Retro Articles Now Exposed for All

And my (diplomatic) programme article reflection on the Cup Final disappointment.

Its often what you don't say...

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Well done to everyone who made the trip to Arena Birmingham.

The club asked for a sea of orange and we delivered. Unfortunately, apart from a lively start, we got little back in return.

The massive crowd reminded me of great times watching Birmingham Bullets play wondrously there. But I can recall many times when Bullets also disappointed some huge attendances, so Wolves are not the only West Midlanders to stumble on a big stage.

A couple of three-pointers got us off to a tidy 8-0 start. Dallin impressed close to the hoop for eleven first-quarter points and it looked like we were in for a good day.

But Cheshire responded in good style, particularly from MVP Malcolm Riley and the lumbering, yet productive, CJ Gettys.

By HT we trailed by a mere 40-41. Elvisi began the second half with nice drives to the hoop for a 49-49 tie. However, it was downhill from there on in.

Multiple turnovers, ill-timed shots, a few harsh calls and we were 62-73 in arrears entering the final quarter.

It didn’t get any better on the way to a very disappointing 88-99 loss. BTW it seemed as if one or two of the Phoenix guys were taunting some of our guys.

What goes around comes around. We play Cheshire at least twice more this year.

The breakdown –

Dallin Bachynski – 16pts, 8 rebounds. Early .

George Beamon – 8pts. Quiet.

Brandon Parrish – 2pts. Ditto

Robert Gilchrist – 4pts. Double-ditto

Trayvon Palmer – 15pts, 7 rebounds. Had a go.

Alex Navajas – 10pts, 6 rebounds. Up and down.

Elvisi Dusha – 15pts, 8 assists. Lively.

Michael Ojo – 18pts. Impactful.
 

And a straightforward W followed at Leeds.

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Sunday 04 February 2018

Leeds Force 76-101 Worcester Wolves

Worcester Wolves warmed up for Wednesday’s BBL Trophy semi-final against Sheffield Sharks by taking care of Leeds Force 101-76 in Yorkshire on Sunday.

With Wolves already having a comfortable 50-29 lead in the bag by half-time, against the British Basketball League’s basement club, coach Paul James took the chance to spread minutes across his team.

Leeds fought gamely to keep with their visitors at 16-16 with three minutes remaining in the opening quarter.

James ushered Brandon Parrish and George Beamon into the action and both players made an instant impact with their initial touches. Parrish drained a three-pointer while Beamon drove to the hoop for two points and a bonus foul shot, aiding a 29-18 advantage entering the second period.

Captain Alex Navajas sank his third triple and then laid on a double of backdoor assists for Parrish and Trayvon Palmer to convert, breaking their host’s spirit as they trooped into the locker rooms.

Leeds ignited with a series of long-range scores as the second half got under way, but were unable to replicate their success on the inside. Robert Gilchrist put in a shift close to the basket for eleven third-quarter points as Worcester coasted to a 78-49 lead.

Parrish and Beamon continued to accumulate points and rarely-used Zach Noble thrilled his teammates with a shot on target from outside the arc to push Wolves over the century mark as the full-time hooter sounded.

“We stamped our authority on the match from early on,” said James.

“The players approached the game in the right way and once we got comfortably ahead we had the chance to try out a few different sets and line-ups.”

Parrish led the scoring with 27 points. Beamon tallied 21 points and Navajas 19.

Worcester’s focus now switches to hosting Sheffield Sharks at the University of Worcester Arena this Wednesday (7.30pm).

“We had a solid display today. Sheffield will be a different challenge. We cannot afford to have any periods of defensive lapses and have to stay focused. We want to put ourselves in good stead for the away leg,” added James.

“Our fans gave the players a tremendous cheer when they came out on court last week. They can give us another big boost on Wednesday.”

And a rare tie within a tie occurred when Sheffield visited in Feb 18.

My Xmas meal was very nice, albeit somewhat of a chore to work my way through it all.

