WARWICKSHIRE Bears were merciless in their destruction of Blackhawks at Henley College on Sunday after storming to an emphatic 92-6 victory in the British Wheelchair Basketball League.
The Blackhawks’ second string side had not won a match all season and included a lot of youngsters, but the Bears did not let up and taught them a lesson in disciplined defensive play and sharp finishing.
Woking-based Blackhawks were without star player Joy Haizelden who was training with the GB squad, but even if he had been available, it is hard to see how the Bears could have been stopped in this mood.
They led 24-4 at the first break and increased their lead to 48-4 at half time before adding a further 44 points in the second half.
BlackHawks did have the opportunity to make the scoreline more respectable but they could not find the basket when it mattered.
Ben Haigh and Dan Gill took the lion’s share of the points for Bears with 41 and 40 respectively and head coach Tom Masterson was pleased with the result.
He said: “It was a strange game because I knew we should win but I told the team to show respect to the other team and treat them no differently than if they were top of the league.
“I was pleased that everyone got court time and also got on the scoresheet.”
By complete contrast, the Bears’ second team were involved in a tense thriller against Plymouth Storm after tasting a 54-44 defeat in the Third Division Central.
“I was so disappointed for the team, with the effort they all put in they deserved to win,” Masterson added.
“Although never happy to lose I couldn’t fault anyone and with more players available we could have won.
“I thought Dan Gill was amazing the way he played, and both Jagdeep Tiwana and Andy Stow’s pressing game was fantastic.”
Bears are in action again when they travel to London Titans on Sunday.
