Manchester Basketball fell 98-79 to the Sheffield Sharks in the Super League Basketball Championship.

Max Jones led the team with 24 points in 29 minutes, hitting four threes on the night in a red-hot shooting display. He was backed by Pjay Smith who scored 19 points on 70% shooting from the field.

Manchester never recovered from their second-quarter deficit, falling 17 points behind by halftime.

A 9-0 Sharks run, led by two triples from Rodney Chatman III, ended the half, leaving the visitors in a hole that they couldn’t climb out of. Chatman III had 34 points, 7 rebounds and 6 assists on the night, and went 6-7 from three.

Sheffield’s American point guard wasn’t the only lights-out shooter on the night. They hit 65% of their threes in a barrage from beyond the arc.

Manchester showed heart in the fourth to cut the game to single digits. A triple from Tim Adetukasi with 7:38 left made the score 78-70. Chatman III then hit back with a pair of triples to put the game beyond reach, however.

Manchester are now 3-4 in the SLB Championship.

Manchester Basketball are back in ENBL action on Wednesday, November 19, taking on Kosovan side KB Prishtina at the National Basketball Performance Centre.

The game starts at 7pm. You can get your tickets here!

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