Will be having to eat turkey yet again today, albeit that it should finally be in an empty enough state to bin the remainder after today. 

Had far too many chocs as presents this year from Mrs S, albeit that I know where I stand now in relation to how much I will have to wedge out next Xmas in return

Cadburys selection box

2 x airport-size Toblerone (white) 

2 x large chocolate discs (white)

Bag of Jazz Drops (white) 

Large tray of Ferrero Rocher (three-varieties, including white)

Box of Maltesers (don't think you can get them in white, otherwise they would have been!)

After Eights (ditto above)

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Wednesday 07 February 2018

Worcester Wolves 86–86 Sheffield Sharks

Worcester Wolves find themselves locked together with Sheffield Sharks for the right to progress to the BBL Trophy Final after an exciting 86-86 tie in the first leg of their semi-final at the University of Worcester Arena on Wednesday.

Wolves struggled to stay with their visitors in the early going, falling into a double-digit hole that they were only able to climb out of as the final quarter approached, thereby keeping the pot boiling for Sunday’s return encounter in South Yorkshire.

The teams stood level at 11-11 six minutes into the evening. From there Worcester stalled on the offensive end, and leaked points at the other, to sink 16-27 into arrears.

By four minutes left in the first half, Sharks’ lead had maximised at 41-25 as Wolves were too often beaten to rebounds, gifting Sheffield numerous second-chance points.

At 18 seconds to go, respectability beckoned with the gap narrowed to 44-37. However, Sharks’ Chris Alexander responded with an and-one play and his fellow guard Edgar McKnight immediately intercepted a careless inbound pass, allowing veteran Mike Tuck to score as the half-time hooter sounded.

Worcester big men Alex Navajas and Robert Gilchrist began to bite back after the interval. Allied to George Beamon bursting into life with eleven third-quarter points, the deficit was reduced to 64-71 entering the last period.

Beamon brought a large home crowd alive by draining successive three-pointers. A Sheffield time-out did little to steady their ship as they fell victim to shot-clock violations and double-dribbles.

A Michael Ojo basket tied the sides at 82-82 with three minutes remaining. Tony Wroblicky fell to the floor and fumbled the ball out of bounds on Sharks’ next possession. A series of Navajas free-throws pushed Wolves 86-83 ahead before a McKnight triple placed the contest on a knife-edge.

Beamon led the scoring with 20 points, supported by Navajas and Gilchrist on 16 points apiece.

.Coach Paul James praised the resolve of his team, saying:

 
“We had a difficult start but I’m really pleased about how we clawed our way back into the match. We locked into our rebounding in the second half, showed some real defensive intensity and got things going offensively.

“It looked at one point if the tie was going to be beyond us, but we got the upper hand in the later stages and gave ourselves momentum for the return leg.”

Prior to the deciding second leg in Sheffield on Sunday (tip off 4pm), Wolves will travel to London Lions this Friday, (7.30pm), for league action.

And a second Worcester Final of the season was denied by Sheffield.

Bachynski

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Sunday 11 February 2018

Sheffield Sharks 75–66 Worcester Wolves

In December Worcester Wolves eked out a tough win at Sheffield Sharks to progress through to the BBL Cup Final, but on Sunday were unable to repeat their heroics at the same stage of the BBL Trophy, against the same opponents.

Sheffield’s 75-66 success, coupled with last Wednesday’s 76-76 first-leg tie in Worcester, sends them through to March’s Trophy Final in Glasgow 161-152 on aggregate.

With Dallin Bachynski sitting out his fifth game in a row, Wolves faced a height disadvantage that they were unable to overcome. By early in the second quarter their hosts had posted double the points at 34-17 and had already stacked up nearly treble the rebounds at 17-6.

Though rallying after half-time to draw the scores closer, sufficient damage had been done to leave too big a hill to climb.

Sheffield had blitzed to a 14-4 lead by midway through the initial quarter before a couple of Alex Navajas scores aided a 14-13 revival.

