Saturday, February 11, 2006

WORCESTER Wolves consolidated their position at the top of England Basketball Division One on Saturday with a 103-77 victory at Solent Stars.

But two victories for Worthing over the weekend pushed Wolves down to second the following day.

Ben Potts made the starting line-up for the Wolves in the absence of Valdas Urbanavicius in an otherwise unchanged starting five.

On the bench for the first time for the Worcester side was the young prospect Olly Turner, who had been promoted following some impressive performances for the Wolves Division Three team.

Solent made a promising start to the game with some fine shooting from Payne but it was not long before Trophy final hero Andy Harper found his touch from three-point range, scoring three in the opening quarter.

Point-guard Matt Collins was also among the early scorers with nine points in the opening spell, including two three-point shots.

The key feature of the Wolves play in the first period, however, was the quick passing that created several gaps in the spirited Solent defence. At the end of the first quarter the Worcester side led 31-18.

The second quarter saw Ty Shaw and Colin Chiverton feature more prominently with some excellent rebounding at both ends of the court.

Shaw also managed to score some excellent drives to the basket but guards Harper and Collins continued to find space and execute some fine long-range shooting.

Joseph Forde joined the Wolves attack and linked well with Collins to extend their lead at half-time to 26 points.

The third quarter saw Solent enjoy their best spell of the game as they converted several three-pointers of their own.

The main response from the Wolves came from Potts and Forde, who were enjoying a lengthy spell on the floor while giving a clear indication that they are comfortable at this level.

In the final quarter, the Wolves lead was now approaching 30 points yet there was no let-up for the Stars as Harper and Collins maintained their scoring form and Shaw and Rob Clarke took care of the defensive end of the court with some fine rebounding.

Harper recorded a healthy 32 points yet the game statistics of Matt Collins showed 24 personal points, 13 rebounds and eight assists.

Director of basketball Mick Donovan said: "The performance by Matt Collins was outstanding and throws further doubt upon the national coach who has not even considered him for the Commonwealth Games team. He has shown week in week out that he is the best English point-guard in the league."

The Wolves play London United at home on Sunday.