The Sharks won the Spalding Waratah League Division 1 encounter 109-97 at the Barton Street Stadium.

The game was very physical, with the Lazers called for 29 fouls and the Sharks 32.

The Lazer's big Americans, Michael Johnson and Drelan Tripplett, top-scored for the home side with 24 and 23 points respectively, followed by captain Adam Marjoram, who chimed in with 14.

Overall though, the Lazers' radar was off, as they shot a low percentage and numerous passes missed their mark.

Lithgow's starting five of Tripplett, Johnson, Marjoram, Michael Cox and Matt Hughes, matched the Sutherland starters, and with the help of bench players Hayden Cox and Fletcher Swift, the Lazers snuck a 22-21 lead after the first quarter.

Unfortunately for the Lazers, Tripplett got into early foul trouble, picking up his third two minutes into the second quarter which forced coach David Swift to take him out of the game for extended periods.

The half ended with Sutherland ahead 57-52.

The third period was a nightmare for Lithgow, as the Sharks' extra enthusiasm, aided by rushed shooting and poor passing decisions from the locals, saw the visitors open with an 11-0 run to push the gap out to 16 at 68-52.

The Lazers regrouped, and held their opponents for the remainder of the quarter to still be down by 16 going into the fourth at 83-67.

Both Americans fouled out late in the fourth period, but solid contributions from Caleb Fitzpatrick, Mitchell Brain, Michael Brooks, Austyn Lincoln and Zeke Evans, making his Senior debut, saw the Lazers take the quarter 30-26.

It was not enough though, as Sutherland had done the damage in the third, and they took the win, 109-97.

Sutherland, who topped Pool A last year and went on to lose the Grand Final against St George from Pool B, were best served by Jason Freshwater, Reece Craigie and Bailey Musulin, who scored 30, 29 and 25 points respectively.

This weekend the Lazers hit the road for the first time when they travel south to take on arch-rivals Wagga Heat. Tip-off is at 6pm.

Result: Sutherland Sharks 109 def Lithgow Lazers 97 (M Johnson 24, D Tripplett 23, A Marjoram 14, F Swift 10, M Cox 7, H Cox 6, M Hughes 6, M Brooks 3, A Lincoln 3, C Fitzpatrick 1)

Pool A Standings: Shoalhaven 3 wins, 0 losses, Sutherland 3-0, Queanbeyan 2-1, Lithgow 1-1, Illawarra 1-1, Canberra 1-2, Bankstown 1-2, Orange 1-2, Wagga 1-2, Dubbo 0-3.