But another Sharks burst soon extended matters back out to 23-15. On numerous occasions Sheffield were allowed second, and even third, chance shot attempts after scooping up offensive rebounds.

A handful of points from Trayvon Palmer, George Beamon and Brandon Parrish were the only contribution to the Worcester side of the scoreboard as they struggled to a 31-47 half-time deficit.

Three baskets and two made free throws for Michael Ojo as the third period expired trimmed Sheffield’s advantage to 60-53 and gave a flicker of hope to a large turnout of travelling supporters.

But any dreams of victory were cruelly dashed by a series of unopposed drives to the hoop from Sharks’ guard duo Chris Alexander and Edgar McKnight and ongoing inside dominance by their big men.

 
In a closely-refereed match, Wolves’ were whistled for their third technical foul in the final minute of the evening to put the lid on a disappointing defeat.

Beamon top-scored with 21 points. Navajas tallied 13 points, followed by 11 for Ojo.

Coach Paul James expressed his disappointment, saying: “It was one of those games where a lot didn’t go our way.

“The way the game was officiated played into Sheffield’s hands more than ours. It just wasn’t our day.”

 
Asked about the early disparity in rebounding, James responded: “Just as last week, we were without our leading rebounder – 15 points and 10 boards a game missing – that’s always going to be a tough task.”

Wolves will face a quick double of matches next weekend. On Friday 16 February they welcome Glasgow Rocks to the University of Worcester Arena (7.30). On Saturday (7.30) they make the short trip down the M5 to face Bristol Flyers in a re-arranged fixture.

“These are two very important games for us. We need to back from today, ready for another challenging weekend,” added James.  
 

And Worcester stumbled badly against Glasgow.

PJ was diplomatic in what he said post-match...

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Friday 16 February 2018

Worcester Wolves 83-86 Glasgow Rocks

Worcester Wolves spurned an opportunity to gain ground on third-placed Glasgow Rocks in the British Basketball League on Friday.

A packed crowd at the University of Worcester Arena were left disappointed at seeing Wolves stumble to a last-gasp 83-86 overtime defeat.

Paul James’ side employed suffocating defence to build what could have been a decisive 37-22 half-time lead. However, Wolves’ inability to kill off a plucky opponent saw Rocks whittle away and eventually overturn the advantage.

 James expressed his frustration at the loss, saying:

“We did a really nice job in the first half. But we stopped playing tough defence, we allowed way too many offensive rebounds and Rocks started to make their three-pointers.

“They went zero from ten attempts in the first half but we said that sooner or later they’ll start making some.

“In the end the game went to overtime and became something of a lottery. They made crucial shots and we didn’t.”

Two triples from Trayvon Palmer and one each for Elvisi Dusha and Brandon Parrish helped Worcester into a 19-15 first-quarter lead.

 
Further Glasgow attacks were repeatedly turned back. It would take until four minutes before half-time for the visitors to score again from the field when their Great Britain forward Keiron Achara finally connected, with his team trailing 18-29.

 
But by the initial couple of minutes of the second half Rocks had already exceeded their entire second-quarter points total, putting matters at 41-30.

Glasgow’s three-point account was opened by a quick double of successes for Kofi Josephs. It was now Wolves’ turn to stagnate as they clung to a 50-49 edge entering the last period.

A tight quarter ensued. Occasional forays from Palmer and Alex Navajas were Worcester’s only significant offensive input.

With just 23 seconds to go Wolves trailed 69-70 before Palmer was fouled when sinking a triple as he fell to the ground.

With the crowd on their feet, his bonus free-throw gave Wolves the upper-hand until Joseph replied to sit everyone back down and agonisingly send the contest into five minutes of extra time.

The back-and-forth continued. By the last minute Worcester trailed 83-84. Achara wisely wound the shot-clock down and converted on its final tick. A desperate Navajas attempt bounced off the rim as time expired.

Palmer and Navajas dominated Wolves scoring with 24 and 20 points respectively.

