Haigh inches away from inflicting first loss on Lowriders

Action from Warwickshire Bears narrow defeat at the hands of Norwich Lowriders. Picture submitted

After finishing runners-up in the division last season, Lowriders have continued where they left off this season, stringing together eight wins to lie second in the table.

However, Bears came into the game in good form themselves having won their last four and opened up a 16-8 lead after the first quarter.

The second quarter saw a complete turnaround as the Lowriders applied a full court press, forcing the Bears to regularly turn over possession.

A string of easy inside shots allowed the Norfolk side to claw it back to 26-21 and set up a tense third period with both teams making mistakes.

Bears still held a four-point lead going into the final quarter but were left to rue a number of missed opportunities to score as the Lowriders opened up a seven-point lead with three minutes remaining.

The Bears called a time out to regroup and returned to their impressive form of the first quarter as they brought it back to 47-46 with 34 seconds on the clock.

Strong defence forced the Lowriders into a mistake and the ball was worked into the hands of the game’s top scorer Ben Haigh.

However, his shot to take the lead hit the ring and then ran around it before popping out into the hands of a Lowriders player who saw out the dying seconds for the narrowest of victories.

Despite the heartbreaking manner of their defeat, Bears coach Lee Powell was philosophical after the game.

“Whilst disappointed to lose by only one point, I am extremely proud of the way we played and it was a shame to lose it, missing the last shot of the game.

“The positive to take is how far we have improved as the season has gone on and hopefully we will get even better and win it next time.”

The Bears’ next game is on March 16 (2:30 pm) at Warwickshire College’s Henley campus when they entertain Northants Phoenix.

Anyone interested in playing for the Bears should log on to www.bearswbc.com or follows them on Facebook (Warwickshire Bears Wheelchair Basketball Club) or Twitter (@WarwickBearsWBC).

The club are also looking for a sponsor and help with funding.