National League Two Ipswich 83 Worcester Wolves 70 Ipswich Basketball Club got off to a winning start in 2016 with a comfortable win against Worcester Wolves.
Ipswich went into this game sitting in sixth place in the division, and such is the competitiveness of NBL Division Two this season, that despite their win, they actually dropped to seventh in the table.
However, remarkably they are still only two points away from being top of the division.
For Ipswich, it was a balanced attack that saw four different players score 17 or more points as the team went about making short work of a much-improved Worcester team, while the home side never really seemed to find top gear.
Ipswich started well, opening up a 11-2 lead behind a good start from young Caleb Fuller, but it was the team’s defence that was causing their opposition the most problems.
Worcester rallied and brought the score back to 13-8, a pattern that would continue for the remainder of the game.
Ipswich eventually won the quarter 19-12.
The second quarter saw captain Tom Sadler take over the game.
The 6ft 9ins forward had collected 15 points and eight rebounds by half-time as he led his Ipswich team into the break with a 41-37 lead.
The third quarter saw Ipswich extend their lead.
Seven-footer Tendai Simbai came into the game and terrified the Worcester players with his sheer size and length, which seemed to break their backs.
Fuller again impressed, while Josh Johnson and Sam Newman continued to put points on the board. Ipswich had extended their lead to 64-50.
The fourth quarter was something of a formality. Ipswich extended their lead to 20 before Worcester again wouldn’t lay down and quit, fighting back to a 13-point deficit by the end of the game.
Sadler led the way with 19 points, while Fuller added 18 and Sam Newman and Josh Johnson netted 17 points each.
Head coach Nick Drane said: “The win is pleasing and there were some positive points for us in this game.
“Tom continues to show why he is a class above while Josh and Sam were a constant scoring threat.
“At the other end, I have said all season that if we can keep teams under 70 then we will win a lot of games.
He added: “Look at this league, we win and we still drop a place in the league.
“That being said, for us now, this season isn’t about league placings.
“We are just working to get better, both individually and as a team and if that leads us to some wins and in the meantime some of the other teams take some games off each other, then that will make the league standings even more interesting.
“But I have said this a lot recently – we are not thinking about promotion.
“Just getting better and having fun”.
Ipswich are away next weekend in London where they face Eastside Eagles before they host Loughborough Riders on January 30.
The club have a special offer for the next home game – £2 entry for adults, £1 for under 18’s and free of charge if you are younger than 11.
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here