Wolves are straight back into action at Bristol Flyers on Saturday, before returning to the University of Worcester Arena next Friday, 23 February (tip off 7.30), to host Plymouth Raiders

James added: “We will have to do much better at Bristol. We allowed Glasgow to stay in the match and turned the ball over too many times. We have to take greater care of the ball, particularly on rebounds.”

And, ahead of the hosting of Plymouth, here were my prog article reflections on the Glasgow/Bristol (very-short-handed) defeats.

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When the going gets tough, the tough get going…

Like everyone, I was suitably narked about the outcome of last Friday vs Glasgow. To be fifteen up at half-time but fail to see off our opponent was a real sickener.

Holding Rocks to just seven points in the entire second quarter was outstanding. But to let them exceed that total after only a couple of minutes into the second half was a big let-down.

At under half a minute remaining everyone was a-leaping when Trayvon drained a spectacular three and a bonus to put us 73-70 ahead. But moments later we were all a-slumping at seeing Glasgow reply with a triple, forcing overtime and our eventual 83-86 defeat.

To worsen matters George also collected an ankle injury sufficient to prevent his participation in Saturday’s trip to Bristol, leaving just six senior players suited up.

Once more we had to face adversity, losing the rebounding battle, coughing the ball up too many times and generally being hustled out of our rhythm. But those who took to the court, fought on the court.

It would take until Q4 before Flyers managed to break clear of our pluck. 74-82 by the close of the evening completed a nil return from last weekend.

I’m unsure how our resources will look for today’s game. But I am sure that the players wearing the Wolves jersey will wear it with pride. After that, what will be will be…

The Bristol breakdown –

Michael Ojo – 20pts, 6 x 3ptrs. On-song.

Elvisi Dusha – 20pts, 8 assists. Determined.

Brandon Parrish – 9pts, 6 rebounds. Up.

Trayvon Palmer – 9pts. Fought

Alex Navajas – 6pts. Contributed.

Robert Gilchrist – 10pts. Ditto.

And, despite the shortage of numbers (including perennial sick-noters ), a gutsy win was secured vs the (perennially) haphazard Raiders.

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Friday 23 February 2018

Worcester Wolves 95-84 Plymouth Raiders

 
Worcester Wolves’ Coach Paul James praised the efforts of his depleted squad as they swept aside Plymouth Raiders 95-84 at the University of Worcester Arena on Friday.

Injuries and international call-ups left James fielding just four senior players and awarding major minutes to rarely-used reserves George Emms and Dominic Ives.

Though faltering in the early rebounding battle, Wolves found their long-range shooting boots to pull into a 47-36 half-time lead.

Increased defensive intensity saw them take the upper hand around both baskets while continuing to rain in three-pointers and close out a morale-boosting victory.

James felt all of his team played their part, saying:

“That was a fantastic display from every player on the court.

“George and Dom showed no fear and did everything I asked of them in stepping up and supporting their team-mates.

“We shared the ball around. We played hard and played sensibly. This was a performance where we maintained our concentration throughout and got our reward.”

Ives had the honour of collecting Worcester’s first points from an Alex Navajas assist. Navajas showed impressive court-vision in continually finding the open man, laying on a triple for George Beamon, a dunk for Brandon Parrish and a three-pointer for Emms as the first quarter closed.

Buoyed by his earlier success, Emms was on target again to push his team 25-23 ahead early in the second period. 7-foot centre Zak Wells was the only thorn in Wolves’ side as they chose to stand back from him rather than risk foul trouble.

A series of enthusiastic drives to the hoop by Beamon boosted the advantage into double figures by the interval.

Plymouth toiled in vain to close the gap, but were still outscored by their more-assured hosts.

 
Brimming with confidence, Trayvon Palmer popped up with a steal and a two-handed slam, Emms weaved a pass through traffic for Beamon to convert and Ives joined in the festival of three-pointers.

Worcester danced into the last quarter with a dominant 73-55 advantage. The final minutes saw control maintained and the luxury of Zach Noble and Demi Ogunbona also being introduced into the action.

