Wolves win on night but Riders progress to Trophy Final over two legs

Worcester Wolves won the battle but lost the war as they became the first team to beat the Jelson Homes DMU Leicester Riders in Leicester in over a year, 68-66, but failed to reach the BBL Trophy Final, losing on aggregate 148-141.

During the second half, the visiting Wolves erased their nine point first-leg deficit by leading 61-51 in Leicester, but an incredible number of possessions for Riders point guard, Zaire Taylor, saw him take over the game as he scored a team-high 16 points to send the club to their second Finals appearance in 2013.

Worcester got off to a slow start in the opening quarter of the BBL Trophy semi-final second leg, committing a series of sloppy turnovers that saw them down 15-13 at the end of the first quarter.

The second quarter started negatively for the visitors as well, with both Masiulis and Kazlauskas picking up fouls that saw their play restricted. It was only a late run from Worcester that allowed them to close the game to 34-30 and keep the aggregate score within reach.

The start of the second half brought with it a Worcester Wolves run that saw them lead on the night 42-36. But a spell of Zaire Taylor domination on both ends – started by taking a charge and finished with a three pointer during a 7-point stretch for the guard – helped keep the score close.

As the two teams wrestled for control of the semi-final, Drew Sullivan found himself on the receiving end of a number of flashpoints, all of which left the GB Captain floored and in need of physio attention for head and throat injuries. But credit must go to Sullivan and the Riders who didn’t allow the physical nature of the semi-final, the disparity in free-throws awarded (26-8 in Worcester’s favour) and the late-game offensive brilliance of Alex Owumi (29 points on the night) knock them off course as kept the score tight, losing on the night 68-66 but winning on aggregate 148-141.

Wolves’ coach Paul James took pride in the fact they had achieved the victory over a side not beaten at home for over a year, despite not reaching the final: “I’m really proud of the guys tonight. Leicester haven’t lost at home in, I don’t know how long, so to come here and beat them was a fantastic effort. First and foremost, our team leader Prezzie-Blue wasn’t fully fit, but I thought we did a great job, we slowed them down. We did a much better job of slowing them down and keeping them on the perimeter.”

Rob Paternostro had plenty to say post-game, firstly on how they decided to look on the outcome of the two legs rather than the individual games: “If it was a regular season game, we would have played it totally different. And that’s why I don’t think you should get credit for a win or a loss, you should get credit for the aggregate win and that’s what we did tonight.”

Looking towards whether they can sweep the boards in all competitions and just how he is managing to utilise his squad to the best ability, he said: “I think we’ve had a target for a while now. It’s interesting, you get everybody’s best games and you kind of get an understanding of what Newcastle goes through. I think when people start talking about Doubles and Triples and Quadruples – all these trophies – people get ahead of themselves. You’ve got to take it one win at a time.

“I don’t think they’re worried about expectations. The key for us the rest for the way is to make sure we’re rested.”

Zaire Taylor feels he has a lot to thank in the way of team mate Drew Sullivan in regards to his performance on the night:  “Drew draws a lot of attention – that’s where you’ve really got to give the credit – he gets the ball in the middle of the floor and he demands three people. And at that position on the floor, he can kill you in anyway; he can shoot it, he can pass, he can drive left, he can drive right and he hits these crazy shots that I only see him hit. Every team has seen him do it a thousand times so you’ve got to give him a ton of attention. He gives me plenty of time to sit there, get ready, lick my lips, look at the rim, catch it and knock it down.”

Now looking forward to the BBL Trophy Final in less than a week’s time, Riders’ Barry Lamble  “Sheffield has been improving since day one. We’re (unbeaten against them) this season but you can never take anything for granted. They’re a much improved side since the first time we played them. It’s not going to be an easy game, it’s one we’re going to have to work hard at.”

Stats:

Riders: Zaire Taylor – 16 points; Drew Sullivan – 12 points, six rebounds, six assists; Pavol Losonsky – 10 points, 13 rebounds.

Wolves: Alex Owumi – 29 points (11/18 shooting), 12 rebounds; Sherrad Prezzie-Blue – 14 points in 16:47 minutes.

Play of the game

With Worcester holding the lead on the night and in the midst of a run that threatened to take control of the semi-final, Zaire Taylor made a a crucial and impossible lay-up. Those two points were the first of his explosive seven-point outburst that helped calm the Riders nerves.

Game MVP

Missing three free-throws in the last period couldn’t prevent Worcester Wolves’ Alex Owumi from being named the player of the game. His 29 points were a game-high and his fearless approach on offense gave his side the aggregate lead in the 4th quarter and very nearly took the Wolves through to the final.