Leicester Riders pre-match report

Last meeting
The last time the Wolves met Leicester Riders was at the second game of the season. Worcester Wolves battled hard in Leicester before succumbing 66-77 to the Riders, this year’s BBL League favourites. Back then, Coach Paul James said: “The final score doesn’t show how close the game was. We played hard and were still in the contest until the last few minutes. Leicester are a lot of peoples’ favourites for the title so this was a good test for us – we were more than competitive.”

Riders should be on a high after winning the BBL trophy on Sunday, so this will be a real test for the Wolves.

Table position
Leicester Riders stand at the top of the table with just 2 losses. Wolves still sit in 6th position (13 victories and 11 losses).

Key matchup
Taylor King vs. Mo Walker

28 years old, 6ft8” height American centre Taylor King has played in Canada, Lithuania and the BBL. He became the BBL Trophy Final MVP last Sunday, hitting a double double with 20 points and 10 rebounds against Plymouth Riders. In the BBL, Taylor King averages 12.3 points and 7.7 rebounds. He also makes 2 assists per game, which is a lot for a big guy. This player can definitely cause problems for the Wolves.

Taylor King will match up against Wolves big Maurice Walker on the court. Mo is the league leader in points with an average of 20.6 points per game and in rebounds with 9.6. This will make for a very interesting matchup!

Player opinion
We asked Ashton to share his thoughts on the upcoming Riders game:
”Leicester riders are a team that like to push the ball in transition. We need to sprint back on defence. They are disciplined and share the basketball, our team defence is going to be very important. It will be a good test for us as they are top of the league. We definitely have the tools and mentality to win the ball game. Protecting our home court is something we have been doing well as of late and we look to continue that Friday in front of the Wolfpack.”