Road woe for Wolves

There was disappointment for both Wolves' junior teams in action over the weekend as they slipped to away defeats.

A strong second half wasn't enough for the girls U-16s as they lost 61-52 at Sussex Storm, but they did have the consolation of sealing the head-to-head decider over the Crawley teams and will finish above them if they both end the season with the same win/loss record.

The hosts edged the first period 18-13 but a poor second quarter performance saw them pull away to lead 40-26 going into the half-time break. The second half saw a much better display as the deficit was cut to 52-43, and although Wolves twice made it a four-point game, they couldn't get any closer as Storm held on for the win.

Caitlin Ryan's 16-point, 13-rebound led Wolves, and she added six steals together with three blocks and as many assists, Amye Swinney added 12 points and eight boards along with three assists, steals and blocks while Lily Harkness had nine blocks and six rebounds.

The following day saw Wolves U-14 boys travel to Kent where they saw their play-off hopes take a knock with a 72-53 loss at Kent Crusaders.

The visitors never recovered from a disastrous first period which saw them trail 23-9, and Crusaders continued the pressure in the second period to take a 49-17 lead into the locker room.

A much better third period saw Wolves outscore Kent 19-11 but any thoughts of a shock comeback were ended with a 22-17 fourth period

Three wins for young Wolves

Wolves U-14 girls collected their first double of the season as they hammered Bedford Thunder 73-27 on Saturday morning.

A 16-4 first period put Ibrahim Gariba’s side in control and they stretched the lead to 30-13 going into the locker room at half-time. Wolves won the third quarter 19-4 to end the game as a contest before shading the final frame 14-10.

Sophie Walsh led the hosts with 16 points, with Olivia Akers and Gauri Kohli adding ten apiece and Lucy Conlan eight.

There was also success for the two Wolves U-13 boys teams who faced West Herts Warriors at Oaklands on Sunday afternoon.

Sam McCree poured in 27 points as the Development A team used a strong first period to win 59-49.

George Walker’s team led 24-14 at the first break and extended that lead to 34-22 at half-time. The teams shared 26 points in the third period before Warriors chipped a couple of points off the final margin in the fourth.

Isaac Parrott added eight points with D Lay and Sam Rathbone each chipping in with six.

Gariba had the luxury of all 15 of his squad available to face a different Warriors line-up, with the game extended to 12-minute (running clock) periods.

They also benefitted from a good start as Wolves went into the first break 17-9 ahead before shading the second stanza to lead 32-23 at half-time.

Warriors fought back and briefly took the lead in third period before Wolves went into the final break leading 44-41, and they maintained their unbeaten record against teams in their own age group with a 12-8 fourth quarter.

Albert Dye led the scoring with 20 points, with Titouan Vimeux adding ten and Dylan Maisey six

Capacity crowd for Ibrahim's debut

It was standing room only at Oaklands on Saturday as the debut of Ibrahim Gariba attracted Wolves' biggest ever NBL crowd.

Nine years after retiring, the popular Gariba came out of retirement as one of five new signings for Lee Ryan's team, but his couldn't help the new-look Wolves make a winning start as they went down 80-67 to high-flying London Elite.

Gariba finished with six points and as many rebounds along with three steals in 22 minutes of action.

On a day when Wolves' roster had a new look about it, and a noisy crowd to support them, it was third year academy player Seth Wylie who led the home side with 13 points and three assists, while Malik Griffith-Johnson added 11 points.

The visitors did the damage in the first half as they built on an 18-11 opening period to take a commanding 41-21 lead into the locker room. The hosts edged the third quarter 19-18 before winning the fourth 26-20, but it was too late to stop Elite strengthening their promotion bid.

Wolves are at home again on Saturday when East London All Stars are the visitors for another key game. Tip-off is at the earlier time of 4.15pm