up Phoenix campaign

SLB PLAY-OFF QUARTER FINAL FIRST LEG

- BY MARK TIMPERLEY

THERE'S very rarely been a dull moment at EPSV this season.

Mostly through some scintillating play, close games and controversial moments, but Friday night drama has been plentiful.

There was already a sense of eager anticipation ahead of this first round, first leg play-off tie against the Sheffield Sharks.

Both teams met at the semi-final stage last season, when the Phoenix brushed them aside to make it to the 02 in London, where they narrowly lost the final against a stacked London Lions team. Earlier this season, the Sharks got some sort of payback, knocking the Nix out of the Cup in the Steel City.

So both teams had recent memories to fire themselves up, as if that was needed.

Play-off basketball raises the stakes from the regulation season. It's winner stays on. Will you be preparing for your next opponent or packing to go home?

Sheffield got caught up in the Bank Holiday traffic on their way across the Pennines, meaning a delay to the scheduled 6.30pm tip off.

Cheshire Head Coach Ben Thomas was getting his players prepared, when he was told his opponents were going to be late arriving. Over the next couple of hours, their ETA kept sliding back, eventually resulting in the tip being delayed a whole hour to 7.30pm.

It was the Nix who appeared affected more by the delay in the initial stages, finding themselves 2-7 down with just over a minute gone, TJ Atwood with Cheshire's only score.

A Prentiss Nixon three-point play extended it by another point at 6-12, with Jacob Groves taking it out to 9-17 following a fast break as the Nix couldn't seem to get into a rhythm.

Donovan Clay made it 10-19 with a monstrous dunk and it looked like it was going to be a long night for the Phoenix.