Worcester Wolves 82-73 Liverpool

Saturday 9th November 2024

By Colin Taylor

After a run of tough results to begin their National Basketball League Division Two campaign, Worcester Wolves got back on the winning trail with a satisfying 82-73 success against Liverpool at the University of Worcester Arena on Saturday.

Liverpool pulled 41-32 clear six minutes before half-time before Wolves powered in fourteen unanswered points to lead 46-41 by the break.

The home side were able to keep their noses in front for the rest of the evening to notch just their second win of the season from six outings.

“Today gave an indication of what we can do if we stay focused,” declared Wolves coach Dean Blake.

“We fell behind in the first half but were able to pull it back. When we move the basketball around and share the basketball we can compete against most teams in this league.”

A mixture of three-pointers and confident drives to the hoop from Finn Rennie and Jacob Dearman edged Worcester 23-22 ahead going into the second quarter.

Five triples on the bounce rained home in a two-minute blitz that put Liverpool in control before Wolves’ stalwarts Wilfrid Santhe and Emmanuel Yeboah rolled their sleeves up to respond.

Strongman Yeboah moves were complemented by perfect free-throw shooting from Santhe as the visitors struggled to contain him.

A crafty Dearman assist set up Santhe’s tenth point of the half and Yeboah sent his team to the locker rooms with a spring in their step after converting a Santhe overhead pass into a two-handed slam.

Worcester began the final quarter with a 66-58 advantage that widened when Rennie harassed defenders with a dynamic dash to the basket and a bonus foul shot.

Liverpool threatened briefly when drawing the deficit back to 72-67 with four minutes remaining but were unable to diminish their hosts’ ongoing effervescence.

Rennie and Dearman contributed 15 points apiece with Santhe totalling 18. Meanwhile Yeboah muscled to a double-double display of 26 points and an impressive 19 rebounds.

Wolves next run of matches will see them face a trio of top-four teams. First up are a couple of games on the road, visiting Derbyshire Arrows on Saturday 16 November (5pm) and Manchester Magic a couple of weeks later. After that they return to the University of Worcester Arena on Saturday 07 December (7pm) to take on Leicester Warriors. Purchase your tickets here.

“Today was a good day for us,” added Blake. “We’ll carry on working hard in practice and look to carry over some momentum for the next few matches.”