In recent meetings between us and the Sheffield Sharks, it has been difficult to slip a cigarette paper between us.
We shaded the first league game of the campaign at the Northgate while the Sharks inflicted a last minute single point revenge victory in the return at the EIS.
But on Sunday night the Sharks took control and we didn’t deal with them, but I still believe we have the class and ability to bounce back and get into that BBL Cup final.
People claim figures can be made to tell any story – but there is really only one tale told by the stats from the first leg of our BBL Cup semi-final.
We were only on an equal footing with the Sharks on two occasions in the game, both early in the first quarter, and the rest of the time we were playing catch-up.
The Sharks won each quarter – even the third, when we managed to shave the 12-point deficit to just two in the opening minutes after half-time.
Ryan Patton, who poured on the best part of 40 points personal against us this time last year, repeated the dose and was hardly a secret weapon, knocked down eight from downtown in a game–high 28 points.
Paul Williams and Mike Tuck, who struggled to find the basket consistently in their previous visit to the Northgate Arena, combined for 40 points.
We meanwhile seemed to lose our never-say-die attitude, so what positives can be taken from this performance? 
Well we do still have one of the best point guards around in Jeremy Bell, who again underlined his class with 26 personal and Quemont Greer who poured in 22. 
Colin O’Reilly backed them up with another consistent performance all round the court and claimed 13 points for himself and we do now have the imposing physical presence of Jason Killeen, who played only very limited minutes due to his late arrival last week, but who should allow our overworked rotation some much needed respite for the rest of the campaign.
In all we are still very much the team that set the pace in the Championship this year and we will make the Sharks fight for that final spot.