|
|
Post by Solly on Sept 22, 2020 10:00:21 GMT
And here's what happened in Wolves' March 17 showdown with Leicester.
There have been some great battles between these sides over the years 
I really really enjoyed writing this report 
----------------------
Friday 24 March 2017
Worcester Wolves 93-91 Leicester Riders
Friday night saw Worcester Wolves record one of their most notable results since three seasons ago when they lifted the British Basketball League Play-Off title.
Top-of-the-table Leicester Riders came to the University of Worcester Arena boasting an outstanding 16-match unbeaten run, including a 91-58 thumping of Plymouth in last week’s BBL Trophy Final.
Since the turn of the year, Wolves have taken off on their own thrust of form, dropping only a couple of league matches in their surge up to fifth place in the standings, setting up a mouth-watering encounter with their Midlands rivals.
Despite building several double-digit leads, Wolves were unable to shake off their visitors. In the last minute Leicester finally edged 87-86 ahead. But Worcester’s strength of character was on display as they punched straight back to secure a pulsating 93-91 victory.
Coach Paul James beamed as he paid tribute to his team, saying:
“What a fantastic game of basketball. We got in front, but always knew Leicester would come back at us.
“We believe in ourselves, everyone now has each other’s backs. Because of that we were able to hit big shots at the end, hold our nerve defensively and close out a brilliant win.”
Wolves defied a potentially disastrous start to proceedings.
Just three minutes into a tightly-refereed contest, big man in the middle Maurice Walker had already picked up two fouls.
When he was then adjudged to have pushed into a defender for his third infraction, coach James was forced to re-jig his line-up.
As Leicester eagerly took up space close to the basket, opportunities opened on the outside.
Trevor Setty slotted home a double of three-pointers, while Danny Huffor rat-a-tatted in three long-range successes, aiding a blistering 25-17 first quarter.
Recent signing Trey Zeigler came to the fore in the second period, dancing to ten quick points and a 49-45 interval lead.
The lead was stretched after the break when Huffor snatched the ball away from Riders’ guard Connor Washington and raced down court for a slam dunk.
A follow-up Huffor triple saw the Worcester forward break into a high-stepping celebration of Wolves’ 62-50 advantage.
The lead stood at 70-61 entering the final quarter. With seven minutes to go there was still an 80-70 cushion. But Leicester demonstrated their offensive capabilities.
A double of turnovers put matters at 80-74.
Two more careless possessions were seized upon to set up consecutive three-pointers for Great Britain forward Andy Thomson and suddenly it was all-square at 80-80 with five minutes remaining.
A near-capacity crowd leapt to their feet when the recently-reintroduced Walker barrelled to the basket to overturn an 86-87 deficit in the last minute of the contest.
Moments later the intensity was ramped up even higher when a surrounded Walker kicked the ball out to an open Jermel Kennedy who smoothly sank his shot.
Marek Klassen kept his cool from the free-throw line to close out the 93-91 thriller.
Klassen ran to high-five supporters as a last desperate Leicester attempt missed the target. The Worcester captain described his excitement:
“This was a huge result for us. I’m so pleased for the players, we prepared really hard for this – it was such a great team effort.
“I’m also really happy for all the fans. They were awesome.
“When Leicester’s last shot went up off the rim and we got the rebound the place exploded. I just ran into the crowd.
“I’m so excited to be here with fans who have such pride in their team.”
In another night of balanced scoring, it was Huffor who led the way with 24 points.
Zeigler hit 15 points, closely followed by Kennedy on 14. Setty and Klassen tallied 12 and 11 points respectively.
Wolves travel to Cheshire Phoenix this Sunday (tip off 5.30), before returning to the University of Worcester Arena next Friday to face another title-challenger in Newcastle Eagles.
While recognising that Cheshire will be his side’s first concern, James was keen to set the scene Newcastle’s visit, saying:
“Cheshire are our only thought right now. But after that we are back here to host Newcastle.
“The support today was incredible. It was our biggest and noisiest crowd of the season and I hope everyone comes back for more of the same next week.
“We’re developing a siege mentality here and making this place a fortress.”
Klassen concurred that Sunday is the only game that matters at the moment, adding:
“We’re expecting another battle. Tonight has been fabulous but it won’t count if we don’t back things up in Cheshire.
“It’s coming up to playoff time. Every game is going to be physical, every game is going to require us to come out with a championship mentality.”
|
|
|
|
Post by Solly on Sept 23, 2020 11:00:59 GMT
And Wolves kept up the winning momentum to dodge a banana skin at Cheshire.
-------------------------------- Sunday 26 March 2017
Cheshire Phoenix 91-103 Worcester Wolves
Worcester Wolves completed a double-winning weekend on Sunday by overcoming Cheshire Phoenix 103-91, successfully following up Friday’s victory over Leicester Riders.
Despite currently sitting in tenth place in the British Basketball League, Phoenix have hit a fine run of recent form, recording wins over three title-contenders in London Lions, Sheffield Sharks, and Newcastle Eagles.
Their confidence flowed over into Sunday’s contest as they scored freely to build a 53-42 half-time lead over the Wolves.
They were still 86-83 in front of their visitors going into the last couple of minutes, before being pegged back to an 88-88 tie that led to five minutes of overtime before they would finally submit.
Consecutive three-pointers from British forward Jamell Anderson had Worcester calling for their first time out, trailing 14-20. Eight points from Jermel Kennedy was the only significant offensive input from a Wolves player in the initial quarter of the match.
Kennedy took the opening basket of the second period to pull matters back to 22-26 and was then thankfully joined in the scoring charts by Maurice Walker who toiled for five close-to-the-hoop successes before half-time.
Before the interval, Worcester could do little to repel a series of direct drives to their basket that built their host’s double-digit lead. After the break, Cheshire’s effectiveness with this same tactic was contained by a wall of defenders.
At the same time, Trey Zeigler stepped forward with nine valuable points.
The home side’s frustration showed when Dijon Allen-Jordan attracted an unsportsmanlike foul after being harassed by Zeigler into travelling with the ball and reacting by throwing his arm into the Worcester man.
With the deficit dragged back to just 64-67 entering the last quarter, the sides would stay close over the remainder of regulation time.
Alex Navajas was the next player to shine for the Wolves. He notched his first points of the night a minute into the period, before proceeding to tear to thirteen in all.
It was 88-88 with 48 seconds to go when a Marek Klassen triple was waved off after the onlooking Walker was adjudged to have pushed into his defender.
Worcester were favourites to win when holding possession with six seconds remaining, but Cheshire point guard Mike DiNunno forced Klassen into a turnover.
However, DiNunno’s chance of glory was denied by Kennedy rising to swat his shot attempt high into the stands and send the game into added time.
A teardrop basket from Klassen put Wolves in front as overtime commenced.
Trevor Setty was on target from afar, then intercepted the ball on Cheshire’s next inbound before being bundled to the floor. After sinking two foul shots he slotted in a third bonus shot awarded after DiNunno was sent off the court for dissent.
Walker set the seal on the 103-91 success with a celebratory three-pointer.
Coach Paul James expressed his delight at seeing his side emerge victorious, saying:
“Today was every bit as good a victory as Friday was over Leicester.
“It was always going to be another tough battle against another team currently on a hot streak of form.
“We were poor defensively in the first half, but adjusted in the second. We were much more aggressive, got a series of stops, had a chance to win in regulation, and kept at it to get the win in overtime.
“This match will stand us in good stead for the rest of the season. We showed a lot of maturity and discipline to get back into the match and then made big shots when we needed to.”
Walker led the scoring with 22 points, with Setty and Kennedy tallying 16 points apiece. Navajas’ 13 points was followed by 11 points for both Klassen and Zeigler, with Danny Huffor notching 10.
Next Friday will see another test of Wolves’ mettle when high-flying Newcastle Eagles visit the University of Worcester Arena (7.30pm). The following Sunday will see a trip to Glasgow Rocks.
“Tonight was another example of multiple players contributing to the scoring and lots of character on display,” added James.
