BBL Trophy Quarter final Surrey Scorchers 82-86 Worcester Wolves

Worcester Wolves have made it through to the BBL Trophy semi-finals after squeezing out an 86-82 win at Surrey Scorchers on Sunday.

A healthy 44-30 half-time cushion looked to be a sufficient foundation to see Wolves progress to a two-legged tie against Plymouth Raiders, but Surrey got up off the floor to take a 71-70 lead with three minutes remaining.

Coach Paul James praised his team’s ability to hold their nerve, saying: “Earlier in the season we may well have folded under the pressure. There is now a strength of character in the side that comes out in tough situations.

“We built a good lead and played with a lot of confidence. But Surrey do well on their own court and never gave up. Sure, we bent a little but we didn’t break. I’m delighted that we came through an awkward spell and got the win.”

There was little between the sides in the first quarter. Jermel Kennedy spun to the basket to set the scoreboard ticking and Alex Navajas jumped off the bench for a couple of scores. Maurice Walker opened his account to close the period at 17-16.

A further five quick points from Navajas pushed the advantage to 25-22 as the second quarter began.
Andrew Bachman joined the fray with an outside success, Ashton Khan showcased his trademark slashes to the hoop, Navajas continued to fire and suddenly the lead had ballooned to 40-25.

By the end of the third period Scorchers had whittled their arrears down to 59-51. Ex-Worcester forward Kalil Irving sank a triple to edge the gap down to 65-58, but then saw his afternoon end when arguing a referee’s call.

Navajas’ inspiring 19-point outing halted soon afterwards when the Spaniard picked up his fifth foul, denting Wolves’ structure. A burst of Surrey three-pointers drew the sides closer.

Though nudging ahead, the hosts were unable to pull away. Trevor Setty connected from distance and Danny Huffor pounced for a steal and conversion to regain the upper hand. A series of Walker free throws were enough to see out the victory and delight a large bunch of travelling fans.
Walker was Wolves’ second-highest scorer with 17 points, as well as grabbing an impressive 15 rebounds.

Wolves travel to Plymouth for the first leg of the BBL Trophy semi-final this Wednesday (7.30), before returning to league action at the University of Worcester Arena on Friday (7.30) to greet Manchester Giants.

“We’ve come through another physical battle today,” added James.

“We’ll now get ready for another tough match at Plymouth. I’m pleased with what we’ve already achieved in this competition, but Wednesday will be just the first half of a tie that will decide who makes it to the final. We all want to stay in the hunt for silverware.”

For enquiries, please contact: worcesterwolves@worc.ac.uk