What a game! Last night the Southland Sharks took on the Nelson Giants at Stadium Southland. Coming to the end of the season this was a decider match between the first and second teams on the leader-board, and they didn’t disappoint.
Both teams were hungry for the win in what can only be described as a thriller down to the last second.
All was going reasonably well for the Sharks on home turf in the first half. It was tight, but they were leading pretty convincingly throughout.
Something must have happened in the Giant’s changing room at half-time though because they came out with renewed vigor.
The second half was as intense as it was exciting. In one heart-stopping moment, very late in the final quarter, the Giants managed to draw even at 75-75. This was followed by frustration (and a fair amount of booing) when the umpire made a call against the Sharks that could have seen the Giants swoop in for the win.
Despite the nail-biting finish though the Sharks managed to take it out with a well-deserved 81-79 win, continuing their now 10-win streak.
There’s nothing quite like a live game: the sea of orange, the atmosphere, and standing at the start of each half, then again at the end – showing support for the Sharks. Not to mention these two wee cuties – part of the half-time entertainment from the Rock n Roll Club:
There’s also nothing like seeing the passion from the coaches as they manage their teams and defend their men against possible bad calls.
Here are a small selection of photos from the game with a couple of post-match ones of the victorious Sharks to top them off. Enjoy!
