Basketball: Sharks move clear of field

Sheffield Sharks opened an eight-point gap over their BBL Championship rivals after their long-range shooting swept aside Thames Valley Tigers in an 103-85 win at Bracknell on Saturday and their inside play overpowered London Towers 95-82 last night at Ponds Forge.

The Sharks have played four more games than second-placed Brighton Bears and Scottish Rocks, but maximised their advantage by blasting Tigers off court with eight three-pointers in the first quarter alone.

Tigers this week hope to replace the American playmaker Nick Moore, whose season has been ended by a knee injury. Without him, the Sharks ruled the backcourt, scoring a total of 18 long-range three-pointers, eight from Iain McKinney.

Last night Lynard Stewart (31 points) and Justin Phoenix (17 points) led a balanced Sharks offence, but Towers' Omar Sneed and Emiko Etete, with 18 points each, saw Towers trail just 63-62. Sharks responded with nine of the next 11 points before another 9-2 run put them out of sight.