Edrupt shines in big U-14 win

Jacob Edrupt became the third Wolves player in a fortnight to single-handedly outscore the opposition as he poured in 47 points in Wolves U-14's 138-44 home win against Sevenoaks Suns.

George Walker's team were in full flow from tip-off as they rushed into a 39-8 lead, and were 75-24 ahead at half-time. Suns' best quarter came in the third when they were only outscored 23-15 before Wolves ran riot with a 40--5 fourth quarter.

Manuel Gracia-Peris added 27 points, with Harry Regan getting 17  as all 12 Wolves got on the scoresheet.

Wolves' three U-16 teams all picked up league victories over the weekend.

The girls made it five straight victories as strong second and third quarters proved key to their 60-45 win at Essex Rebels.

The visitors trailed 18-14 at the first break but outscored the hosts 24-7 in the second period to lead 38-25 going into the locker room, and they never trailed again.

An 18-10 third period made it 56-35, and Wolves could take relax in the fourth period as the hosts regained some pride by slicing six of the final margin.

Jane Yu 16 led the way with 16 points,  Eunice Wong added 14 and Daisy Golan eight.

THe boys premier team did most of the damage in the second period as they beat local rivals Lton 65-59 at Oaklands.

Michael Ball's team outscored the visitors 26-8 in the second quarter as they overcame a 17-16 first period deficit to take a 43-32 lead into the half-time break. They were held to just five third quarter points but Luton could only narrow the gap to 48-37 and despite a nervous finish from the hosts, Wolves held on for victory. 

The boys conference team made it three wins on the spin as they also took the local bragging rights with an 86-58 victory at Stevenage Royals.

Ibrahim Gariba's team never looked back after a 23-13 first period and went into the locker room leading 44-26. A 26-22 third period effectively ended any chance of a Royals' comeback before the visitors wrapped things up with a 16-10 final frame.

Cameron Winter led Wolves with 15 points, Zac Butterworh adding 12, Ollie Cox 11 and Harrison Fletcher eight.

Gariba's team couldn't complete a perfect weekend as they were edged out of the National Cup with an 85-81 loss at Kings Lynn.

The visitors led for most of the game, outscoring the hosts 24-17 in the first period and going into half-time 46-42 ahead. They were still 61-58 ahead at the final break before some key decisions went against them down the stretch as the hosts moved into the next round.

Fletcher led Wolves with 14 points, Albert Dye adding 13 and Cox 11.

A 24-point haul from Lois Levenston wasn't enough to prevent the U-14 going down 76-40 at home against Ipswich, on Sunday.

It was an even game midway through the first period before the hosts went scoreless for 11 minutes, and went into the locker room 35-15 down. A 20-10 third period effectively gave Ipswich the win before they wrapped up scoring with a 21-15 final stanza.

Wolves U-12 boys A made it three wins from as many games as they returned from Aylesbury Dux with a 59-29 victory. Josh Butterworth led the visitors with 17 point, while Adam Lacey added 11 and Jayden Lui.

Things were tougher for the U-12 B team as they lost 36-26 at Brentwood Fire and the U-12 girls were beaten 60-19 at Richmond Knights.

Strong finish gives Wolves victory

A strong fourth period saw Oaklands Wolves make a winning start to the Super League Basketball season as Durham Palatinates were beaten 99-70 on Saturday evening.

Lee Ryan's team outscored the visitors 32-13 in the final quarter to clinch the win as Abigail Rafferty led the hosts with 26 points, six rebounds and four assists. GB international Sam Ashby added 19 points while Maria Albiero added eight assists to her 11 points as all ten Wolves scored at least three points and had at least two rebounds.

Ryan was understandably delighted with the victory: “it was great to get the first championship win of the season in front of ours fans!" he said 

"We had some great spells in the game and showed the potential of what this team are capable of. Durham caused us some problems, there is still so much for us to improve, but the players are committed to that journey. 

"We're hoping to see everyone at the Wolf den in two weeks time for a big game against Eurocup side Caledonia Gladiators."

