GET YOUR TICKETS for our upcoming fixtures!
The Caledonia Gladiators headed down to Sheffield tonight determined to take the win against this top 3 team. Without their star man in Patrick Whelan, the Gladiators knew it would be an uphill struggle. In true Gladiator fashion, the players fought together and took the Sharks by storm early in the game, taking the first quarter by 8-points. Despite a late comeback attempt toward the end of the fourth quarter by the Sheffield Sharks, the Gladiators kept their heads and would take the upset win, 74 – 81! Huge win for the Gladiators on the Road, and amazing team performance all round.
The Caledonia Gladiators took the court ready for a fight in Sheffield. A tight first quarter would see a close game at the end of 10 minutes with the Sharks up by just 2 points. The Sharks would shoot well from three-point range to start the game, going 3 makes on 4 attempts. However, the Gladiators would stay in the game with a strong inside presence, missing just one shot under the basket in the first 10 minutes of the game at the Canon Medical Arena.
The Sheffield Sharks would struggle off the bench, going scoreless throughout the first half, with the Gladiators bench aiding their second quarter push for the lead with 11 points coming from the bench alone. The Gladiators came storming into the second quarter to take an 8-point lead into the half-time break. The Gladiators would put up the first 7 points in the game, with Sheffield going scoreless for nearly the first 3 minutes of the second quarter. With the lead in hand, the Gladiators kept up the pressure, preventing the Sharks from take it back and pushing it to a lead of 12-points. A tough final 2 minutes of the first half saw both teams struggle to score but Sheffield would score 4 in the final 40 seconds to bring the game back within single digits.
The score at half-time was 34 – 42 to the Caledonia Gladiators.
The Gladiators would continue to push their lead in the second half, taking back the double-digit lead to finish the third quarter, to put themselves within touching distance of the win. The Gladiators found their range, shoot 4 for 6 from behind the line behind an two from their Captain, Fraser Malcolm, to bring their lead to 11 after his first make of the second half. The Sharks bench would continue to struggle, with only one player getting onto the scoreboard across the first three quarters of action at the Canon Medical Arena.
The Sheffield Sharks were determined to get back into the game to continue their quest to win the Super League Championship. During the final quarter of action, the Sharks went on a 7-point run to bring the game back within a single possession, making the score 68 – 71 to the Gladiators with 3 minutes left. However, the Gladiators continued to fight despite the late comeback from the home side. The next minute of action in Sheffield would see the Sharks bring the game within in one-point but despite the momentum being in favour of the home side, the Gladiators didn’t lose focus. The Gladiators look to build on this performance as they take on another strong opponent in the Leicester Riders this Sunday back home at Playsport.
Tonight’s MVP was Devearl Ramsey who gave his all in his return to Sheffield playing all put 50 seconds of the game!
Top Performers:
Devearl Ramsey: 16 Points, 4 Rebounds, 11 Assists, 3 Steals and 39+ Minutes Played
Trevond Barnes: 19 Points, 8 Rebounds, 2 Assists, 1 Block
Fraser Malcolm: 13 Points, 5 Rebounds, 1 Block
Jett Speelman: 20 Points, 7 Rebounds
