Taylor top scores as Wolves gain capital win

Emdad Rahman: The race for fifth place becomes more of an uphill task after Worcester Wolves beat hosts London Lions at the Copperbox Arena. Cheshire Phoenix are now in the driving seat after skipper Alex Owumi, Zaire Taylor and Will Creekmore inspired the Wolves to a 73-98 victory.

Despite the score line the game was pulsating and free flowing. At the ten minute mark honours were even at 18-18 with the lead changing five times. Owumi and Creekmore, who were influential throughout the game contributed 15 points between them. Before the half time break in play, Owumi scored two three pointers, leading to a 44-33 double digit lead for Wolves. The third period revived Vince Macaulay’s men, who began a fightback – and the Lions restored the lead deficit to four points (50-46), with Jason Davis scoring six in a row. Wolves though fought back with a vengeance, solidifying their dominance and extending their lead to 64-49.

It was enough for Paul James’ team to comfortably play out the fourth quarter in style to ensure an important win. Wolves guard Zaire Taylor completed the game as top scorer with 22 points, Will Creekmore scored 21 points, and Alex Owumi added a further 20 points. For the Lions Michael Martin achieved a team-high 19 points, Jason Davis collected 14 points, and Chez Marks and Adrien Sturt shared 10 apiece.

London Lions 73 (18,35,53) (Martin 19, Davis 14, Sturt 10, Marks 10)
Worcester Wolves 98 (18,44,69) (Taylor 22, Creekmore 21, Owumi 20)