“We’ve had an outstanding weekend, but next weekend will be another huge one for us.”
|
|
Deleted
Deleted Member
Posts: 0
|
Post by Deleted on Sept 23, 2020 20:22:49 GMT
|
|
|
|
Post by Solly on Sept 24, 2020 13:33:33 GMT
And ahead of the matchup with Newcastle, here's my prog article reflecting on the W at Chester.
--------------------
How good is it to be a Wolves fan right now…?
Last weekend saw us face two of the league’s teams of the moment in Leicester, (coming into town on a 16-match winning streak), and Cheshire Phoenix who had downed London, Sheffield, and Newcastle over their last three.
These days it looks like we are the sizzlers of the BBL after we downed both of our foes.
Surely most of you were here last Friday to see us topple Leicester, so I’ll focus on Sunday’s 103-91 success in Cheshire.
Phoenix confidence was on display early doors, zinging ahead 26-19 after Q1 and extending to 53-42 by HT, profiting from a simple route-one to the basket before we could set up our defences.
But after the interval we hunkered down for multiple stops. One of their guys gets an unsportsmanlike foul for a petulant push, another one comes after a flagrant flop.
Coming up to 40 minutes it‘s all-square at 88-88. We mess up our last possession and Jermel swats their last attempt into the bleachers, setting up overtime.
There’s a saying that first team to score in OT most often gets the W. That’ll be us then as we toughed it out for a terrific victory.
The breakdown –
Marek Klassen – 11pts, 5 rebounds, 5 assists. Reliable.
Danny Huffor – 10pts, 7 rebounds. Ditto.
Trevor Setty – 16pts, 8 rebounds. Effervescent.
Alex Navajas – 13pts, 3 x 3ptrs. Owned Q4.
Trey Zeigler – 11pts. Growing.
Jermel Kennedy – 16pts, 8 rebounds. Growling.
Ashton Khan – 4pts. Contributed.
Mo Walker – 22pts, 8 rebounds. Dropping bombs.
|
|
|
|
Post by Solly on Sept 25, 2020 14:01:48 GMT
And just a week after overcoming Leicester, Wolves absolutely thumped Newcastle.
The zenith of Worcester's 16-17 season.
Wonder if anyone else remembers Rahmon Fletcher's hilarious  "own-goal", or have ever known anything similar?
--------------------------
Friday 31 March 2017
Worcester Wolves 126-97 Newcastle Eagles
The unstoppable force that is Worcester Wolves continues to run over every opponent that is put before them, with Newcastle Eagles being the latest side to cower before their power.
Nine wins in a row have boosted Wolves up to fifth place in the British Basketball League, with a realistic chance of rising as high as third in the jockeying for play-off seedings.
Another big Friday night turnout at the University of Worcester Arena were sent into raptures as they witnessed their team destroy one of the country’s perennial contenders 126-97.
Coach Paul James hailed the victory as historic, saying:
“In the history of Worcester Wolves basketball that must be the most prolific performance we’ve had, and against a Newcastle team who have been at the top year after year, in front of another fantastic crowd – it’s sheer fun.”
Wolves were dealt a blow when stalwart Maurice Walker was ruled out of the evening with a hamstring injury. However, this merely allowed another of James’ multiple weapons to be brought out of his arsenal. Alex Navajas seamlessly stepped into the void to rattle in nine points in an assured 27-19 first quarter lead.
A triple from former Worcester forward Orlan Jackman pulled Eagles’ deficit back to 33-27 three minutes into the second period. But this would be the last time that the visitors were more than bystanders to proceedings.
By half-time Wolves’ advantage had shot out to 57-38 with the ever-growing Trey Zeigler proving unstoppable as he continually danced around defenders for a highly-impressive 21 pre-interval points.
Teamplay was on show as the second half commenced with the ball being confidently passed between all five players before Marek Klassen sank a three-pointer.
Klassen connected from distance twice more as the third quarter wound down, prompting Newcastle to urgently appeal for a time out.
Not realising that their plea for a break had not been accepted by the officials, their guard Rahmon Fletcher lazily dropped the ball into his own basket only to then find two points added to Wolves’ total for an overwhelming 87-61 third quarter lead.
Worcester continued to torment a deflated Eagles side for the remainder of the match.
Zeigler stole possession and galloped up-court for a powerful one-handed slam. When Jermel Kennedy did the same thing a moment later, the two men joyously engaged in back-bumping celebrations.
Navajas displayed his versatility with several outside successes, while Ashton Khan revelled in repeated drives to the hoop for a quickfire fifteen last-quarter points.
Zeigler amassed a huge 35 points, with Navajas also achieving a season’s best return of 29 points. Klassen tallied 25 points as well as contributing an eye-opening 16 assists for his team mates.
James was keen to give praise across his squad, saying:
“With Mo out we needed players to step up. That certainly happened.
“Newcastle had no answer for Trey, Alex did what he does so well, and Marek ran the show.
“Those players had fabulous individual totals, but without the rest of the team making extra passes, setting screens and grabbing rebounds, they couldn’t have done it.
“It was another outstanding team display.”
Wolves travel to Glasgow Rocks this Sunday (tip off 5pm), with the next match at the University of Worcester Arena taking place on Good Friday against London Lions.
“Glasgow are really tough on their own floor,” added James.
“For the next few minutes we can enjoy another great win but after that we have to concentrate on what is sure to be a hard game this Sunday.”
|
|
|
|
Post by Solly on Sept 27, 2020 11:51:57 GMT
And the fun just never stopped at that point.
And PJ was being hailed as a wizard...  
------------------
Sunday 02 April 2017
Glasgow Rocks 72-88 Worcester Wolves
It’s a ten out of ten for Worcester Wolves as they made it a perfect weekend by following up Friday’s pounding of Newcastle Eagles with an 88-72 dismissal of Glasgow Rocks on Sunday.
Coupled with last week’s toppling of Leicester Riders, the leaders of the British Basketball League, Wolves’ ninth and tenth wins in a row mean that their latest victories have come against the top three sides in the table, setting themselves up as the most-feared team approaching the end of season playoffs.
Glasgow managed to keep matters close until the third quarter of the match when they finally had to bend before their visitor’s irresistible confidence.
Coach Paul James acclaimed another fine display from his charges, saying:
“This was another excellent win. It was a long trip up here and that possibly caused us to take a while to get into our rhythm. But we were outstanding in the second half, especially defensively.”
Jermel Kennedy and Danny Huffor top-scored with 20 points apiece, in contrast to just eight points between them against Newcastle.
But James was keen to highlight that his side’s red-hot streak of form has only come about because of a range of contributions from different players in different ways.
James said: “Everyone at Wolves is capable of a big night at any time. Jermel and Danny top-scored today, whereas it was Trey and Alex on Friday.
“Scoring may catch the eye, but without all the other aspects of the game we would not be the complete team that we are right now.
“We’ve had two matches this weekend without Mo Walker, but other players have stepped right up and we’ve still produced two terrific performances – we’re sending a message out to the rest of the league about who we are.”
Trevor Setty was the man-of-the-moment in the early going, drilling two passes for wide-open team mates to convert and sinking a three-pointer of his own.
When Kennedy stood in the same place at the top of the key on three occasions, and each time floated the ball home, Wolves had pushed 26-21 ahead.
Huffor took the limelight in the second quarter with a swift eleven points against one of his former teams.
The last play of the half saw Zeigler step to the hoop for two points and a bonus free throw that kept Worcester in front at 42-39.
By the close of the third period the advantage had become a more comfortable 63-53 as Wolves tightened defensively.
Marek Klassen took the opportunity to spin around smaller defenders and put distance between the sides. While a discouraged Rocks continued to misfire, there was no diminishment in Worcester’s efficiency with their lead peaking at 82-61 with two minutes remaining.
Wolves are next in action on Sunday when they travel to Plymouth Raiders, before returning to the University of Worcester Arena on Good Friday to host London Lions.
While respectful of Wolves’ upcoming opponents, James is more concerned about his own side, saying:
“We have plenty of tough matches coming up, but it is more about how we play than who we face.
“We’ll do our research, but it is going to be more about how teams have to adjust to compete with us.”
In the run up to this weekend’s games James was described by his forward Trevor Setty as a ‘wizard’ for the transformation he has worked in Wolves’ recent fortunes. Fans at Friday’s game joined in the humour of Setty’s description by delivering a wizard’s hat to James.