George Beamon disregarded a heavily-strapped ankle to leap to a stunning 34 points, including five triples. His fellow Americans Palmer and Parrish posted 20 and 18 points respectively, with four three-pointers apiece.

Navajas flew close to a rare triple-double of statistics with nine points, nine rebounds and eleven assists. Emms tallied nine points and Ives rounded out the scoring with a handy five points.

James was keen to dish out further plaudits, saying:

“George Beamon was an inspiration out there. It was a last-minute decision to play him. He was desperate to do whatever he could for us. He said strap me up and I’ll be ready to go.

“Alex produced a captain’s performance. Brandon and Trayvon were both deadly today. Dom got stuck in and kept offenses alive and once George Emms starting hitting threes it broke the game open.”

Wolves are on the road next Friday at Newcastle Eagles before returning to the University of Worcester Arena on Friday 09 March to host Leeds Force.

“We’ll get our numbers back up next week. The returning players will be joining a group of guys who have just played their hearts out If we keep that spirit going we can have more success,” added James.

Jan 15, 2021 20:37:14 GMT @hersey427 said:

The anniversary of me potato head gate forever-leopards.com/2021/01/15/on-this-day-jan-15th/

Haha. This particular line in your report made I laugh.

"...classless player-coach Daryl Corletto"

I have unfortunately never been able to display such journalistic freedom in my match reports

And, as would be expected with or without a full roster, Leeds were forced to submit in Wolves' next outing.

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Friday 09 March 2018

Worcester Wolves 100–72 Leeds Force

Worcester Wolves celebrated the return of a full-strength roster by easing to a 100-72 win over the British Basketball League’s basement club Leeds Force at the University of Worcester Arena on Friday.

A combination of injuries and international call-ups forced Coach Paul James to juggle resources throughout February, with accordingly middling results.

Wolves’ first March fixture saw court-time spread across their whole squad and a half-dozen of those players return double-figure points in a welcome victory.

Worcester held a mere 46-35 lead by half-time, but thumped in an overwhelming 30-12 third quarter to make certain of success.

“We had a decent start, let ourselves down a little in the second quarter, but took control after the break,” confirmed James.

“I told everyone that if they played the way I know they can that we would get the win and that everyone could enjoy themselves out there.”

Alex Navajas featured heavily in the early going. After laying on the opening score of the night for Trayvon Palmer he sank a triple of his own but then bizarrely passed the ball towards a startled referee, before sportingly acknowledging his mistake.

George Emms and Dominic Ives delighted in their earlier-than-usual introductions to the action by, in turn, assisting a George Beamon three and a Brandon Parrish tomahawk dunk, rounding out a tidy 22-16 first period advantage.

A spell of sloppy ball-handling allowed Leeds to stay in contention as the first half ended.

It was an entirely different matter once the teams had returned from the locker rooms, with Navajas again the pivotal figure. After securing a couple of baskets for himself he hurled a length-of-the-court pass for Palmer to convert. The Spaniard would rattle in a further ten points in less than two minutes before drawing breath.

A 70-36 score-line at six minutes after the break firmly demonstrated Worcester’s domination of their visitors. Four replacements jumped up from the home bench to see out the third period.

The final quarter saw court-time for rarely-used reserves Zach Noble and Matt Williamson, with the former inking four points onto the scoresheet.

Navajas led Wolves scoring with 20 points, followed by 14 points apiece for Palmer and Parrish.

Dallin Bachynski returned from his month-long injury to post 13 points, with Beamon and Michael Ojo each tallying 11.

James praised the performance of his captain, saying; “Alex was again outstanding. He shot the ball well and got others involved. He has been playing really well for us lately and this bodes well for our upcoming games.”

Wolves have a double-bill of away matches next weekend, facing Cheshire Phoenix on Friday 16 March (7.30pm) and Manchester Giants the following Sunday (5pm), before returning to the University of Worcester Arena to host Sheffield Sharks on Friday 23 March.