Tay McGhee-Pleasant's lay-up capped a 10-2 run as Wolves made a fast start, but Durham gave an early indication that they would prove to be a tough test as  S. Klassen reduced the arrears to 21-15 with six minutes on the clock and although Ashby made it a double digit game, Durham cut the deficit to 26-18 at the first break.

Rafferty scored Wolves only four points of the opening five second period minutes as the visitors took their first lead of the game at 31-30 but a pair of Danielle McCray baskets capped  10-0 Wolves' run before she split a pair of free-throws to send the hosts into the locker room with a 44-36 half-time lead.

McCray's jump shot kept the lead at eight points with six second half minutes gone and triples from E Fortu and Ashby saw Oaklands take a 67-57 lead into the final break 

That advantage shrunk to five points early in the fourth period but Albiero's triple with 5:32 on the clock sparked the strong end to the game as Rafferty scored seven straight points for the hosts before Battle effectively ended the game as a contest with jumper to give Wolves a 20-point lead with 96 seconds remaining.

With 11 teams inthe SLB, Wolves now have a weekend off before hosting title favourites Caledonia on November 3.

Wolves young NBL Division Two side made it a good weekend for the women as they destroyed Stevenage Rebels 90-28 on their own court.

Wolves trailed 5-3 with a little over minutes gone before a timeout from the home side backfired as Wolves scored 21 unanswered  points to close out the period to take a big lead they would never lose. 

It was one-way traffic from then on as Wolves outscored the hosts 24-8 in the second quarter and 21-11 in the third before limiting the hosts to four points in the fourth period to wrap up a third straight league victory.

Woodman led Wolves with 20 points and five rebounds, with Azaria Adbie-Waite adding 13 points and six boards. Paris Tyosn finished with 12 points and five rebounds with her sister Tiff adding an impressive eight assists to her seven points, five steals and four boards.

In contrast, it was a disappointing weekend for Wolves' senior men as their Division Three side lost 88-68 at Northamptonshire Titans and the Conference team going down 95-67 at home against Woking Blackhawks. 

Liam Jefferson's team never recovered from a 23-11 first period against Titan, training 38-24 at half-time and being outscored 27-15 in the third quarter before reducing the deficit with a 29-23 final frame. La'Quarne Sayers led Wolves with a 15 points, with Lore  Adekeye adding 14 and Lanre Pratt seven. 

Wolves II competed well in three quarters against Blackhawks, but a 29-7 second period condemned them to a heavy a loss, despite a 31-point display from K Gasperas with O Boyeyo adding 12 points

Ryan ready for league opener

Having reached the semi-finals of the inaugural Super League Trophy, Oaklands Wolves will be looking to open their regular season programme with a victory against Durham Palatinates on Saturday evening. Tip-off at Oaklands is 7pm, with tickets available here

Ryan is looking forward to seeing his new look Wolves in league action: “It's the irst championship game of the season this Saturday and we are really looking forward to kicking off the campaign at home." he said.

"Durham is always a tough fixture, they have some very strong British players that have been at the program for a while now and always add some talent from the US via the masters route. 

"We have started well and need to keep that momentum going in the league.”

It will be a revenge mission for Ryan's team as defeat in Durham on the final weekend of last season cost Wolves a place in the play-offs.

Palatinates lost both of their Trophy games, at neighbours Newcastle and at home against big-spending Caledonia Gladiators.

Shanique Lucas has proved to be the north east club's go-to player so far this season, averaging 22.5 points , 6.5 rebounds and three assists in almost 37 minutes of action per game. 

Marina Fernandez Pardo had added 16 points, 5.5 assists and five boards per game while Eliza Brault has only played 16 minutes per game but has pulled down an average of 6.5 rebounds.

Wolves' winning start to the season has seen six players average double figures scoring led by GB international Sam Ashby who adds 85 rebounds and four assists to her 15.5 points per game while Danielle McCray had 15 points and 5.5 assists during the Trophy group stage games.