TIRED Worcester Wolves' England Basketball League Division One eight-game unbeaten run ended at Reading Rockets on Wednesday night.
Wolves lost 90-75 to their title-chasing rivals in a rare mid-week encounter with Ty Shaw sinking 28 points and claiming 10 rebounds.
And though director of basketball Mick Donovan admitted the players were tired, he insisted they were determined to continue the chase for further honours after their National Trophy win.
Donovan said: "We have put in some great performances in the last two months to be in the position we had planned to be in at this stage of the season.
"The players are understandably tired after a gruelling schedule -- yet there there is a great belief within the club this year and we are ready to battle it out until the end of the season to have a major voice in proceedings."
Second-placed Wolves, who make the long trip to top-of-the-table Worthing Thunder tomorrow.
In the mid-week clash, Reading started strongly with their powerful forward Tonkovich scoring key early baskets.
Valdas Urbanavicius responded positively for Wolves with excellent drives to the basket.
Shaw took up the challenge of the giant Tonkovich and went past the Reading forward on several occasions in the first quarter which ended 21-20 in the home side's favour.
The second quarter saw Reading continue with their disciplined approach and they capitalised on several Worcester passing errors.
Wolves' shooters also struggled to find their range, though the dependable Shaw kept the score ticking over with some excellent inside play.
At half-time, Rockets had stretched the lead to 48-43.
The second-half saw little change in the pattern of play as Reading capitalised on Wolves' offensive mistakes.
Andy Harper and Matt Collins did eventually find their range with three-point attempts.
But by this time the organised Rockets team had established a convincing lead and took the points against a tired-looking Wolves.
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