“We’ve got a tough weekend coming up. It’s been nice to have the chance to try out some combinations and to now go into next week with everyone getting back to fitness, confident and ready to go,” added James.

And Manchester were duly demolished in Wolves next outing.

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Sunday 18 March 2018

Manchester Giants 68–97 Worcester Wolves

Worcester Wolves bounced back from Friday’s disappointing defeat at Cheshire Phoenix by posting a solid 97-68 success at lowly Manchester Giants on Sunday.

Wolves took control from the outset and kept their hosts comfortably at bay before slamming in a whopping 39 final-quarter points for a runaway victory.

Alex Navajas slotted home two points and a bonus free throw to open the match. Michael Ojo and Trayvon Palmer both sank triples in an early 11-4 lead.

Five more points for Navajas and a defensive clampdown had Giants slinking to their bench trailing 22-8 at the close of the first quarter.

Failing to move the ball over the halfway-line in the permitted eight seconds was one of multiple Manchester mistakes after the break.

Although the hosts lifted their heads sufficiently to reduce Worcester’s lead to 35-25 by half-time, the visitors always looked capable of stepping up the pace if required.

Indeed, by three minutes into the second half the advantage had doubled to 52-32 on the back of metronomic scoring from Robert Gilchrist.

Dallin Bachynski and George Beamon were unstoppable in the final quarter. Following his committing of an unpopular foul Bachynski was thereafter booed on his every touch of the ball. Revelling in his newly-acquired villainous role he responded by sinking basket after basket without pause.

Not content with his own merciless pounding of Manchester’s defences, the Wolves centre also found time to lay on a series of deft passes for Beamon to convert as their team rolled to the win.

Coach Paul James declared his satisfaction, saying:

“This was a win we had to have. We set the tone early and really stepped on the gas in the second half.

“We made life uncomfortable for Manchester.”

Gilchrist top-scored with 20 points, closely followed by Beamon on 19 and Bachynski with 18.

“That was probably Rob’s best game for us. As well as his scoring he did a lot of things for us that don’t show up on the stats,” added James.

“It’s a shame that he’ll be leaving us soon to go to the Commonwealth Games, but we certainly wish him all the best representing England out in Australia.”

Fifth-placed Wolves return to the University of Worcester Arena on Friday, (7.30pm), to host fourth-placed Sheffield Sharks. Worcester overcame Sheffield in a two-legged matchup to reach January’s BBL Cup Final before honours were reversed the following month when Sharks progressed to the final of the BBL Trophy

.
James is anticipating another exciting encounter against familiar foes, saying:

“It’s incredible that we have already played Sharks four times this season. Every game has been an entertaining one and I’m sure Friday will be no different.

“We’ll prepare well for them and look for ways to get them out of their comfort zone.”

And, apparently, Wolves had a rollicking encounter with Sheffield

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Friday 23 March 2018

Worcester Wolves 92–96 Sheffield Sharks

Worcester Wolves just came out on the wrong side of a rollicking encounter with Sheffield Sharks in front of a jam-packed University of Worcester Arena on Friday.

Wolves held narrow advantages at the close of each of the first three quarters but fell behind in the crucial closing minutes as Sharks snatched a 96-92 victory.

The rock ‘em sock ‘em tone of the evening was set early.

George Beamon opened his scoring account with a triple and watched Michael Ojo do likewise. Although both men had already rattled in another couple of three-pointers before the first quarter had expired, Sheffield were similarly productive to restrict their hosts lead to 34-31.

Worcester student Dominic Ives stood firm in disrupting Sharks’ first attack of the second period as his team tried to break clear.

 
7-foot centre Dallin Bachynski thundered through defenders for a ferocious dunk, swinging on the rim in celebration and pushing Wolves 41-33 ahead.

Although still in front at 58-52 as the second-half began, Wolves were swiftly pulled back to a 58-58 tie within a minute of the re-start.

Trayvon Palmer impressed with a series of dances to the basket but Sheffield continued to respond. When their guard Chris Alexander nailed a three with just two seconds remaining in the third quarter for a 73-72 lead the air went out of an excited home crowd.

