IT WAS a disappointing trip to the Steel City for Warwickshire Bears’ 1sts and 3rds as both sides were beaten by Sheffield Steelers in the British Wheelchair Basketball League.
The home side prevailed 44-39 in the First Division South encounter which was nip and tuck throughout and saw the Yorkshire side lead 8-7 at the end of the first period.
The second quarter was also very tight as the Bears’ defence was sound, whilst at the other end Ben Haigh was shut out completely and Bears’ other main shooter Jacob Robinson was given extra attention in the Steelers’ half as the midway point was reached at 16-16.
The third quarter brought a slight shift to the Steelers team, with Steelers’ Tom Karnes starting to find his shooting range and pulling Sheffield into a slight lead for the last quarter at 28-25.
The last quarter was once again a nail-biting time with the Bears going further behind and, after a time-out, they came back out with a surge to go into the lead with only three minutes to go.
The Steelers called a time-out, regrouped and then hit three unanswered baskets to regain a lead they never relinquished.
Bears head coach Tom Masterson said: “I am so disappointed with the loss but have to congratulate Steelers and their coach Kev Hayes, who played a magnificent game.
“I’m hoping this might be a wake-up call to the team that there are going to be no easy games with the teams we will face this season.”
EARLIER in the day Bears 3rds suffered another narrow defeat as they were beaten by the hosts’ 4th team in Third Division Central.
After earlier losses this season, the Bears’ performance was a significant improvement as they pushed the Steelers all the way to the very last quarter.
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