After much urging, James finally donned the headgear and acknowledged the spirit in which it was given, saying:
“Trevor is a colourful character and is quite an inspiration for everyone. This just shows how much fun we are all having at the moment."
|
|
|
|
Post by Solly on Sept 28, 2020 13:24:43 GMT
And even with only six men fit, Worcester still saw off Cornetto's shower.
--------------------------------
Sunday 09 April 2017
Plymouth Raiders 87-93 Worcester Wolves
A short-handed Worcester Wolves handed out six of the best to the Plymouth Raiders on Sunday as they coolly administered a 93-87 beating to their opponents.
With Maurice Walker and Andrew Bachman still not fully fit, Wolves’ injury woes were increased when Ashton Khan was also ruled out of the trip to Devon with a sore ankle, leaving coach Paul James with just six players suited up.
Nevertheless, there was little disruption to the ruthless efficiency Worcester are now demonstrating as they rolled to their eleventh win in a row to move up to fourth place in the British Basketball League.
“I’m running out of words to describe just how well we are performing,” confessed James.
“Yes, we don’t want to have any players missing, but there is such an unbelievable spirit at the club right now that I have no doubt that other players will step right up.”
Wolves led after every quarter in Plymouth and survived being pegged back to just 74-72 with seven minutes remaining, before once more establishing their control of the proceedings.
“Even when Raiders came back at us in the last quarter I still never felt we would lose,” added James.
“We were solid defensively, had multiple weapons offensively and were always capable of making runs when we needed to.”
There was a nip-and-tuck opening to the match. Jermel Kennedy showcased the skills that won him March’s BBL Player-of-the-Month award by sinking a three-pointer and then earning two points and a bonus foul shot after a confident slash to the basket.
Six first-quarter points for Plymouth’s captain Daryl Corletto kept his side in contention, trailing 23-29.
By midway through the second period it was all-square at 34-34 after Wolves were held scoreless for nearly four minutes.
But Worcester were soon back to their free-scoring best as they outscored their hosts to end the first half 51-42 ahead.
Marek Klassen floated home a triple and Trevor Setty swatted away a Raiders’ effort as the second half commenced.
Trey Zeigler took the last half-dozen of Wolves’ third period points as they widened their lead to 71-61.
Once Plymouth had dared to get within a couple of points of their visitors, Setty was on hand to slap them back down with a quickfire double of three-pointers. When Zeigler then drove powerfully to the hoop for a contemptuous slam the victory was definitively sealed.
Setty top-scored against one of his former clubs with 23 points. Zeigler tallied 18 points, closely followed by Danny Huffor on 17.
Klassen and Kennedy notched 14 and 12 points respectively, with Alex Navajas rounding out Worcester’s super-six performers with nine points.
“We have an array of weapons right now,” enthused James. “Any player can step up on any night.
“I think today was a touch more special for Trevor coming back to Plymouth. I’d say he was fired up, but he’s always fired up – he’s been our energy guy all year, at both ends of the court.”
Wolves return to the University of Worcester this Friday (7.30pm) to greet sixth-placed London Lions, featuring a trio of ex-Wolves in Alex Owumi, Zaire Taylor and Kai Williams.
“We’ve had big crowds at our last few games. I’m sure there’ll be another good turnout on Good Friday,” added James.
“It’ll be exciting to see a few old faces, but this is more about who is representing the city of Worcester so well right now.”
|
|
Deleted
Deleted Member
Posts: 0
|
Post by Deleted on Sept 29, 2020 7:13:54 GMT
|
|
|
|
Post by Solly on Sept 30, 2020 11:07:34 GMT
And here were my programme article reflections on the latest of a stunning run of Ws for Worcester.
And all achieved without the double-double machine Mo Walker.
But the only time that sort of form would really count for anything would be the playoffs...
-----------------------
Everything is smelling of roses right now…
Last time here we walloped Newcastle. After that we trekked up to Glasgow for another W and then we repeated the feat (short-handed) on the road at Plymouth. 11 in a row – wow…
Of course, it won’t mean a hell of a lot unless we carry our red-hot streak over into the playoffs. So, let’s make sure we take care of London today, Sheffield a week today and round things out with a good trip to Leicester.
Plymouth might have thought they could be the team to put a spoke in our wheels after being the last team to beat us, way back in February.
But that victory was a rare success for them amidst an erratic run of results, especially a humiliation in the BBL Trophy Final versus Leicester.
Early doors we began to pull away on the back of five three-pointers.
In the second period we’re dragged back to 34-34 after a rare four-minute scoreless spell.
By HT we’ve eased out to 51-42, and keep things steady at 71-61 entering the final quarter.
Raiders have their spurt to drag us back to just 74-72, but then we step back on the gas to roll on to a 93-87 success.
The breakdown of our super-six –
Marek Klassen – 14pts, 4 rebounds, 5 assists. Assured.
Danny Huffor – 17pts, 7 rebounds. Reliable.
Trevor Setty – 23pts, 3 x 3ptrs, 6 rebounds. Man-on-a-mission.
Alex Navajas – 9pts. Sturdy.
Trey Zeigler – 18pts. Jack-in-the-box.
Jermel Kennedy – 12pts, 9 rebounds, 9 assists. Mr Smooth.
|
|
|
|
Post by Solly on Oct 1, 2020 13:00:20 GMT
And now it was twelve wins in a row...
--------------------------------------------
Friday 14 April 2017
Worcester Wolves 94-90 London Lions
Worcester Wolves’ winning streak extended to an outstanding dozen wins in a row after a gritty 94-90 victory over London Lions on Friday.
It was a night of all-round successes with Paul James being presented with the British Basketball League’s Coach of the Month Award for March and forward Jermel Kennedy stepping forward to receive the Player’s Award for the same month.
Allied to that, both men were handed their awards in front of another bumper crowd at the University of Worcester Arena, the venue that was this week announced as the BBL’s best in a vote by basketball fans from across the UK.
It was Kennedy who set the scoreboard ticking, closely followed by ex-Worcester point guard Zaire Taylor, now setting up plays for London. A trio of three-pointers from his replacement, Marek Klassen, aided Wolves’ 25-19 first-quarter lead.
More former Worcester stalwarts, Alex Owumi and Kai Williams, were both on target from distance to close the advantage. When Williams was fouled in the act of sinking another triple he gladly slotted home the bonus free-throw for a rare four-point play and London’s first advantage at 31-30.
Trey Zeigler was introduced into the action and his double of confident drives to the hoop saw Worcester regain the lead, 46-39, by half-time.
By midway through the third period a double-digit advantage had been established at 59-46, forcing a Lions time out. From the restart, Williams’ hot hand was again on show as he floated home consecutive three-pointers.
Matters still looked comfortable entering the last quarter at 73-62. However, Zeigler was to be Wolves’ only scorer for the ensuing five minutes as London tightened their defences.
With three minutes remaining Williams had brought Lions to within a point at 85-84. After Lion’s next possession, Wolves found themselves trailing at 85-86 with James the person now calling for a break.
Missed shot attempts by Alex Navajas and Klassen had spectators holding their breath, but with their team mates eagerly grabbing offensive rebounds, Navajas was finally on the mark with a triple, allowing fans to exhale.
Baskets from Klassen and from Danny Huffor pushed out Worcester’s advantage to set the seal on a twelfth successive victory.
Klassen and Zeigler topped the scoring charts with 26 and 20 points, followed by Huffor on 18. Trevor Setty, Kennedy and Navajas rounded out Wolves’ scorers with eleven, ten and nine points respectively.
Williams notched 20 of London’s points, with Owumi and Taylor not far behind with 18 points apiece.
James was once more delighted with the win, saying:
“That was our closest game for a few weeks. We lost a little bit of focus in the last quarter, but the players still found a way to grind out the win.
“I’m really pleased that despite a blip late on we were able to stay structured. We shared the ball well and when we have so many different players who can step up at different times we are hard to beat.”
Wolves close out the regular season next weekend by welcoming play-off rivals Sheffield Sharks to the University of Worcester Arena on Friday (7.30pm), followed by a trip to top-of-the-table Leicester Riders on Sunday.
