Friday 21 October 2016 Worcester Wolves 90-82 Surrey Scorchers

Worcester Wolves got back to winning ways by grinding out a 90-82 success over Surrey Scorchers at the University of Worcester Arena on Friday.

A tight game was finally broken open by a burst of late scoring, with Andrew Bachman igniting matters by floating home a stunning four three-pointers in just two minutes of play, giving Wolves their first win since opening-night of this year’s British Basketball League.

Making his debut in the starting line-up, it was Bachman who edged Wolves ahead at 16-14 as the initial quarter wound down. Two Bachman triples drew the teams level at 22-22. A back-and-forth encounter continued, with Worcester trailing 38-41 by half-time.

Point guard Marek Klassen came to the fore after the break on his way to a game-leading 26 points. He directed a bullet pass that found Alex Navajas unmarked beneath the hoop to tie things up at 49-49, before scoring himself to put his team in front.

A spin-around move from Trevor Setty widened the hosts’ advantage to 62-54 as the final period commenced, but Surrey’s Tayo Ogedengbe once more drew the sides closer together at 62-60.

It remained tight at 73-70 with four minutes of the evening remaining.

Klassen confidently presented the ball to Bachman for a three and repeated the move on Wolves’ next possession. By the time the pair had combined twice more, the scoreboard stood at 83-72, with the victors finally decided.

Coach Paul James praised his leading duo, saying: “Marek was more aggressive tonight, looking to score as well as laying on assists. Andrew had an excellent game. I thought I’d shake things up a little bit by starting him and he paid me back with twenty points.”

First-year forward Bachman was grateful for his increased minutes, saying: “Coming in as a rookie I knew it would be hard for me to get court-time but every day in practice I go hard to show Coach I’m able to play the game. I’ve lucked out that it’s gone this way for me.”

Wolves travel this Sunday (5.30) to Cheshire Phoenix who they defeated in overtime on opening night. “They’re obviously a good team and will have made changes since our first match.

We’ll try to study film of them before Sunday and look to get a more secure win over them than last time,” added Bachman.

Photo credit: Razorlight Imagery