Cheshire Phoenix were denied a fourth successive BBL Championship victory as they fell to a 78-61 home reverse to Sheffield Sharks.

The Nix, whose weekend had begun with an emphatic 116-94 success at Surrey Scorchers a night earlier, trailed from the outset against the visitors.

Sharks captain Mike Tuck led by example in the opening exchanges, netting seven points to steer his side to a 24-18 lead in the first period.

Things didn't improve for the hosts in the second period as as the Sharks hit an 8-0 run with three triples from Dirk Williams stretching their lead to 35-22.

A spectacular dunk from Nix forward Dii'jon Allen-Jordan proved to be the highlight for the home supporters, whose side trailed 46-34 at the midway stage.

The Sharks' superior shooting accuracy came to the fore again in the third as the Nix failed to hit a two-pointer until the end of the period and the losing margin grew to 19 points.

Ben Thomas' side salvaged some pride late on by winning the final period 12-10, with top scorer Ashton Khan (17 points and two rebounds) nailing a late three-pointer in an otherwise disappointing evening for the Ellesmere Port club.