WORCESTER Wolves' mammoth effort went unrewarded as they lost in the British Basketball League Trophy semi-finals.

But Wolves went close to causing an upset against BBL championship holders Guildford Heat at the Ponds Forge Arena, Sheffield, where they led 45-38 at half-time.

Anthony Paez was in stunning form as he scored 26 points and took 10 rebounds, while James Life put 23 away at the basket.

However, Wolves lost recent signing Ivan Brosko to a knee injury and the Slovakian faces a scan to see how long he may be out for.

Head coach and player Skouson Harker said: "The loss was tough to take and defensively we stuck to our game-plan and were very effective.

"The loss of Ivan could be seen as a key point of the game and too many missed shots cost us our place in the final.

"But I cannot fault the commitment of the team and we will be stronger for this experience."

The game opened with both teams taking a cautious approach and strong favourites Heat were showing great concern for the Wolves reputation as a fast-running team.

They clearly outlined their attempts to dictate a slow pace. In the opening quarter, baskets were exchanged at both ends of the court.

Paez was the first of the Wolves players to settle offensively and found gaps in the Heat defence with some excellent drives to basket.

Life opened his account with a slam dunk on the break as the Wolves showed no signs of inferiority against their illustrious opponents.

The most significant battle was won in the opening stages by Brosko who controlled Heat's main threat Tony Dorsey. At the end of the first quarter, Wolves led 19-18.

In the opening minutes of the second quarter, disaster struck for the Wolves as the impressive Brosko appeared to take a heavy blow to the knee.

Shaun Durant stepped into the action after a week's inactivity due to an injury of his own and soon collected a key rebound on the way to a total of 12 throughout the game.

The injury seemed to spur Wolves on and Life hit a pair of three-pointers as Wolves' pressing game threw Guildford into some confusion.

Durant began to find space offensiveley as well and a Harker three-pointer, followed by a jump shot from Douaine Anderson, sent Wolves into the half-time interval with a 45-38 lead.

The second-half started with Wolves extending their lead to 11 with explosive play from Chuck Evans.

But a series of missed shots and expensive turn-overs by Wolves after increased pressure saw the game turned on its head as Heat ended the quarter with a 65-60 lead.

The final quarter was an intense affair as Wolves pulled the deficit back to one.

A pair of crucial three-pointers from Guildford's Ajou Deng stretched the advantage again but Wolves refused to lie down.

They again reduced the margin to two points with breathtaking play fropm Paez who was also battling to win great rebounds against the bigger Guildford forwards.

In the closing minutes, Wolves were guilty of alarming missed shots yet their defensive play, led by Evans and Durant, was outstanding.

Heat converted four foul shots in the dying seconds to seal their place in the final.

Despite the outcome, the display by Wolves clearly showed they have established themselves at BBL level.

Director of basketball Mick Donovan said: "We were so close we could touch it and, after such a disciplined and controlled performance, it was ironic that our decision-making offensively proved to lead to our undoing in the final stages.

"It was tough for everyone involved with the club to take and the supporters who made the trip north certainly played their part.

"It is important that we learn from being in this situation with this group of players and then when we are in a tight game again we can draw on the experience and go one better next time.

"There is certainly no time to dwell on it though as we have to focus now on securing a place in the play-offs. The coach and the team are now more determined than ever to succeed with the Wolves."