WHEELCHAIR BASKETBALL: WARWICKSHIRE Bears’ second team made a losing start to life in the second division of the British Wheelchair Basketball League against Essex Outlaws.
Led by new coach Derek Hall, Bears featured three new players in their line-up following a strong summer recruitment campaign.
New signing Brian Stone made a good early impression, stealing the ball from the tip and scoring his first basket for the Bears.
From then on the game was a close affair with both teams scoring basket for basket. But it was Bears that held a narrow advantage heading into the first break – leading 11-9.
The second quarter saw Outlaws improve their efforts at the back, putting Bears under pressure around their basket while being able to convert their chances and go into the half time break with a narrow two point lead.
The break seemed to work in Bears’ favour though as they edged the third quarter by eight points, now holding a 32-26 lead.
But the Outlaws proved stronger in the final quarter, forcing the Bears to turn over possession on multiple occasions while proving efficient when shooting.
With a tight Outlaws defence, Bears struggled to score – and Outlaws went on to win the game by five points.
Despite the loss, Hall was proud of his side’s first performance in their new division and hopes to take the positives from the loss.
He said: “I would like to congratulate the Outlaws team who played a great game today.
“While I’m disappointed with the result, I’m proud of the team’s performance seeing as they have just moved up a division and with the new signings we have.
“We will get better hopefully as the season goes on and it will be interesting to see the result in the away fixture after we’ve had more time together.”
Bears are next in action on Saturday, October 7, when Bears’ third team play their opening National League Division Three fixture against Wolverhampton.
Players interested in joining the club should contact [email protected] or call Tom Masterson on 07946 518354.