However those same supporters were immediately brought to their feet in stunning fashion when Beamon grabbed the inbounded ball and hurled it almost the length of the court for a breath-stopping super-long-range success.

Captain Alex Navajas kept the pot boiling with a trio of final-quarter buckets and a 81-76 edge, but Sharks refused to be sunk as the momentum once more switched.

By a minute to go Worcester trailed 87-93. Beamon was again on target to close the combatants to a single score and with seven seconds to go Palmer’s desperation shot just fell short, ending a thrilling contest in the visitors favour.

Beamon led the scoring with 27 points, supported by 23 points for Palmer and 14 apiece for Navajas and Ojo.

Coach Paul James was disappointed to see his side fall short, saying:

“We played really well in parts but not for the whole game. The win was there for the taking but we didn’t hold our shape when it mattered.”

Wolves will now face the same opponents this Wednesday 28 March (7.30pm), in South Yorkshire, with new point-guard George Marshall expected to be ready to reinforce James’ squad.

“By Wednesday George should have had a few training sessions with us,” added James.

“He’ll help us with our rotations and if we play like we did tonight, but for 40 minutes instead of 38, we’ll give ourselves a chance.”

And the first of a doubleheader vs Eagles saw Wolves just miss out.

Jamal Williams was still quite useful in those days.

Am posting late in the day because I was up watching the SuperBowl in the early hours. Have to admit that I got done over in a sizeable way by Willy Hills because I had steamed in on Kansas City Chiefs, being unduly influenced by the erraticism of Tom Brady's early-season performances. I was done over but it was still very good entertainment

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Tuesday 03 April 2018

Newcastle Eagles 86-83 Worcester Wolves

Worcester Wolves missed a chance to move up from seventh place in the British Basketball League when narrowly losing out at second-placed Newcastle Eagles on Tuesday.

A slow start saw Wolves fall 45-36 behind by half-time, before a rampaging third quarter closed the gap to just 67-66.

After a see-saw final period the visitors trailed 86-83 in the last minute but allowed Eagles to snatch successive offensive rebounds and dampen Worcester’s opportunity to complete a comeback.

Coach Paul James felt his team lacked intensity at several points of the game, saying: “We were slow out of the blocks and let Newcastle get too many easy scores. We finally got going in the second half and gave ourselves a chance to win.

“But then we let them take charge at the end. When they missed consecutive shots but still grabbed the rebounds it killed off the game.”

Alex Navajas continued his tradition of dominating in the early going, slotting home a highly-impressive five baskets in the same number of minutes. But with scant scoring support from anywhere else his side fell 17-24 behind entering the second quarter.

New point-guard George Marshall sank a triple then scored again after stealing the ball, levelling matters at 24-24. Again Worcester’s offense stagnated, leaving Newcastle to accumulate a healthy interval lead.

Former Wolves stalwart Jamal Williams twice stood in the path of Dallin Bachynski, resulting in a double of offensive fouls called against the seven-footer and limiting his further involvement in the contest.

However, George Beamon took advantage of the increase in space close to the hoop to drive to an eye-popping 16 third-quarter points and put the match back on the boil.

At four minutes remaining Palmer tipped in a Marshall miss to nudge Worcester 77-75 ahead. Not to be subdued, Newcastle responded with a 10-1 tear to retake the initiative.

A frantic last few seconds saw the ball slung from one player to another until last- man-up Navajas was forced to heave up a desperation shot that clanged off the front of the rim.

Beamon led the scoring with 22 points. Navajas tallied a double-double of 20 points and 12 rebounds while Palmer did likewise, notching 10 points and grabbing 11 boards. Marshall contributed 15 points.

Wolves are next in action when they face the same opponents at the University of Worcester Arena on Friday 13 April.

“We will need to play with more rhythm and with more purpose,” added James.

“We have to make sure that we get Dallin more involved and everyone will have to play with a lot more energy.”