Andrew Bachman, Ashton Khan and Maurice Walker were still missing from the action against London, but James is hopeful that they will be able to return to the court against Sheffield or Leicester, saying:
“Fingers crossed that all three will be fit and ready to play at some point next week.
“We’ve just had another great win in front of another great crowd. We want to keep the winning tradition going through next week and then straight into the playoffs.
“We’re all really looking forward to it.”
|
|
|
|
Post by Solly on Oct 2, 2020 18:15:03 GMT
And for the Sheffield match I reflected on the best of performances of Worcester individuals.
It all made me just so optimistic for the upcoming post-season...
---------------------------------------------
Last time I gave a best-game breakdown for each of our players was at the turn of the year when the kindest description I could apply to our performances was ‘inconsistent’.
Well there has been nothing inconsistent about our latest displays. Twelve wins in a row and counting…
It’s now a lot easier for me to pick out everyone’s standout matches –
Marek Klassen – our 126-97 beatdown of Newcastle was where it happened for a lot of the guys. Marek certainly took his share with 25 points and a sizzling 16 assists.
Jermel Kennedy – consistently consistent. Our 93-91 toppling of Leicester was one fine example as he put up 14 points, 8 rebounds and 8 assists.
Danny Huffor – always puts in a shift. Rather than zero in on a single outing, let’s highlight his average shine of 15 points, 5 rebounds and 35% three-point percentage.
Trevor Setty – our ‘energy’ guy. Stuck it to a former employer with 23 points and 6 rebounds in our recent downing of Plymouth.
Ashton Khan – microwave man, heats up in a hurry whenever he takes to the court. 19pts and 6 assists in only 20 minutes versus Newcastle is a suitable example.
Alex Navajas – blue-collar grafter – 29 points and 8 rebounds against Eagles was his standout return.
Trey Zeigler – buzz-saw performer. Walloped in 37 of our total points vs Newcastle.
Andrew Bachman – unfortunate to miss much of our latest fun, but his 20 points, including a rapid-fire 6 triples, in our W over Surrey last October shows his capability.
Mo Walker – 25 points and 12 rebounds vs Leicester is just one of numerous double-double returns. Dominant man in the paint.
|
|
|
|
Post by Solly on Oct 4, 2020 10:54:44 GMT
Have just missed another day's posting.
But, as often on a weekend, I have been just so pre-occupied with sport.
Friday evening & last night were the final two rounds of World Championship Speedway. Bartoz Smarzlik delighted a large home crowd, (speedway is Poland's number one sport), by winning on the night to retain his title. Former world champion Brit Tai Woffinden (Woffy, Woffy, Woffy!) took the runner-up spot after a race-off with his one-time teammate at Wolverhampton Wolves, Fast Freddie Lindgren.
I love speedway Cheers
And Saturday afternoon also saw the semi-finals of the (woefully under-appreciated) Rugby League Challenge Cup. First off Leeds Rhinos hosed down the smug faces of the favourite Wigan Warriors before even better was to come when my team Salford Red Devils (Salford Red Devils are Rising!) roared back from a half-time deficit to upset Warrington Wolves.
The final is at Wembley on Sat Oct 17 (live on the BBC). Such a shame that Salford get to the final for the first time in 51 years and I can't be there. Mrs S & I travelled to the Playoff semi-final this time last year to revel in Salford producing another shock in walloping Wigan at their place. I laughed heartily when Mrs S. recoiled in horror at receiving a celebration lipsmacker from a (slightly-tipsy) bearded stranger in the row in front of us 
In the same way as we despair at how many more people should be following our wonderful sport of Basketball, you guys just don't know what you're missing out on with the Ruggo. Get with the program! I love rugby league Cheers
There have also been the start of the NRL playoffs &, of course, the NFL (go Chiefs  ) also continues today. Oh, and some boxing on Sky as well. And the darts are on again next week.
I love (most) sport Cheers (there are some sports that I detest though, such as golf or tennis - I absolutely hate Murray and his mother - talk about miserable gits!)
Anyway, back to business & Worcester got a wake-up jolt from Sheffield just ahead of the 2017 playoffs.
-------------------------
Friday 21 April 2017
Worcester Wolves 70-83 Sheffield Sharks
Thirteen was the unlucky number for Worcester Wolves on Friday as their long unbeaten run was finally ended by Sheffield Sharks.
After a highly-impressive twelve wins in a row, a sub-par performance in their last home fixture of the regular season led to a 70-83 defeat and a fifth-place finish in the British Basketball League.
Irrespective of the result of this Sunday’s trip to Leicester Riders, Wolves’ position in the table will be unaltered, setting up a two-legged playoff quarter-final against either Glasgow Rocks or Sheffield.
After an even first quarter, Sharks’ superior offensive efficiency put them 40-32 ahead by half-time and allowed them to keep their distance until the end.
Coach Paul James admitted to a disappointing display:
“Essentially, we didn’t score enough. We didn’t share the ball enough and we didn’t run our offenses particularly well.
“In the third quarter we managed to miss seven lay-ups in a row. That summed up our night.”
With a couple of minutes left in the opening period Wolves trailed 12-18 before Ashton Khan was introduced to the action. His three-pointer and a dazzling spin move to the hoop tied matters up at 22-22.
Worcester struggled to impact the scoreboard in the second quarter. Another basket for Khan, a couple for Alex Navajas and a single score for Jermel Kennedy were paltry returns for a usually high-powered offense.
Sheffield dawdled out of the half-time locker rooms to take to the court without a warm-up. It made little difference to their output as they blasted in consecutive threes.
By contrast, Wolves were unable to puncture their opponent’s defences. When they got close to the basket they were unable to tip the ball home and shots from distance would too often fall short.
A 50-60 deficit entering the final quarter was widened by a desperation triple from Tony Wroblicky as he fell backwards.
A double of further scores for the Sheffield big man put his team comfortably ahead at 74-59 as the game wound down, a cushion that was maintained until the final buzzer.
Khan led the Wolves’ scorers with 14 points, followed by Danny Huffor on 12. Wroblicky dominated the visitors’ statistics with 25 points and 13 rebounds.
Asked if he would be worried about meeting the same opponents in the first round of the post-season playoffs, James replied:
“Yes we will need to be prepared, but not worried. We know that we are a much better side than we showed today. Allied to that, Mo Walker should be back which gives us another weapon.
“Actually, this loss might have come at the right time for us, to concentrate our minds on what we need to do if we want to achieve success in the playoffs.”
Wolves round out their regular season on Sunday (4pm) with a visit to top-of-the-table Leicester Riders.
“This will be an opportunity to play hard against a team that we could meet again later in the playoffs.
“We want to end the season on a good note and put on a better display than we did today,” added James.
|
|
|
|
Post by Solly on Oct 5, 2020 13:33:09 GMT
And a short trip up to Leicester got Wolves back to the positive side of the scoreboard for their last regular-season outing.
Taylor King misses all three foul shots that would have forced OT  ----------------------
Sunday 23 April 2017
Leicester Riders 77-80 Worcester Wolves
Worcester Wolves rounded out their British Basketball League regular season fixtures in fine style with a thrilling 80-77 success at top-of-the-table Leicester Riders.
Wolves clawed back a 36-47 half-time deficit to lead their hosts 80-74 with 35 seconds remaining, before seeing Riders’ Taylor King float in a three-pointer.
At just two seconds left, King stepped to the free-throw line for three foul shots and a chance to send the contest into overtime.
In the face of howls of derision from a large band of travelling supporters, the usually-reliable forward managed to miss all three attempts and therefore fail to prevent only Leicester’s second home defeat of the season.
Coach Paul James was delighted to get back to winning ways after Sheffield Sharks ended his side’s twelve-match unbeaten run on Friday, saying:
“It was a really great win for us. We wanted to go into the playoffs with momentum.
“We were all really disappointed after Friday – there was no better way to put things right than to come to the home of the League Champions and turn them over.”
“We had a difficult first half but turned things round after that by becoming more aggressive on defence, and moving the ball around much better on offense.”
