Davis leads by example in Rocks win over Wolves
BBL Championship
Glasgow Rocks v Worcester Wolves 31 March 2013
Starting Fives:
Glasgow – Davis, Robinson, Vanderbeken, Harrison, Murray
Worcester – Kazlauskas, Fernandez, Owumi, Ocitti, Prezzie-Blue
Glasgow triumphed for the second time in three days with a convincing 88-69 victory over the Worcester Wolves at the Emirates Arena on Sunday. The win leaves the Rocks just one win away from clinching third place in the BBL Championship table.
In a terrific team performance, player/coach Sterling Davis top scored with 17 pts, while Andrew Wedemire had his most impressive performance of the year with 15 pts and seven rebounds.
The Rocks were coming off what coach Sterling Davis described as ‘the most consistent performance this season’ after a 98-70 demolition over play-off rivals Surrey Heat on Friday night.
With the spoils having been shared in the previous two meetings this season, the win was crucial in terms of the head-to-head potential tie-breaker for play-off seedings.
Having made a strong start on Friday against the Heat, the Rocks came out all guns blazing yet again, taking a 21-8 lead midway through the first quarter following Vanderbeken’s three pointer.
Worcester, however, are clearly made of sterner stuff. A steal and buzzer beating basket from Kalil Irving reduced the arrears to 27-22 at the end of the first quarter.
Two big three pointers in the opening exchanges of the second stanza gave the Wolves the lead for the first time in the game, forcing an irate Davis to call timeout. It was the visitors, though, who came out stronger, upping their lead to four points before veteran guard E.J. Harrison nailed one from downtown to keep the hosts within a point.
The Worcester offence was revolving around Alex Owumi, who led the game with 28 points. His crucial baskets were keeping the Wolves in the game.
At the end of the first half, the score was tied at 45-45 in a tight and scrappy duel.
Davis led by example at the start of the third quarter, as his six points set up a 9-3 Glasgow run that gave them a six point lead 3:30 in to the second half. It was a back and forth affair for much of the quarter, but the hosts had a 9-1 run in the closing stages that saw them stretch their lead into double figures entering the final ten minutes.
Worcester pulled within five points, but two quick baskets from the Rocks, a three pointer from Gareth Murray and a steal and lay-up by Brice Fantazia, pushed the lead back into double figures with six minutes left in the game and they were able to hold on for a crucial victory.
Game MVP – He may have played on the losing team, but Alex Owumi, with 28 points, was clearly the best performer on the court. He finished one rebound short of a double-double, and accounted for nearly a half of his teams’ points.
Play of the game – Epitomised the real team performance from the Rocks. Davis’ two point jumper midway through the third quarter was a beautiful play that saw every Rocks player make passes trying to stretch the Wolves defence before Robinson found a wide open Davis for the jumper.
