Missing link helps Sharks sink Nuggets
The luck of the Irish could well have been with the Southland Sharks last weekend.
With the Rose of Tralee national finals held in Invercargill at the weekend, all 11 contestants met the Southland Sharks on Friday and it could have been their luck that propelled the team to victory – or was it the fact the home side was playing its southern rivals?
There’s nothing better than breaking a losing streak with a victory over your neighbours. That’s exactly what transpired in Saturday’s NBL clash against the Southland Sharks as they ended an 11-game losing streak with a 99-81 victory over the Otago Nuggets at ILT Stadium Southland.
The win also means the ILT Challenge Shield will remain in the deep south for the off-season. Up until the victory, it had been a season to forget for the Sharks as they’d fallen to every team and struggled to stay in the contest. However, Saturday’s result was the opposite.
You could put a large chunk of it down to the culture Guy Molloy had instilled in the side despite their losing run, and the arrival of new American Cooper Robb.
He might have only contributed 9 points, but he was the missing link the side had been lacking since pre-season.
It was the first time this season the Sharks had a full squad to pick from, and Molloy said that was a huge positive. “We’ve now finally got our roster right and Cooper is a significant addition to us, being a true point guard as it’s something we’ve lacked all season. We’ve had a lot of problems getting that in place and now they look a whole better now we’ve got a good one.”
Fellow import Caleb Asberry, who scored 21 points, had his best game in a Sharks singlet. “Caleb was never recruited here to be our point guard. He’s a very good player and a scorer but had been playing out of position. We have had very well-published import issues and we went through our troubles, but now we have the right guys here.’’
Brayden Inger was superb with 22 points, and captain Alonzo Burton made 20 points, while big man Callum McRae added 13 and Marcale Lotts 12. The Nuggets produced a fast start to lead 26-18, before the Sharks found their groove and won the next three quarters.
It was 44-47 to the visitors at halftime, but the home side lifted the intensity with 55 second-half points, including a 70-66 lead at three-quarter time.