Glasgow Rocks 72-88 Worcester Wolves

It’s a ten out of ten for Worcester Wolves as they made it a perfect weekend by following up Friday’s pounding of Newcastle Eagles with an 88-72 dismissal of Glasgow Rocks on Sunday.

Coupled with last week’s toppling of Leicester Riders, the leaders of the British Basketball League, Wolves’ ninth and tenth wins in a row mean that their latest victories have come against the top three sides in the table, setting themselves up as the most-feared team approaching the end of season playoffs.

Glasgow managed to keep matters close until the third quarter of the match when they finally had to bend before their visitor’s irresistible confidence.

Coach Paul James acclaimed another fine display from his charges, saying: “This was another excellent win. It was a long trip up here and that possibly caused us to take a while to get into our rhythm. But we were outstanding in the second half, especially defensively.”

Jermel Kennedy and Danny Huffor top-scored with 20 points apiece, in contrast to just eight points between them against Newcastle. But James was keen to highlight that his side’s red-hot streak of form has only come about because of a range of contributions from different players in different ways.

James said: “Everyone at Wolves is capable of a big night at any time. Jermel and Danny top-scored today, whereas it was Trey Zeigler and Alex Navajas on Friday. Scoring may catch the eye, but without all the other aspects of the game we would not be the complete team that we are right now.

“We’ve had two matches this weekend without Mo Walker, but other players have stepped right up and we’ve still produced two terrific performances – we’re sending a message out to the rest of the league about who we are.”

Trevor Setty was the man-of-the-moment in the early going, drilling two passes for wide-open teammates to convert and sinking a three-pointer of his own. When Kennedy stood in the same place at the top of the key on three occasions, and each time floated the ball home, Wolves had pushed 26-21 ahead.

Huffor took the limelight in the second quarter with a swift eleven points against one of his former teams. The last play of the half saw Zeigler step to the hoop for two points and a bonus free throw that kept Worcester in front at 42-39.

By the close of the third period the advantage had become a more comfortable 63-53 as Wolves tightened defensively.

Marek Klassen took the opportunity to spin around smaller defenders and put distance between the sides. While a discouraged Rocks continued to misfire, there was no diminishment in Worcester’s efficiency with their lead peaking at 82-61 with two minutes remaining.

Wolves are next in action on Sunday when they travel to Plymouth Raiders, before returning to the University of Worcester Arena on Good Friday to host London Lions.

While respectful of Wolves’ upcoming opponents, James is more concerned about his own side, saying: “We have plenty of tough matches coming up, but it is more about how we play than who we face. We’ll do our research, but it is going to be more about how teams have to adjust to compete with us.”

In the run up to this weekend’s games James was described by his forward Trevor Setty as a ‘wizard’ for the transformation he has worked in Wolves’ recent fortunes. Fans at Friday’s game joined in the humour of Setty’s description by delivering a wizard’s hat to James.

After much urging, James finally donned the headgear and acknowledged the spirit in which it was given, saying: “Trevor is a colourful character and is quite an inspiration for everyone. This just shows how much fun we are all having at the moment and is a demonstration of the togetherness we now have at the club.”