Tony Garbelotto was a disappointed man as his Everton Tigers side saw their defence of the BBL Cup end with a 99-90 overtime loss at Sheffield Sharks, on Friday.

Led by 41 Mike Cook points, Sharks sealed a place in the final four and will now host Jelson Homes DMU Leicester Riders in the semi-final on Friday December 11, with the return taking place the following day in Leicester.

"The hardest to swallow is that Sharks were only called for three fouls in the fourth quarter and overtime, and one of these was a foul they gave up at the end of regulation. Has to be a key to the game" said the Tigers play-caller.

"A team of six players cannot in a game like this play tough defence down the stretch without at least a few fouls being called.

"It's a shame - had Andy Thompson or Olu (Babalola) been on the court in overtime, the result could have been different."

While Garbelotto, who is also the Great Britain assistant coach, was understandably upset to see his team fall at the first hurdle in defence of the Cup, he was pleased with how they performed:

"I actually thought we played pretty well. I was very happy with our desire and drive and we had the game won on more than two or three occasions in the fourth quarter. To do this without Flo Larkai I felt was big. Again, we show signs of a team that can play at the highest level - we just have to close these types of games out."

As well as winning against Everton on Friday night, Sharks remain top of the BBL Championship table with a 104-99 win at Riders.

In a rehearsal for the Cup semi-final, Cook was again on top form as he poured in 32 points, a number matched by Tack Minor of the Riders.

Marshall MK Lions are hot on the heals of the Sharks after big wins against PAWS London Capital (102-54) and Essex Pirates (99-70) in the last week while champions Newcastle Eagles and Cheshire Jets stayed in touch with home wins against Airwaves Plymouth Raiders and Worthing Thunder.

While Sharks and Riders have to wait until December to play their semi-final, Marshall MK Lions will host Cheshire Jets on Friday in the first leg of the other semi, with the second leg on Sunday December 6 at Northgate Arena.