WORCESTER Wolves have been crowned the winners of the 2014 BBL Trophy after beating Glasgow Rocks in a thrilling final.
Wolves trailed for most parts of the contest at the Emirates Arena in Glasgow but managed to turn the match in their favour during the later stages before sealing a hard-fought 83-76 victory.
It is an historic win for Wolves who have clinched their first silverware since joining the British Basketball League almost eight years ago.
Wolves’ Jamal Williams proved the inspiration for Paul James’s side as his 26 points helped Wolves claim their biggest win on their biggest occasion.
However it was Glasgow who started the brighter out of the two teams in front of a crowd of nearly 5,000 people. Chris Johnson and a late basket from Gareth Murray helped them take an early 25-15 lead going into the second quarter as Wolves struggled to settle.
Wolves responded well in the second period as Will Creekmore began to get his scoring into gear along with Williams. But more sharp-shooting from Murray kept Glasgow in front at half-time leading 44-38.
Williams made a superb score to reduce Wolves’ deficit early in the third quarter and James’ side kept digging themselves more and more into the final by reducing the deficit with accurate scoring and much stronger defence. A late basket from Zaire Taylor gave Worcester a slender 58-55 lead going into the final quarter.
A tense finale continued to swing in both directions during the opening stages of the final period as Rocks went back ahead at 65-64. But Wolves managed to go on a vital 11-2 scoring run just when they needed it, to set them on their way to an historic win.
The game was still close during the late stages but with the clock ticking against the Rocks, Creekmore and Taylor found their range to seal the victory.
