Preview: Scorchers @ Wolves

Surrey Scorchers hit the road for their final BBL Championship game this side of Christmas on Friday evening to face Paul James’ Worcester Wolves outfit.

Worcester Wolves vs Surrey Scorchers
BBL Championship
Friday 18th December 2015
7.30pm tip-off

The Opposition

A steady rise through the ranks has seen Worcester Wolves become one of the BBL’s toughest oppositions for any side. Two successive 3rd place finishes in as many seasons, with one play-off title, are feats not to be dismissed as they celebrate their 10th season British Basketball’s top flight.

Wolves Head Coach Paul James, a familiar face to Surrey fans following his successful 4 year stint with Guildford Heat between 2005-2009, will be looking to take his side back to glory this season after failing to secure any silverware during the 2014/15 campaign.

The Ones to Watch

Scorchers Head Coach Creon Raftopoulos will be relieved to know that Wolves top scorer Perris Blackwell remains a doubt for the clash.

A multi-national roster, with no fewer than 7 nationalities represented, still boasts a number of talented individuals including captain Jay Couisnard and former London Lions forward/guard Orlan Jackman, who Wolves have branded as “one of the UK’s most exciting talents” after his signing earlier this month.

The Roster

With the squad in high spirits after last Friday’s win over the Manchester Giants at Surrey Sports Park, Coach Creon has a full roster of players to choose from for the visit to Worcester.

The Form

A 65-83 home loss at the hands of the Leicester Riders last weekend ended a short run of victories for the Wolves, which included wins over both Bristol Flyers and Leeds Force.

With 9 wins from 14 BBL Championship outing this season, Wolves will be looking to use the game as an opportunity to stay hot on the heels of Eagles and Riders.

Wolves last 5 games: LWWLL

Scorchers make the trip with the confidence of last Friday’s Giants win- their second home victory in as many appearances.

But with just one win on the road for Surrey so far this season, could Friday’s game be a turning point for sustaining momentum home and away?

Scorchers last 5 games: WLWLL

Coach's Corner

Commenting after last Friday's Giants win, Coach Creon said “There are a lot of positives to take from the win. We played three quarters of good basketball, but we can only get stronger once we put in a full four quarter performance.
 
‘Heading into the Wolves game, we’re going to be meeting one of the top teams in the BBL, so it will be a good gauge to know where we’re now at as the season's halfway mark approaches."
 
Coverage

We will have live updates on Facebook and Twitter, plus you can check out the official BBL LiveStats here.