West Brom Basketball Club endured a mixed league opening weekend, as they saw their Premier League team lose to MLC, before their Division two outfit notched a win in their first fixture of the season.
After a summer of change at the club and a rollercoaster pre-season schedule, the club now feature two sides in the West Midlands basketball – with each side starting with contrasting fortunes.
West Brom A came up against a physical MLC side, and despite a spirited effort, couldn’t get the better of their opening day opponents.
In what proved an offensive struggle throughout for Tim Rudge’s new-look side, West Brom found things tough in the opening quarter – with the hosts dominating on the rebounding numbers, quickly running out into a seven-point lead midway through the opening period.
West Brom fought back to reduce the deficit, but failed make any headway in the first half, eventually finding themselves on the wrong end of a 41-27 scoreline.
The visitors improved following the start of the third quarter, stopping MLC from scoring consistently, but offensive quality continued to desert them – with missed opportunities costing them dearly, especially from the free throw line.
With West Brom down by 12 points beginning the fourth period, they came out with one final flurry to try and swing the encounter back in their favour.
Cutting the deficit to just seven points with five minutes remaining, it looked as though the Black Country side could be set for an exciting finish.
But MLC regained their composure to put the game out of doubt late on, handing West Brom an opening day defeat, leaving the visitors ruing missed chances from a poor offensive showing.
West Brom B hosted Shropshire Swarm in their league opener, coming away 71-60 victors in a comfortable encounter. HIGHLIGHTS.
Keen not to start the season with a loss of their own, they came out fighting in the first quarter before pulling away just ahead of half-time to build a lead they wouldn’t relinquish for the rest of the contest.
Utilising a fast-paced offense against a short-handed Shropshire side, West Brom saw their lead balloon to 17 mid-way through the third stanza, before playing out an uneventful final period to secure their first W of the campaign.
Director of basketball, Liam Sheridan was upbeat about the start, despite the mixed results.
“Despite a tough result for the Premier League team there are plenty of positives to take from the game.” he said.
“We were competing on both ends and offensively we were getting opportunities but simply failing to convert. That’s something I’m sure Tim and the players will be looking to put right on Sunday.
“We have a great bunch of guys and great team chemistry too so I’m sure we’ll bounce back there.
“As for the division two side, it was great to see us start the season with a win.
“It was a great team performance and with a couple of players putting in a ‘double shift’ so to speak, playing in both games shows how much the club means to the team.
“We’ll look to build on that win this weekend, and hopefully we can close out games a little bit stronger too.”
West Brom A will now face a home clash with Lordswood this weekend, whilst the division two side travel to Shrewsbury Storm hoping to build on their opening win.
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