Coming off the exhilarating win over Manchester Giants which snapped a three-game losing streak, Durham Wildcats feel revitalised and are excited for this weekend’s games. The team faces Leeds Force (7:30pm tipoff) and will on Sunday welcome London Lions to Newton Aycliffe.
At 4-5 in the BBL Championship, Durham jumped to 8th place on the league table the moment Ralph Bucci’s buzzer-beating three-pointer gave Wildcats the 70-67 win over Manchester.
Out of the possible 360 game minutes from nine games this season, Bucci has clocked in 329 minutes and 35 seconds. Jones has played 316 minutes and 25 seconds.
In a long basketball season, coaches often have to be concerned and economical with the amount of time they allow their players on the court. Head Coach Lee Davie recognises that Bucci and Jones have seen a lot of court time already this year, and while confident they can handle it he feels this will not be the case as the season progresses.
With Buchberger fit and Attah and Mayindombe expected to contribute this weekend, minutes will be more widely distributed, helping keep the Wildcats’ legs and minds as fresh and strong as possible throughout the long BBL season.
Davie added that he is excited to see Urli’s continued progression as a quality scorer and defender when he faces Leeds tonight.
The London Lions, according to Davie, have gone through similar hurdles and challenges in the season as the Wildcats.
The 5th place Lions have only played seven games so far, tied for the fewest played in the league, yet they hold a 5-2 record. Issues with scheduling a home venue has limited and altered the Lions’ schedule.
Davie says that London perhaps may be less weary because they have played fewer matches, but he pointed out they have struggled to find their dynamic as a team because of some players joining the squad late and because of injuries. Two players have been released from the London side as well.
There are two players for London who will nonetheless provide Davie and the Wildcats a challenge to contain. Zaire Taylor, a 6’4 guard from Staten Island, New York, is second for the Lions in scoring with 92 points and leads in assists with 27. Davie said he “is going to be handful for us. We need to make things difficult for him, to not let him penetrate the lane. We want to turn him into a jump shooter and this will help us keep out of foul trouble and get us rebounds.”
The Great Britain captain is another player who provides London a wealth of talent and experience. Andrew Sullivan has represented England and Great Britain since 2006 and has been one of the country’s most respected players.
The 6’5 forward and London-native provides his team a strong rebounding presence. He is able to stretch an opponent’s defence and is able to control the tempo of his offence as he leads the team in scoring with 95 points and trails Taylor in assists with 23 this season.
Junior Basketball Tournament / Community Basketball Day –
Tipoff versus London Lions is at 4:00pm on Sunday at the Newton Aycliffe Leisure Centre. In addition to showing your support for the Wildcats, come cheer on young basketballers from a number of local clubs and schools as they compete in Durham’s central venue league.
Starting at 12:30pm, 10 teams are set to compete in Durham’s Community Basketball Day with the hopes of playing in the final during halftime of the BBL match versus London. Attendance to the central venue tournament is free and snacks will be available for purchase.
Purchase your tickets for the match versus London on godurhamwildcats.com