Wolves found themselves sheltering from a hail of three-pointers as the match commenced. Riders’ captain Tyler Bernadini sank a couple, as did Great Britain centre Andy Thomson.
Maurice Walker was brought off the bench for his first action after five matches out with injury and slotted home a useful seven first-quarter points.
But three further triples from Leicester’s sharpshooters put them 26-21 ahead entering the second period.
With Wolves still struggling to make their mark, Riders’ lead accelerated into double-digits by half-time.
It was a wholly different story after the break. A mesmerising crossover dribble from Ashton Khan got the ball rolling.
Four more points from Khan, and three other Worcester men getting on the scoreboard, led to a pulsating 16-0 start to the second half and the visitors’ first advantage of the afternoon.
In an ebb and flow encounter, Leicester would regain the lead.
By midway through the final quarter Wolves again had their noses in front at 68-67.
A triple from Alex Navajas at the shot-clock buzzer, and an outrageous basket from Khan as he tumbled backwards, helped push matters out to 75-67, before Leicester’s late revival nearly stole the spoils.
Khan led the scoring with 17 points, closely followed by Trey Zeigler and Navajas with 15 and 14 points respectively. Trevor Setty contributed double-double statistics with 12 points and 11 rebounds.
Wolves finish the season with a 20-13 win-loss record and fifth place in the table, setting up a two-legged quarter-final playoff tie against Sheffield Sharks. The first leg will take place in South Yorkshire on Friday, with Sharks coming to the University of Worcester Arena on Sunday (4pm) for the return leg.
Earlier in the year Wolves stumbled to a demoralising 78-96 defeat in the first leg of their BBL Trophy semi-final at Plymouth Raiders, leaving themselves little chance of overturning such a large deficit. James is keen to avoid a similar situation recurring, saying:
“Our last experience of a two-leg tie was a bad one. We blew the first game at Plymouth and gave ourselves a mountain to climb at home.
“We’ll learn from that. Today’s game puts us in the right mood for next week.
“We need to make sure we are still in the tie after next Friday and then we can come back to the support of another hopefully sell-out crowd on Sunday.”
|
|
|
|
Post by Solly on Oct 7, 2020 9:34:04 GMT
And a slender first round, first-leg, advantage was gained for Wolves in Sheffield.
Some wondrously-named players stepping out in that season for Sharks - Rashwam Rembert, Max Guercy, one of the directors children...
---------------------
Friday 29 April 2017
Sheffield Sharks 71-73 Worcester Wolves
Worcester Wolves hold a slender advantage in their BBL Playoff quarter-final tie with Sheffield Sharks after Friday’s first leg in South Yorkshire.
Wolves will go into Sunday’s deciding leg with the boost of a 73-71 victory against the only opponent to defeat them in league action since January, thereby achieving the initial objective of their coach Paul James.
“It was important for us to set things up for Sunday,” said James.
“In previous seasons we have often let ourselves down in the first leg of ties. We’ve learnt our lesson and I’m really pleased to have come away from Sheffield with a win, and with a head start for the second leg.”
In a hard-fought encounter, Worcester swept to a 43-29 half-time lead, only to see their determined hosts close the gap and keep themselves in contention.
The first daylight between the teams came after six minutes at 12-6 following triples from Marek Klassen and Alex Navajas. By the close of the initial quarter the advantage had extended to 22-14.
Trey Zeigler announced his arrival on court with a dazzling coast-to-coast lay-up as the second period began. Trevor Setty and Jermel Kennedy chipped in five points apiece to aid Wolves’ double-digit interval lead.
A Setty three-pointer straight after the break further extended matters to 46-29 before Sheffield’s fightback finally began.
Lively guard Max Guercy hit a double of baskets and laid on an assist for Malcolm Riley. When local youngster George Brownell connected from distance Sharks’ deficit had been slashed to 58-53.
By midway through the final quarter it was honours even at 61-61, with Wolves’ offensive production drying up. Danny Huffor toiled for a trio of scores but was called for an unsportsmanlike foul on Rashawn Rembert in the final minute.
Rembert’s two free throws kept the match level at 71-71, but Huffor rose up to block Sheffield’s next shot attempt before galloping downcourt. When he was himself hacked to the ground, Huffor confidently drained the subsequent foul shots to give his side an edge ahead of the second leg.
Huffor on 25 points and Setty on 15 were the only Worcester men to break out of single-figure scoring, with Rembert leading the way for Sharks on 20 points.
Wolves’ opportunity to progress to the final four of the Playoffs takes place at the University of Worcester Arena at 4pm on Sunday. James is confident that his side will emerge victorious, saying:
“Sheffield are not the defending Playoff champions for no reason. They played hard and defended well and, when we went through a sticky patch, they came back at us.
“But it’s now all about Sunday. We will be better than we have been today.
“Sheffield now have to come to our house. I’m sure we’ll have another big crowd behind us and it’ll be our time to get things going.”
|
|
|
|
Post by Solly on Oct 8, 2020 13:03:55 GMT
And ahead of Sunday's second-leg decider vs Sheffield, my programme article delighted in the recent takedown of Leicester.
Parking difficulties in Leicester - surely not 
------------------------------
Hope I don’t get a parking ticket through the post…
… I said to Mrs Solly as we sauntered back to our ‘illegally’ parked car after our latest takedown of Leicester. I can’t believe that every street within the vicinity of Riders’ homecourt was marked out as ‘verboten’ parking last Sunday.
But so what if I get fined – sometimes it can be worth it if the trade-off is a damn fine afternoon’s entertainment, as it certainly was with (another) triumph over the table-toppers.
It was hard hats on as the game began with a whopping seven first-quarter three-pointers raining down. Even so, we kept it close-ish at 21-26, with the bonus of seeing Big Mo back in the flow with a double of baskets.
By HT it looked to be slipping away at 36-47, but then we came out post-interval shooting both barrels.
Ashton dances to the hoop (twice), Alex sinks a three and our top-five whistler gives us (several) tunes – 16-0 in a six-minute blast.
80-74 up with 35 ticks remaining and Taylor King makes a triple but, under severe sledging from our raucous band of followers, misses every one of three FTs. Jobsa goodun.
The breakdown –
Trevor Setty – 12pts, 11 rebounds. Tuneful whistler.
Alex Navajas – 14pts, 8 rebounds, 3 x 3ptrs. When big men attack.
Trey Zeigler – 15pts. Sparkplug.
Marek Klassen – 7pts. Present & correct.
Jermel Kennedy – 2pts. Ditto
Ashton Khan – 17pts. Invaluable.
Mo Walker – 10pts, 5 rebounds. I’m the Sweeney and I ain’t had my lunch yet!
Andrew Bachman – 3pts. Back.
|
|
|
|
Post by Solly on Oct 9, 2020 9:34:17 GMT
And Worcester progressed to a semi-final vs Newcastle
-------------------------------
Sunday 30 April 2017
Worcester Wolves 86-84 Sheffield Sharks
Worcester Wolves have made it through to the semi-finals of the BBL Playoffs after a thrilling 86-84 victory over Sheffield Sharks at the University of Worcester Arena on Sunday.
Taking into account Friday’s 73-71 win in South Yorkshire, the four-point aggregate margin means that Wolves now advance to a two-legged final four encounter against Newcastle Eagles.
Coach Paul James admitted that Sheffield had been challenging opponents, saying:
“It was always going to be a hard contest. It’s great that we have knocked out the defending Playoff champions, especially as they match up so well with us.
“Both legs were hard-fought and we really had to battle. Coming away from Sheffield with a slender win set us up for today.
“It was always going to be close back here but I’m delighted that we did enough to get through.”
An electric second quarter helped Worcester build a commanding 50-31 lead just before half-time, only to then be severely outscored by their visitors in the final quarter, leaving themselves teetering on the brink of elimination.
“It was a nail-biting end to the match,” confessed James. “We had a bit of a meltdown late on.
“We will need to be better than that against what is likely to be even tougher competition still to come.”
Marek Klassen opened the scoring with a confident drive to the hoop. A quick five points from Jermel Kennedy led to a 7-0 start. By the close of the first quarter Wolves’ lead stood at 21-16.
