Randy Duck insists there is no such thing as a shock win for Brighton Bears these days.

The inspirational skipper and point guard was coach Nick Nurse's on court director on Saturday night as Bears toppled northern conference leaders Sheffield Sharks beneath the Brighton Centre spotlights.

He was also one of the most composed people in the house during a thrilling finale in which Sheffield cut the arrears from eight points to one as they threatened to make it six wins out of six.

Judging from the various website message boards, which these days are the best places to gauge fan reaction to events, the result sent shockwaves through the BBL Championship.

But Duck was having none of it. The 26-year-old Texan insists Bears can reel off results like that on a regular basis.

He said: "We have to get it into our heads that we are one of the top teams and we can't give too many people too much respect before they earn it.

"We are getting close to that. We are gelling together and working really hard.

"We are putting in hours in the week in the weight room or on the bikes and doing a lot of things to push us over that hump that separates good teams from really good teams.

"I am very impressed with all of our guys. They are really willing to go that extra mile to do better."

Beating Sheffield at the Brighton Centre is nothing new for Bears. They also did it last March, though it proved to be their last victory of the season.

This time round, Duck insists beating the leaders is no big deal.

He said: "I don't feel like we did anything special. We played hard and we won and that's what is going to happen with this team.

"We are going to win games because we are good. We are as talented or more talented than any team in the league so there is no reason why we shouldn't win games. It's up to us."

Bears put the attendance figure for Saturday's game at a bumper 2,350 but what really counted was that they saw a great game and, thanks to a scheme where sponsors bought tickets and then re-distributed them, very few were on freebies.

Duck added: "We appreciate the atmosphere. It feels really nice to have people cheering and getting excited about it but in the game you are focussed on the job.

"I'm kind of an extension of the coach because I have the ball a lot and make a lot of the decisions so I cannot let the crowd influence me."

Director Romek Kriwald is another who cannot get too carried away as he chats to guests and sponsors, but he was quietly savouring the occasion.

Kriwald said: "We have got to be very happy. There were people there who were very keen to do stuff with the Bears."

Nurse was maddened that his side were unable to complete a win double by beating London Towers on Sunday afternoon.

Bears were gunning for the Southern Conference champions in the aftermath of their win over Sheffield.

Instead, the demands of lifting themselves within 24 hours for another huge test proved too much as they quickly fell 15-2 down.

Nurse, who enjoyed Saturday's occasion as much as anyone, was frustrated not to put one over his old club.

He said: "It makes me mad because they are not that good.

"We didn't play well. We were tired, we got a bad time from the officials and we got a dreadful start but we still battled and gave them a decent game."

Nurse had been in buoyant mood between the two games, though he kept his feet on the ground. Just about.

Asked how his side were progressing, he declared: "We needed to see the best the league had to offer and find out where we were. This is a really big win for us.

"We're for real. We've got big time talent. I am shocked at our talent and I would say we are well ahead of schedule."

End of interview? Not quite. Nurse headed for the exit, then turned back, asked for the tape recorder to be switched on again and, with a note of caution, added: "...but with a lot of work to do."

Brian Owen brian.owen@theargus.co.uk