Worcester Wolves 70-55 Manchester Swarm
(Q1: 26-10, Q2: 16-14, Q3: 14-14, Q4: 14-17)
TOP SCORERS:
- Worcester - Ian Rodriguez (19 pts), Wilfrid Santhe (16 pts), Lucas McGregor (14 pts)
- Manchester - Nathan Schall (23 pts), Barry Webster (14 pts), Jaxon Wroe (7 pts)
Manchester Swarm senior men bowed out of their debut NBL playoff campaign with a 15-point loss on the road to newly-crowned Division 3 Midlands champions Worcester Wolves. Worcester progress to face London Thunder in the semi-finals.
Manchester had a hard time getting out of the gates early on, failing to convert on a number of opportunities, whilst the Wolves capitalised on their transition opportunities. Centre Barry Webster struggling with a lower back injury contributed to his team's struggles, even as he bravely battled on regardless. The hosts would lead by 16 after the first period.
Coach Mbongeni Mpofu's side settled down defensively in the second quarter, making play much more difficult for their opponents. Offense, however, was still hard to come by for the visitors. As half-time approached, Swarm would make a small run to keep the score withing reach before the break.
The second half was a generally tight affair, with both teams making adjustments to limit scoring opportunities. A third-quarter disqualification of wing Joshua Houghton made the task of chipping away at the deficit even more difficult for the road team. The rest of the roster continued to fight as has been their identity all season. The Swarm would win the final period by 3-points, bringing to an end a long inaugural season for the Manchester outfit.
"We really didn't give ourselves a chance today, giving up a double-digit lead in the first quarter. At this stage of the season, every possession counts. There's no bad teams left and we fell behind big to a good Worcester team. To our guys' credit, we re-found our identity on the defensive end from the second quarter on. We pressured the ball, we caused deflections, we rotated well; this is what we thrive on. The easiest thing in the world would have been to fold, but these guys are tough, and I'm proud of what we've managed to achieve already. That being said, I congratulate Worcester and wish them the best."
The NBL season comes to a close with the playoff finals at NBPC Belle Vue on 24/25 April. Details will be released on the Basketball England website.