At six minutes before half-time the advantage had closed to 26-24, before a sudden explosion of scoring. With Maurice Walker attracting a double-team of defenders, Trevor Setty found space to sink a three-pointer. Walker swatted away a Sharks shot attempt to set up a Klassen triple.
When Klassen produced a mesmerising no-look behind-the-back pass for Walker to slot home, Sharks were desperately calling for a time out, trailing 37-28.
The break in play did little to interrupt Worcester’s onslaught. An effervescent Klassen lobbed the ball up for a crowd-pleasing Kennedy alley-oop and followed up with a swift double of long-range baskets.
A 50-34 interval cushion was maintained throughout the third period, becoming 70-54 entering the final quarter. The only chink in the hosts’ armour was a worrying inability to convert free throws.
Bonus shots awarded for Sharks’ technical and unsportsmanlike fouls were spurned, as were repeated free throws resulting from fouls committed in the act of shooting.
As time wound down Wolves’ advantage was whittled away. At a minute remaining a Malcolm Riley triple put matters at 85-81. When fellow forward Zach Gachette also connected from outside it became 85-84.
At nine seconds left Setty split a pair of free throws, gifting Sheffield the chance to remain in the tie. However, a large home fanbase were finally able to relax when Klassen intercepted his foes’ last possession.
For the second game in a row, Danny Huffor led Wolves’ scorers with 23 points. Klassen and Setty were next on the scoreboard with 14 and 13 points respectively.
Worcester will carry confidence into their semi-final with Newcastle, having defeated them both home and away in their latest two meetings.
The victors will progress to the BBL Playoff Final at London’s prestigious O2 Arena on Sunday 14 May.
“Everyone will be up for the next stage,” added James. “I’m really pleased for all the players who have worked exceptionally hard to get us to this point and I’m really pleased for all our loyal fans who stuck by us despite the poor start we had to our season.”
|
|
|
|
Post by Solly on Oct 11, 2020 9:29:18 GMT
And, having had Newcastle's number all season, Worcester went to pieces when it really mattered 
----------------------------------
Wednesday 03 May 2017
Newcastle Eagles 105-86 Worcester Wolves
Worcester Wolves’ coach Paul James admitted that his side have a considerable task ahead of them if they are to advance to the BBL Playoff Final at London’s O2 Arena.
With twelve minutes left in Wednesday’s first leg semi-final at Newcastle Eagles the tie was still poised with Wolves trailing, but remaining in contention, at 69-76.
But by the end of the evening Worcester’s inability to penetrate their host’s defences saw Newcastle spring to a commanding 105-86 advantage.
“We’ve dug ourselves a hole,” said James. “Newcastle did a really good job of taking us out of our rhythm.
“We let things slip away from us in the second half with too many turnovers and too many rushed shots, while virtually every play Newcastle ran paid off.”
Eagles’ forward Scott Martin opened the scoring with a three-pointer, a portent of what would soon follow as Wolves cowered under a barrage of outside shots.
By the close of the first quarter Newcastle were ahead 23-18, with Martin’s eight points twice the total of any Worcester player.
Trevor Setty and Ashton Khan sparked into life in the second period, with Maurice Walker also making an impact close to the basket. But with Martin and his team mate Deondre Parks sinking half a dozen triples between them, Newcastle were able to stay in front at 53-49.
Worcester’s last bright spot of the evening came at three minutes left in the third period when Marek Klassen forced a turnover and jabbed the ball to Jermel Kennedy for a slam dunk.
A spell of careless ball-handling over the rest of the quarter was seized upon by Eagles to extend their lead to 81-70.
Each time Wolves’ attackers neared the hoop they were quickly repelled by a swarm of defenders. Hurried long-distance shots would too often go astray, gifting Newcastle repeated opportunities for breakaway points and a substantial cushion to carry forward to the return encounter.
Walker led the Wolves’ scorers with 19 points, followed by Kennedy on 15 points.
The second leg takes place this Friday (7.30) at the University of Worcester Arena.
“It’ll be a big ask, but there is still forty minutes to play,” added James.
“Newcastle shot incredibly well today while we didn’t. They’ll find it hard to repeat that on Friday.
“We need to get back to sharing the ball and playing as a team. To win by twenty will be tough, but if we can pull back four or five points each quarter we’ll give ourselves a chance.”
|
|
|
|
Post by Solly on Oct 12, 2020 13:01:36 GMT
And here was my prog article ahead of the second-leg semi vs Newcastle.
----------------------------------
Here we go, here we go, here we go…
Today is all about go hard, or go home. The O2 is awaiting.
Everyone at Wembley in 2014 will testify to what a fabulous experience it all was. I was amongst the last few to leave the venue as I so much wanted to drink everything in, fearful that it could be some time before we reached, never mind triumphed in, another Final.
Well it has indeed been a while, but here we are now standing only 40 minutes away. And it has not been an easy ride. After an abysmal start to our season we have since embarked on an incredible turnaround.
Last Friday I was at Sheffield watching us sweep to a 14-point HT advantage, only to then be hauled back to a mere 73-71 lead.
On Sunday it was more of the same, cruising to 19-points ahead pre-HT but allowing Sharks to very nearly snatch the tie in the final minute.
The two-leg breakdown –
Marek Klassen – 17pts,11 assists. Sunday sizzler.
Trevor Setty – 28pts, 5 x 3ptrs. Inspiring.
Alex Navajas – 14pts, 4 x 3ptrs. Put in a double-shift.
Trey Zeigler – 14pts. Pogo stick.
Ashton Khan – 11pts. Ditto
Jermel Kennedy – 15pts, 15 rebounds. Workhorse
Mo Walker – 9pts, 17 rebounds. Come and have a go if you think you’re hard enough!
Andrew Bachman – 3pts. Valuable.
I’m informed that this year and 2014 are the only times we’ve ever progressed to the Playoff semis. 14 was huge, let’s hope 17 is equally special for us all. C’mon ma boys…
|
|
|
|
Post by Solly on Oct 13, 2020 10:15:47 GMT
And so here's the last post relating to the 2016-17 season for Wolves, my report of an agonising playoff semi-final exit vs Eagles after an almost-incredible comeback. It was a hard defeat to take.
As assistant coach Radu rightly put it "the team paid the price for a first-leg letdown".
Another highly-promising regular season followed by disappointment in the post-season...
-------------------------------------
Friday 05 May 2017
Worcester Wolves 111-94 Newcastle Eagles
Worcester Wolves have fallen agonisingly short of reaching the British Basketball League Playoff Final at London’s O2 Arena.
A pulsating 111-94 overtime win over Newcastle Eagles on Friday means that Wolves lose out by just 197-199 on aggregate as they roared back from a hugely-disappointing 86-105 first-leg defeat in the North East on Wednesday.
By half-time Worcester led 54-45, thereby pulling back nearly half of the away-leg deficit.
Approaching the final minutes the deficit had been fully erased with Wolves on the verge of victory before Eagles called on the experience that has taken them to numerous championship finals to force overtime.
In the dying seconds of the extra period the combatants were once more tied on aggregate before Newcastle ultimately drew last blood.
With head coach Paul James unavailable, assistant coaches Alex Radu and Danny McGhee were joined on the side-lines by the University of Worcester’s basketball academic from Leon, Alejandro Vaquero.
Radu spoke for the coaching trio in applauding the plucky efforts of the Wolves players:
“What a magnificent display. Everyone was really switched on for what we needed to do in order to overturn a massive 19-point deficit against a Newcastle side that have been one of the league’s premier teams for many years.
“We showed what can be done by sticking to a game plan. But for a tiny bit more concentration we would have pulled off a tremendous comeback.
“Everyone is obviously disappointed but, ultimately, we paid the price for letting ourselves down in the first leg.”
As fans entered the University of Worcester Arena they were handed 3-point cards to brandish whenever Wolves connected from long-distance. Within the first twenty seconds a capacity crowd were already waving the cards high in the air as Danny Huffor set the scoreboard ticking.
Maurice Walker soon set up camp close to the Newcastle basket to push his way to a quartet of scores. His fifth score moved Wolves 33-32 ahead as the second quarter began.
Forward Scott Martin was the early feature for the visitors with an impressive 16 first-quarter points, but swarming defence would prevent him from adding to that total before half-time.
