Basketball: Sharks move clear at the top with rout of Tigers

Sheffield Sharks took a clear lead at the top of the BBL Championship by beating the previous joint-leaders, Thames Valley Tigers, 107-78 last night, after hammering London Towers 101-79 at Crystal Palace on Saturday.

The Tigers were thrashed just a week after they had defeated Towers and the defending champions Chester Jets. Nate Reinking led the Sharks scorers with 25 points.

The night before, Towers suffered a similar pounding. The Sharks exploited the absence of Terrell Myers from the Towers line-up, missing with hamstring and ankle injuries, as their own backcourt of Reinking, Rob Yanders and Iain McKinney took control with a 19-2 second-quarter burst.

Towers' coach David Lindstrom signed the 6ft 6in Theo Dixon on Friday rather than a guard, but Myers' injuries may force him back into the market.

Myers was also missing last night as Towers lost 76-66 at Brighton Bears in a BBL Trophy group game, which damages their prospects of quaifying for the semi-finals. A 9-0 run brought Towers back to trail 66-62 but Wilbur Johnson, who led Brighton's scorers with 22 points, and Ralph Blalock steadied Bears for the win.

In another BBL Trophy group game, Newcastle Eagles eased to a 112-103 win over the Teesside Mohawks.