WORCESTER Wolves took their recent run of good form to three wins out of four with a pulsating 113-111 British League victory over Leicester Riders at the University of Worcester.
The home fans were treated to a magnificent encounter with the last ten minutes seeing a staggering 75 points scored while the first session was not that far behind as it ended with Wolves just four points adrift at 34–30.
The Riders arrived on the back of a 20-point win against Guildford and had three former Wolves players among their ranks — Barry Lamble, Adam Williams and Shaun Durrant.
It was the latter who caused the most damage as he made 16 points and collected 12 rebounds but another of his team-mates, point-guard Tack Minor, was the game’s top scorer with 31.
Leicester went on an early 11-4 run but Wolves matched that with 10-3 burst of their own as the teams traded baskets throughout the first quarter in a fine exhibition of running basketball.
Both teams’ defensive strategies came to prominence in the second and third quarters and the game remained both competitive and hard fought. Technical and unsportsmanlike fouls abounded but, as the penultimate quarter came to a close, Evaldas Zabas inspired Worcester as they went on an 11-3 run to edge in front 78-71.
Zabas, who started the game as the best three-point shooter in the BBL, made four out of his five attempts at a maximum and finished with a fantastic personal score of 27 points. He also made seven assists and most of these were link-up plays for Harry Disy who was also in fine form with 30 points.
The game really came to life in the last quarter as the points poured in from all over the court. Two long-range threes from the improving Chey Christie help-ed Wolves to the biggest lead of the game at 94-81.
As the clock ticked down, Wolves looked like comfortable winners as they led 105-92. But with 90 seconds left, Wolves’ advantage was just five points and this shrunk to two with 28 seconds remaining. Both teams added one more two-point score each as Worcester claimed a nerve-tingling victory.
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