As the interval buzzer sounded ex-Worcester man Orlan Jackman found himself standing at the free-throw line being noisily heckled by his former supporters into missing a double of foul shots.
Alex Navajas opened the second half scoring and then blocked a Newcastle attempt. Trevor Setty and Jermel Kennedy settled into an offensive groove as Wolves’ fans began to believe it was possible that the big first-leg deficit could be erased.
Just before the third period expired Ashton Khan lofted up a three-pointer as he fell backwards. When the ball dropped through the hoop to extend the lead to 83-69, the home crowd leapt to their feet in celebration.
By midway through the last quarter Worcester had finally erased their arrears after another Walker score put matters at 94-74.
At 44 seconds to go a Rahmon Fletcher basket levelled the aggregate scores at 103-84. Both sides missed chances to settle the tie, leading to five minutes of added time.
It would take nearly three minutes for Wolves to add to their total. In the meantime, Eagles began to edge away. But Marek Klassen’s only score from the field over the whole evening once more brought the sides together at 111-92.
With just four seconds remaining, Huffor was whistled for a foul on Fletcher. The Newcastle guard held his nerve to convert both resultant free throws.
Speedster Khan was the player handed the task of racing from one end of the court to the other. As he drew near the Eagles baseline he was forced to heave up an off-balance shot, surrounded by defenders. When it fell short, Wolves’ dogged efforts to atone for their first-leg failings were finally over.
Walker signed off his season with an imposing return of 26 points and 17 rebounds. Kennedy hit 19 points, followed by Setty and Khan tallying 16 and 15 points respectively.
Huffor and Navajas rounded out the double-figure scorers with 11 points apiece. Fletcher and Martin both tallied 28 points to lead the way for Eagles.
“It’s been a strange season,” summarised Radu. “After the first half of the year we were not even in a playoff position. After that it was a totally different story. We got something out of the season to put ourselves just one basket away from reaching the Playoff Final.”
“Tonight proved that Worcester has the best venue in the country and that Worcester has the best fans in the country. On behalf of everyone I want to say sorry that we couldn’t quite do enough to reward our supporters with a trip to the Final.”
|
|
|
|
Post by Solly on Oct 15, 2020 10:10:28 GMT
And we move onto the 2017-18 season & a brand-new Wolves roster were about to take on a much-fancied London Lions for their season-opener.
A few "characters" in Worcester that year... ------------------------
Welcome back to everyone returning to watch the Wolves, and a warm welcome to any new fans. Welcome to all our players, most of them Wolves first-timers.
What a season we had last year. It unfortunately took us quite a time to motor, by which time we had tumbled out of the Cup and Trophy and looked as if we would even struggle to make the playoffs.
But suddenly sorcery happened and we embarked on a stunning run of form that fuelled dreams of post-season glory.
Of course it all went pear-shaped when we suffered an awful playoff first-leg hiding at Newcastle. Even then the drama would continue as we hauled back the huge deficit in the return, before succumbing in overtime.
Let’s hope for less bumps in the road this time out. An overhaul of our roster now leads me to this very early take on our main players -
Brandon Parrish – first-year American guard/forward. Club quote: “Highly-recommended.” Solly’s verdict – “Size and athleticism.”
George Beamon – former NBA D-leaguer. Club quote: “Can score in many different ways.” Solly’s verdict – “Microwave.”
Trayvonn Palmer – completes the US trio. Club quote: “Will excite the Wolfpack.” Solly’s verdict – “Flash and dash.”
Alex Navajas – back in the pack. Club quote: “Physical defense.” Solly’s verdict – “Solid.”
Jermel Kennedy – stalwart power-forward. Club quote: “All-round game.” Solly’s verdict – “Reliable.”
Ashton Khan – returns for a third year. Club quote: “Bigger things to come.” Solly’s verdict – “Harum-scarum.”
Dallin Bachynski – 7ft centre. Club quote: “A daunting presence.” Solly’s verdict – “Big man in the paint.”
Elvisi Dusha – experienced point-guard. Club quote: “Competitive.” Solly’s verdict – “Steady.”
|
|
|
|
Post by Solly on Oct 16, 2020 15:44:21 GMT
And Worcester stumbled to an opening-day defeat at the paws of the Lions.
Moritz Lanegger was a good sport 
--------------------------
Friday 29 September 2017
Worcester Wolves 72-88 London Lions
Worcester Wolves were unable to reward a sold-out University of Worcester Arena in their British Basketball League season-opener on Friday.
Their opponents the London Lions, one of the sides fancied for honours this season, performed efficiently to stay a handful of points in front of Wolves for most of the match, before pulling away in the late stages to a convincing 88-72 victory.
A couple of minutes into the evening Lions already led 6-2 after an impressive dunk from their imposing centre Demonte Flannigan.
Trailing 11-16 with three minutes left in the initial quarter, Worcester Coach Paul James made a trio of substitutions.
Elvisi Dusha sank a three-pointer with his first touch of the ball. George Beamon debuted on the scoresheet and Trayvon Palmer swung on the rim to grab two points and a bonus free throw.
Jermel Kennedy brought spectators to their feet with a fine alley-oop success following a well-timed assist from Dusha, levelling the teams at 24-24 as the second quarter began.
But each time Wolves threatened to take a lead, London fired straight back. Moritz Lanegger dropped in two quick long-range successes as the first half ended with the visitors 46-42 ahead.
Lions still held a 67-61 advantage entering the final period. Seven points from Palmer brought matters back to 72-68 with five minutes remaining, but this was to be Wolves’ last hurrah.
A number of clashes led to Lanegger drawing loud jeers from home fans each time he touched the ball. Revelling in his pantomime-villain role, he duly dished out a series of pinpoint assists that were converted by his grateful team-mates, opening considerable daylight between the teams.
Palmer led the way for Worcester with 21 points. Fellow Americans Brandon Parrish with 17 points and Beamon with 15 were the only other double-digit scorers.
A disappointed James admitted: “Unfortunately, our execution was lacking in the last part of the game, though I thought we competed well up to that point.”
Wolves are next in action on Friday 13 October when Manchester Giants visit the University of Worcester Arena.
“It’s just one game in. We’ll put today’s errors right and we’ll get better as the season progresses,” added James.
|
|
|
|
Post by Solly on Oct 18, 2020 11:00:12 GMT
And ahead of the must-win second game of the season vs lowly Manchester I was being diplomatic and, in regards to finally making a trip to Birmingham's NIA, remarkably prophetic 
--------------------------------------
Unfortunately we didn’t pull out a win on opening day a couple of weeks back, but there were positives.
First off it was terrific to see a full house, and for that full house to really get behind the players. That sort of support is sure to make the difference when we are in tight games.
The London match was indeed tight, but sadly only until the last five minutes or so when our offense dried up. Meantime Lions just kept on with their methodical performance. Guard comes down court, dishes to the open man and swoosh through our net.
A 16-4 run for a London side that, alongside the usual suspects of Leicester and Newcastle, are sure to compete for honours this season, closed out the match to 88-72 in their favour.
The individual breakdown –
Brandon Parrish – 17pts, 7 rebounds, 3 x 3ptrs. Restricted to just a couple of second-half points.
George Beamon – 15pts. Plugged away.
Trayvon Palmer – 21pts, 5 rebounds, 8 for 8 from the line. Exciting, had a go.
Alex Navajas – 4pts. Toiled.
Jermel Kennedy – 6pts. Ditto.
Ashton Khan – 2pts. Quiet.
Dallin Bachynski – 2pts. Ditto.
Elvisi Dusha – 5pts, 7 assists. Enthusiastic.
With an almost all-new roster, hopefully the fortnight’s break will give everyone more time to bed down into the Wolves system and we’ll reap the benefits today against Manchester, and progress into the Cup quarter-finals.
A trip to Birmingham’s Indoor Arena is so overdue…
|
|
|
|
Post by Solly on Oct 19, 2020 14:36:23 GMT
And, as expected, Wolves progressed to the Cup QFs after seeing off the Giants.
