Worcester Wolves 93-81 Plymouth Raiders

Worcester Wolves rewarded a packed University of Worcester Arena with a thrilling victory in their British Basketball League season-opener on Friday.

It was a case of the new overcoming the old as Wolves’ new director of basketball Ty Shaw revelled in a 93-81 triumph against the Plymouth Raiders.

An absorbing contest saw the teams frequently tied together. With three minutes remaining Worcester trailed 76-77 before an overwhelming late burst of scoring powered the hosts over the finishing-line.

Shaw beamed as he paid tribute to his players, saying: “This was a great start for our programme and for our players.
“There wasn’t a whole lot of separation until the last few minutes. We fell behind but we kept battling, put our heads down to play hard on defence and really turn up the offense.

“Today’s effort was special. The players put their chests out and said it’s our time.”

The back-and-forth nature of the evening was set early. Javis Howard connected for Plymouth but on the next play had the ball slapped out of his hands by Robert Crawford, setting up an Adam Thoseby three-pointer.

Wolves’ latest signing Dean Wanliss shone with his first touch for a score and a bonus free-throw to nudge his side 13-12 ahead. By the close of the first quarter the advantage had swung 22-17 in favour of the Raiders.

Three minutes later it was Wolves’ turn to take the upper hand at 31-24 on the back of triples from Wanliss and Crawford. With just seconds left in the first-half Plymouth’s Josh Wilcher sank a three only to see Worcester’s Jordan Whelan race coast-to-coast to do likewise and level the scoreboard at 40-40.

The third period featured a remarkable feat of long-range shooting from Crawford. Each time he was found by his teammates he immediately pulled the trigger to float the ball through the net.

Four treys for Crawford and one from Whelan gave Worcester a 65-60 lead entering the final quarter. But Plymouth refused to be subdued, edging ahead before Spanish point-guard Miki Servera calmed matters with several successes and Crawford brought spectators to their feet with further sharpshooting.

Crawford led all scorers with 28 points, including a stunning eight three-pointers.

Thoseby and Whelan contributed 17 and 16 points respectively, while Servera tallied 14. Power-forward Filip Kramer posted a double-double of 10 points and 13 rebounds.

Crawford was keen to deflect praise to others for his shooting prowess, saying: “It was my teammates who got me my shots. We’ve got some great ball-handlers who kept finding me. We came together as a team and we got the job done.”

Shaw also praised supporters saying “Our fans were fantastic. They were loud, excitable and really gave us a boost when we needed it. I can’t wait to see them all back here next time out.

Wolves will next be in action at the University of Worcester Arena on Friday 5 October against Bristol Flyers. Before then they face a double of road matches at Cheshire Phoenix this Sunday (5.30pm) and at London Lions on Saturday 29 September.

“We’ll enjoy this win for now,” added Shaw. “But then the players will get their nutrition and re-hydration and we’ll get straight back into preparation for Cheshire.”