul line, securing a gritty win for the Riders.
Leicester are back in action tomorrow, hitting the road to take on Cheshire Phoenix.