Harold Trobo got annoyed 
---------------------------
Friday 13 October 2017
Worcester Wolves 101–80 Manchester Giants
Worcester Wolves have progressed to the quarter-finals of the BBL Cup after recording a solid 101-80 victory over Manchester Giants on Friday.
A tight opening saw the teams still tied approaching half-time. However, a decisive 17-3 burst to end the half established a cushion that Wolves would hold onto for the remainder of the match.
Giants’ French forward Harold Trobo served up a rapid-fire trio of three-pointers in just the first four minutes of the contest.
Worcester’s Brandon Parrish replied with nine points of his own to edge his side 30-26 in front at the close of the initial quarter.
Former Wolves’ captain Callum Jones took the first basket of the second period, with his backcourt partner Jerelle Okoro’s three-point play then nudging Manchester ahead.
At four minutes before the interval the dangerous Trobo was substituted after committing a double of turnovers. After angrily hurling his water bottle to the floor he was promptly penalised with a technical foul and a seat on the bench for the rest of the evening.
Ashton Khan spied openings to drive to the hoop for a quartet of scores while Alex Navajas backed down his defenders for consecutive scores, aiding a 52-38 half-time advantage.
A series of turnovers allied with hurried shooting saw Giants’ last hopes of success extinguished. Elvisi Dusha took over from Khan in setting up opportunities for American forwards George Beamon and Trayvon Palmer to profit from.
Coach Paul James declared his delight with the win, saying:
“We haven’t done well in this competition over the years so I’m really pleased with today’s success.
“Manchester are a side that’s getting better every season. I’m glad we were able to get past them and into the next round.”
All five of Worcester’s starters achieved double-figure scoring. Parrish led the way with 27 points, followed by Beamon with 14.
Navajas and Palmer tallied 13 and 11 points respectively. Dallin Bachynski grabbed 11 rebounds to go alongside his 13 points.
“Those numbers show that good things happen when we share the ball around,” explained James.
Wolves now return to British Basketball League action with successive away games, at Surrey this Sunday and at Newcastle next Friday, before coming back to the University of Worcester Arena on Friday 27 October to greet Cheshire Phoenix.
Another capacity home crowd was on hand to see the win over the Giants, leaving James to express his gratitude to fans:
“In our last match, a fortnight ago, we had tremendous support. Tonight extra seating had to be pulled out to cope with the terrific number of people getting behind us.
“The coaches and players recognise that we have to give our all in order to keep that momentum of fans supporting us.”
James added: “Surrey will be a tough opponent. Alex Owumi is just one of their players who, on his day, can be a game-winner.
“We’ll be looking to get our first win in the Championship this Sunday.”
|
|
|
|
Post by Solly on Oct 21, 2020 9:54:09 GMT
But Worcester fell to a 0-2 league start after being edged out at Scorchers.
-------------------------------
Sunday 15 October 2017
Surrey Scorchers 84-80 Worcester Wolves
Worcester Wolves failed to follow up the excitement of Friday’s BBL Cup win over Manchester Giants when falling to an 80-84 British Basketball League defeat at Surrey Scorchers on Sunday.
Wolves trailed for large periods of the match, often falling behind by double figures. But they still managed to drag the scoreboard back to a 77-77 tie with just two minutes left.
However, a slew of missed free throws and an afternoon of wayward shooting meant they just missed out on victory.
Coach Paul James was calling for a time out six minutes into the match with his side already 8-20 behind.
An Ashton Khan outside attempt went badly awry and Surrey defenders were first to secure the rebound, leading to a triumphant fast-break dunk from the hosts’ Darryl Palmer.
Wolves’ shooting woes continued into the second quarter. By half-time just a dozen of a whopping 35 shot attempts had hit the mark.
In the meantime a couple of former Worcester favourites, Caylin Raftopoulas and Alex Owumi, had both tasted success from distance.
Looking up at a 33-48 half-time deficit, Wolves now began to make an impact. Several full-court presses led to several Surrey turnovers.
George Beamon, Trayvon Palmer and Jermel Kennedy all got their hands in the way of their opponents, slashing the arrears to a respectable 58-64 entering the final quarter.
Again, a series of missed shots and a failure to capitalise at the foul-line threatened to put the match out of the visitors’ reach at 69-78 with four minutes remaining.
Finally, three-pointers from Parrish and Palmer found their target to level the match. But Owumi also found the net with a triple.
After Khan split a pair of free throws and Beamon was unable to stay in bounds when trying to hold onto possession, the afternoon was over.
Beamon topped the scoring with 25 points, with his fellow Americans Parrish and Palmer tallying 21 and 15 points respectively.
At the final count, Wolves had failed on a telling ten of 27 free throw attempts, a statistic confirmed as significant by James, saying:
“Obviously that sort of return is unacceptable and meant that we didn’t pressure Surrey’s leads when we should have.
“We dug ourselves too big a hole in the first half and although we very nearly climbed out of it the damage had already been done.”
Wolves will now face the challenge of travelling to high-flying Newcastle Eagles next Friday, before returning to the University of Worcester Arena on Friday 27 October to greet Cheshire Phoenix.
“We’ll have plenty of work to do this week. We certainly cannot afford to have another first twenty minutes like we did today,” added James.
|
|
|
|
Post by Solly on Oct 22, 2020 13:32:54 GMT
And a fourth-quarter letdown at Newcastle saw Wolves tumble to an 0-3 start.
I have just eaten a rather nice apple crumble doughnut purchased from Tesco. Tesco doughnuts are a new experience for this scribe.
--------------------
Friday 20 October 2017
Newcastle Eagles 101-96 Worcester Wolves
Worcester Wolves came close to subjecting Newcastle Eagles, the leaders of the British Basketball League, to their first defeat of the season on Friday.
An already healthy 51-42 half-time Worcester advantage accelerated out to an even more impressive 78-59 as the final quarter approached.
However, a blistering thirteen-point tear switched momentum in Eagles favour.
By four minutes remaining the visiting Wolves had fallen 84-86 behind, on their way to an eventual 96-101 defeat.
Coach Paul James saw both good and bad in his team’s display, saying:
“Going into the last part of the game we looked composed and in control. On another night, against almost any other team than Newcastle, a nineteen-point lead should have been enough.
“But then Newcastle had a huge final quarter and we found out that they are as strong as ever this year.
“We stopped doing what had got us so far ahead and got pressured into some crazy shots and into attempting crazy passes through traffic.
“There were positives in that we had initially taken charge, but negatives in that we then allowed ourselves to be hustled out of the match.”
Former Wolves’ forward Kai Williams set the scoreboard ticking with a three-pointer. A 2-8 deficit had James calling for a steadying time-out after just two minutes had elapsed.
Dallin Bachynski settled into a tidy scoring groove, notching a quartet of baskets as he faked passes and instead made shots, aiding a 23-22 Worcester edge as the first quarter closed.
An all-action Jermel Kennedy took the spotlight in the second period. He began with a steal and breakaway dunk. After laying on a series of assists, his versatility continued as he alternated between close-range and long-distance scores.
Coming out of the half-time locker rooms, a blitz of successes from outside the arc shocked the Eagles. A couple of threes apiece for Alex Navajas and Ashton Khan were backed up by similar sharpshooting from Brandon Parrish and Trayvon Palmer.
Williams was once more on the mark as the last quarter began. Careless Worcester ball-handling and consecutive shot-clock violations were joyfully pounced upon by the increasingly-confident Eagles.
A by-now rattled Wolves saw their once-sizeable lead swiftly erased. With 38 seconds to go there was still a glimmer of hope at 93-96, but Newcastle efficiently settled matters from the free-throw line.
Big men Navajas and Bachynski led the visitor’s scoring with 20 and 18 points respectively. Palmer and Khan both notched 16 points, with Kennedy and Parrish continuing the symmetry with a dozen points apiece.
Wolves return to the University of Worcester Arena this Friday, 27 October, hosting Cheshire Phoenix.
“Cheshire will be another good opponent. Orlan Jackman and Andrew Bachman will want to do well back in Worcester,” added James.
“We’re going to get down to hard work again this week, particularly with regard to executing down the stretch.”
|
|
"own-goal", or have ever known anything similar? 
) also continues today. Oh, and some boxing on Sky as well. And the darts are on again next week.
