'It’s on everybody to raise it' - Sheffield Sharks' slow starts 'unacceptable' and jeopardising BBL Trophy campaign

Sharks’ future in a competition that lasts for the entirety of January hangs by a thread after defeats in the first of two of their four pool games.

They lost 91-71 at Surrey Scorchers last Saturday, and then despite a rousing 20-point performance from Devearl Ramsey on Thursday night, fell 80-72 to Caledonia Gladiators at the Canon Medical Arena.

On each occasion they found themselves in a first-quarter hole they were unable to dig themselves out of. On Saturday they trailed Surrey by 11 points at the end of the first 10 minutes and never got close. Five nights later, it was five to Caledonia, stretched to 18 points deep into the second quarter before Ramsey led the fightback.

“It’s very frustrating,” lamented Glasgow. “The last two games have been a tale of two halves, where we’re basically playing 20 minutes of good basketball and the other 20 minutes it’s just not us. And starting out flat has been a key to that. We’ve just got to pick it up, more so the intensity.

“You can see we have it, but it’s also the energy with whatever five is out on the court. We’ve just got to fix that immediately.

“Coming out flat is unacceptable; it’s always best to have that intensity and energy, we have to be pro-active.”

Sharks actually surged into the lead in the third quarter against the Gladiators, such was the ferocity of Ramsey’s play, but without sustained contributions from elsewhere - Bennett Koch did complete a second successive double-double (points-rebounds) - Caledonia reasserted their authority in the fourth.

“It’s on everybody to raise it,” said Glasgow. “Every game is going to be different for each player, where anybody can get hot on the night.

“Tonight it was Devearl where he was our energy guy, he has been all season, but guys have to feed off that and also pick it up. If he’s doing it, it should enable another guy. It’s a team sport, it’s not just one person.”

Slow starts on the court equals a slow start in the Trophy, and leaves Sharks needing to beat Plymouth City Patriots next Saturday and Cheshire Phoenix the following day to have any chance of making finals weekend in Birmingham.

“This is the Trophy, it’s not like it’s a long season and you have time to turn things around,” said Glasgow.

“We still have a slight chance, but it has to be two wins, we’ve got to pick it up and it starts with that first quarter.”