Bristol Flyers 82–74 Worcester Wolves

A shorthanded Worcester Wolves fought bravely before losing out 74-82 at Bristol Flyers on Saturday.

George Beamon suffered an ankle sprain in Friday’s overtime defeat by Glasgow Rocks to join long-term absentee Dallin Bachynski on the injury list, leaving just six senior players suited up for the trip down the M5.

Wolves battled hard to hang onto the coat-tails of Flyers until late in the final quarter when their opponents much comfier ten-man rotation ultimately took its toll.

Robert Gilchrist profited from a double of assists from Elvisi Dusha and produced a dazzling alley-oop from a clever Alex Navajas lob to give Worcester an early 9-6 advantage.

Wolves still led entering the second period at 19-17. But this would be the last time they were in front as Flyers took off on an 8-0 run to gain the upper hand.

Bristol’s lead held steady at 45-39 as the first half ended. While the third quarter saw Worcester concede superiority close to the basket, they were able to maintain their outside accuracy. A quartet of Michael Ojo three-pointers kept his hosts looking over their shoulders at 69-63 early in the final period.

A Gilchrist jumper pulled the sides closer together with eight minutes to go, but this would be Wolves’ last hurrah. A Brandon Boggs dunk ignited a capacity crowd and began an 11-0 burst over the next four minutes which finally quelled Worcester’s spirited resistance.

Dusha and Ojo sank 20 points apiece to lead Wolves’ scorers, followed by Gilchrist on ten. Brandon Parrish and Trayvon Palmer both posted nine points.

Coach Paul James praised his players’ efforts, saying: “We struggled with turnovers and lost the rebounding battle but we had our moments. The guys fought but just couldn’t sustain the fight for the full forty minutes.”

Wolves are next in action this Friday (tip off 7.30pm) when they welcome Plymouth Raiders to the University of Worcester Arena.

“We’re short of bodies at the moment but we’ll go with what we’ve got. Every player who takes the court will keep battling,” added James.

Match report by Colin Taylor

Image credit Razorlight Imagery