Sheffield Sharks won for the eighth time in nine games as they continued building a head of steam towards the BBL play-offs.

Sharks defeated Cheshire Phoenix 89-75 at Ponds Forge on Easter Sunday, knotting the head-to-head record between the pair at 2-2, but giving the Sharks the advantage on basket difference.

That could be crucial for play-off positioning with Sharks placed seventh with four games remaining, and Cheshire a win ahead of them in sixth and with a game extra still to play.

Cheshire had won their last three games since agonisingly losing in the BBL Trophy final, and led 21-19 at the end of the first, before Sharks went in at half-time with a seven-point lead.

Devearl Ramsey led the Sharks in scoring against Cheshire (Picture: Adam Bates)

Cheshire kept it close in the third but Sharks pulled away in the fourth behind 22 points from Devearl Ramsey, 15 from Kipper Nichols, 13 from Rodney Glasgow Jnr, 12 from Jalen Pipkins and 11 from Marcus Delpeche.

The Bradford Dragons saw their National Basketball League Division One season ended at the first play-off hurdle.

The seventh seeds from West Yorkshire were always up against it in a one-off game against second seeds Worthing Thunder, and so it proved, with the Dragons going down 83-73.

Bradford's Justin Williams was the league's top scorer in the regular season and proved to be the game's leading marksmen with 25 points. Ricky Fetske added 16 with homegrown players Jabari Edwards and Micah Savery-Richards adding seven and six points respectively.

Sheffield Hatters fell to a 70-57 defeat at Caledonia Gladiators in the WBBL. Karly Murphy scored 25 points and 26 rebounds while Lina Niang added 10 points.

Devearl Ramsey leads the way for Sheffield Sharks but Bradford Dragons season is over