Plymouth vs Worcester: BBL Cup semi-final second leg
As the final buzzer sounded on Sunday afternoon, no one in attendance at the Plymouth Pavilions cared much for the Wolves seven point win. It never looked likely that Raiders would squander their huge first leg advantage from the night before – celebrations and congratulations well under away long before the clocked counted down for the final time.
Worcester came with fight – they had no intentions on leaving Plymouth wounded – but facing a 28 point deficit, only pride was on the line for Worcester. The contest itself was a touchy one, both teams battled and battled hard. The addition of the Sky production crew added an extra dimension to the game – everyone wants to look good on TV.
With their pride on the line, Worcester played the kind of basketball they can only wish they had managed less than 24 hours previously. When the pick and roll broke down, they found other options, Fernandez stepping up and developing a rhythm early on, getting scores usually revered for his team-mate Tommy Freeman – who struggled to shake off defensive specialist Michael Ojo.
Ojo was simply outstanding, he never tired as he chased over and around screens on defence before spotting up and knocking down shots from every conceivable angle. He was supported by Colbert, who proved to be a nightmare match-up – inside and outside.
Up seven at 24-17, you felt perhaps that Plymouth were going to pull away, and the visitors – realising the bleakness of their situation – would slowly begin to fall apart. Much to the surprise of the crowd, Worcester stood up and fought once again. The half ended knotted up at 39-39, the Wolves reminding us all of their quality – Saturday registering as nothing more than a blip on their radar.
The Wolves kept the momentum and started the second half with a point to prove, a 10-2 tare was enough to concern coach Love as he desperately tried to keep his players minds off Birmingham and on the task at hand. Again it was Ojo who came up with points when needed, never letting the visitors get too far ahead. Tensions began to mount and the game went up another level, the Raiders wanting to desperately give their home fans a win, a resilient Wolves team standing proudly in their way.
Prezzie-Blue and Richie Gordon put in leading performances – especially in the second half. Gordon in particular seemed to be relishing playing in front of the cameras as he dominated inside. The Wolves couldn’t extend their lead to any more than eight, the Raiders – realising their place in the final safely secure – were quite content to play out the final few minutes with no sense of urgency to win the game. Coach Love sat both Bell and Paul Williams down for most of the 4th, happy in the knowledge his team had done the job. The Wolves took the game with a final score of 89-82.
The Raiders look ready, they look tough, and most importantly, they look together. This is the team that needs to turn up next month at the NIA if they hope to end their five year wait and bring another Championship back to the South-West.
