by Vlad Ionasc
Cheshire Phoenix will aim to snap their 3-game losing streak when they’ll take on the Worcester Wolves at the University of Worcester Arena in a regular season head-to-head decider.
The Wolves obtained a 73-71 victory in the first meeting between the two teams back in January. The Nix triumphed in more comfortable fashion in the second encounter, as they claimed a 77-68 win in a mid-week game in February.
The Nix (12-12) are currently 5th in the BBL Championship, while the Wolves (12-14) are 6th.
GAME DETAILS
Date: Friday 9th April, 2021
Tip-off: 7 p.m.
Competition: BBL Championship
Where: University of Worcester Arena
How to watch: BBL Player + YouTube
WOLVES SCOUTING REPORT
The Wolves have a 15-19 record in all competitions.
Matt Newby’s men have a 9-9 record at home in all competitions.
The Wolves are currently sixth in the BBL, with a 12-14 record.
Worcester has the second best three-point shooting percentage (36.2% 3PT) in the BBL, however they rank just 7th in overall field-goal percentage (45.1% FG).
Worcester’s offence ranks 10th league-wide, at 76.1 points-per-game, while their defence ranks 6th, at 80.7 points-allowed-per-game.
The Wolves average just 33.2 rebounds per contest, the second lowest in the BBL. They allow opponents to haul in 35.9 boards per night (5th most).
Newby’s men force their opponents into just 10.7 turnovers per night (lowest in BBL).
Opponents average only 14.6 free-throw attempts per game (lowest in BBL) against the Wolves.
Brandon Anderson leads Worcester in scoring, with 16.2 points-per-game on 42.6% shooting from deep, however he hasn’t played since March 19th.
Jordan Williams is Worcester’s second-best scorer, with 13.4 points-per-game. He also leads his team in rebounds (9.3) and assists (5) per contest.
Maarten Bouwknecht (12.9), Lamarr Kimble (12.1), Elijah Burns (11.5) and Mike Parks Jr. (10.4) also average double-figure points.
Bouwknecht is averaging five assists per game and shooting 50.5% from three-point range. Parks has the second highest field-goal percentage (63.6%) in the BBL and is currently averaging 7.7 rebounds per game. Kimble is Worcester’s third-best distributor, as he’s averaging 3.7 dimes per night.
The Wolves have picked up just two wins in the last five meetings between the two teams.
KEY PLAYERS
Worcester Wolves: Jordan Williams — Worcester’s forward is averaging 21.5 points, 7.5 rebounds and 6.5 assists against the Nix this season. He will have to play at the same level for another 40 minutes in order to help his team clinch the head-to-head.
Cheshire Phoenix: Matthew Bryan-Amaning — The Washington alum knows the Wolves better than anyone else on Phoenix’s roster. He will have to supply his team with a great performance off the bench to counter Worcester’s depth.
COACH’S CORNER
Ben Thomas: “Tonight’s game against Worcester is huge for us! It’s probably the most important head to head for us and will more than likely have an impact on our final league position.
“They’ve been in good form recently and it will be a tough test. We know their strengths and what we have to do. We just need a full 40 minutes from the guys.”
NEXT HOME GAME
The Nix will be back in action at the EPSV on Sunday 18th of April, against the Plymouth Raiders in the BBL Championship. Tip-off is scheduled for 5 p.m.