Manchester record first win of the season as they defeat Sheffield Sharks.

Manchester made 14 three-pointers as they sailed to victory after a dominant second half performance. Manchester were able to hold Sheffield Sharks to just 28 points in the second half as they played hard defence to limit Sheffield’s ability to make buckets.

For Manchester the player of the game was DJ Mitchell who recorded 20 points 7 rebounds 6 assists making 6 three-pointers in the game. He dominated the second half and his shooting from beyond the arch put Manchester into an unassailable lead.

Nathan Cayo also impressed for Manchester scoring 18 points and 9 rebounds. His play inside helped Manchester stay with Sheffield in the first half.

For Sheffield Sharks EC Matthews impressed making 23 points with 5 three-pointers.

The first quarter was an even contest with both teams going bucket for bucket with each other. Makai Ashton-Langford started the game positively as he drained a three-pointer to get the scoring going for Manchester. Nathan Cayo showed his intensity as he would force a turnover stealing the ball and going on to make a layup. Isaih Moore was impressive for Manchester when rebounding and he helped reduce the number of second chance opportunities for Sheffield Sharks. He went on to record 10 rebounds on the game. Sheffield would take a 21-18 lead at the end of the first quarter.

Nicholas Lewis was impressive in the second quarter scoring 9 points for Manchester. His shooting helped Manchester stick with Sheffield Sharks in what was an even contest in the first half of the game. Nathan Cayo grabbed an offensive rebound and got Manchester two extra points as he was able to take advantage of the second chance opportunity. Despite this Sheffield took a 40-37 lead going into halftime.

Manchester were straight out the blocks when the third quarter got underway with Nathan Cayo making a two-pointer and DJ Mitchell sinking a three-pointer. Makai Ashton-Langford, Nicholas Lewis, Cayo and Mitchell all made three-pointers in the quarter. In total Manchester made five three-pointers in the third quarter as they were able to get ahead of Sheffield Sharks.

Manchester went into the final quarter of the game with a lead of 65-57.

DJ Mitchell caught fire in the final quarter of the game making four three-pointers as Manchester got out of Sheffield’s reach. Manchester were excellent defensively in this quarter as they were able to hold Sheffield Sharks to just 11 points in the quarter. Manchester were able to force Sheffield Sharks to turnover the ball multiple times in the quarter. In one case they were able to force a shot-clock violation as they restricted Sheffield’s scoring options. Manchester scored 22 points in the quarter and they won the game 87-68 over Sheffield Sharks.

Manchester will hope to take this momentum into the rest of the season, as they start their league campaign by hosting the holders London Lions. Tickets for this game are priced at just £10!

Manchester are back in action on Friday November 1 as they take on Newcastle Eagles in the Super League Basketball Trophy.

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