Wolves take the two points at home

Tired legs ground out a one point win at the University of Worcester Saturday. A low scoring encounter saw the hosts earn their second championship victory in two league games and condemned Durham to another away defeat. However, no defeat could have been as cruel as this one was at the buzzer for the Wildcats. Guard Paul Elderkin watched his layup come off the rim, the ball found its way in to Richie Gordon’s hands and the home crowd celebrated a 65-64 win as the clock ran down.

Starting fives:

Wolves – Freeman, Kaslauskas, Fernandez, Gordon and Prezzie-Blue.

WIldcats – Flahery, Bucci, Mark Elderkin, Hinnenkamp and Capocci.

After a slow start against the Tigers on Friday night it was a repeat performance from the Wolves, who were unable to make the most of their opportunities. Kaslauskas and Freeman’s accuracy failed them early on. The hosts failure allowed the visitors to open up a five point lead which they maintained for most of the quarter. Gordon had kept his side within a couple of baskets with his efforts in the first ten. A couple of big threes from Durham took the lead out to 8 points but as the buzzer sounded the scoreboard read 21-16 Wildcats. It wasn’t a five point game however, and after a delayed start to the second quarter the lead was restored to 8 (21-13) on the scoreboard.

Gordon continued where he had left off in the second with a two and a defensive rebound to open up the quarter. A period which saw Freeman step up to the plate again and a 16 point swing in the home side’s favour. There was another lengthy stoppage as the shot clock ran down on a Wildcats possession but Coach Elderkin argued that it should have reset.  It was Wolves ball, but their play was still unconvincing and they needed to find a way of playing at a fast pace whilst maintaining control of the ball.

Freeman came back in to the game and Jones was forcing the play down the lane and came up with a three point play but the deficit remained five points. Then Gordon found himself at the line with the chance of an ‘and one’ after an assist from Freeman had given him the chance of the two. Unlike Jones, Gordon was unable to capitalise.

With the gap at just three a defensive mistake gave the ball back to Worcester and when Freeman found himself in the open, he drained one from beyond the arc to tie the game. Durham had amassed just four points in six minutes (or at least that’s what the scoreboard said). Worcester weren’t doing enough damage with their possession but were getting away with it.

In a big quarter for the Indiana born guard, Freeman gave Wolves the lead and got the crowd excited. He lay on the floor smiling to himself as he was flattened by a Wildcat in the process of bagging two. He took the extra point and Worcester were in business.

The game found some rythym and Prezzie-Blue gave Wolves a seven point lead with three. A steal from Fernandez saw him race down the court and dunk the ball to signal the hosts’ superiority.

The momentum spread to the Worcester defence who started to show signs of unity coming up with the ball on the following two Durham possessions and allowing Freeman to add to his tally from the line.

With an adjustment to the scoreboard in the visitors favour again, the half played out with a couple of missed opportunites and the score sat (still) at 37-29.

The Wolves looked like a side that were not being forced to play better and were doing what they had to, to get the job done.

The third opened with the sides trading baskets with Freeman still lively at both ends of the court and he was fouled in defence and in possession. Durham were scoring on Wolves but were also wasting possession on occassion with misplaced passes. With Freeman at the line again Worcester had a ten point lead and the visitors were accumulating the fouls. Another great steal from Fernandez gave Freeman the assist to take another two. Fernandez was having arguably his best game to date in a Wolves shirt. The home side did not look in trouble at this stage but needed to keep their intensity levels up.

To their credit, they were doing just that, and kept forcing the turnover. The reintroduction of Callum Jones helped keep them aggressive and it was becoming very easy for Freeman who was at the line again and showed his accuracy again, taking two from two. Durham looked to be struggling but a nice three from Paul Elderkin kept the Wolves honest. The problem for the Wildcats though was that Worcester weren’t letting them near the basket with disciplined play in defence.

On the one occassion they did get in, Gordon came up with the block and fed Prezzie-Blue for what turned in to a three point play.

Coach James was rotating his players to give some of them a well earned rest from what was their 7th quarter in 24 hours.

Worcester were showing great energy in defence with Jones and Fernandez chasing down their men, closing the openings and forcing the clock down on Durham. With ten left in the game the hosts led by seven, 52-45.

Capocci had been one of the visitors’ biggest contributors, but he had also been guilty of wasting possession on several occassions. Not to be too harsh on the rookie though as it was often due to a lack of support as well as his own indecision.

Wolves had maintained a healthy lead throughout the third and were 11 points up as we played out the early stages of the final quarter.

Two quick plays from the Wildcats quickly changed the comfort levels of the crowd and the players as the lead was reduced to seven in the blink of an eye. Coach James called a timeout to make sure he got his message across and that the Wolves held on to the win their efforts had deserved.

Freeman adjusted nicely on a jump shot for two and raced back in defence to the applause of his coach. However, the hosts had found themselves just five points ahead after a Wildcats score. Freeman was fouled again as he defended the basket and had been the subject of Durham offensive fouls four or five times in the game.

With just five left the score was 58-53 Worcester.

But in the minute that followed, Durham made it everything to play for with a two followed by a Bucci three to level the game. The sides traded baskets then a three from Hinnenkamp gave Durham the lead back for the first time since losing it in the second quarter.

Worcester failed in possession and James called his players in to a huddle again with the timeout.

Wayward shooting from Gordon and Kaslauskas wasn’t capitalised on by the Wildcats and Gordon was at the line with a chance for two. The centre took neither and looked tired. He did however manage to play the ball through to Kaslauskas on Worcester’s next possession and Kaslauskas took the two points and restored Worcester’s lead. Capocci failed with two attempts of his own at the line and the atmosphere was tense on campus.

The ball went out of bounds behind the basket on a Durham charge and looked to be Wolves’ ball, but after a conversation in which neither referee seemed to be sure, the visitors were given the ball and on that possession downed a big three.

For the home side and the eventual winners, David Watts was the key man at the death in this game. He took one from the line and followed it with two points on the next possession to give his side the one point victory.

Wolves held out for 37 seconds and due to a low team foul count they had the luxury of being able to interrupt Durham’s play as Prezzie-Blue gave away two intentional fouls to run down the clock.

Wolves (Freeman 17, Gordon 12, Fernandez 12)
Wildcats (Capocci 19, Bucci 12, Hinnenkamp 11)