Worcester Wolves 93 (21,43,73)
Essex & Herts Leopards 74 (20,43,60)

Injury-hit Leopards found the going too tough in the second half as they eventually succumbed to Wolves on Sunday. The Big Cats had already beaten the home side on two occasions this season and were level at half-time, but their mounting injury problems finally caught up with them after the break.

With point guards Steve Ogunjimi and Michal Wrozosek already suffering long-term injuries, Demetrice Williams having walked out on the club and Roger Lloyd serving a one-game ban following his ejection against Kingston, the Big Cats were further hit by injuries to three key players. The most serious saw guard Brian Moore suffer a potential season-ending knee injury early in the second period when he landed awkwardly.

Things only got worse for the Big Cats as Sam Salter, Leopards’ only senior guard damaged his ankle and limped through the final 15 minutes of the game, while James Warwick who took over as point guard when Salter sat down with 90 seconds remaining also hurt his ankle.

Given all of those problems, Leopards produced a good first half performance, and the final winning margin flattered the home side. Troy Selvey led the Big Cats’ scoring with 19, with Salter and Warwick each chipping in 15.

Lituanian forward Valdas Urbonavicius scored the first six points for the home side, but a good balanced scoring effort from the Big Cats saw keep in touch throughout the period, reaching the first break trailing 21-20.

Seven of the Leopards shortened roster got onto the scoresheet, with Warwick leading the way with five points. The loss of Moore just 15 seconds into the second period clearly hurt the Big Cats, though they did not help their own cause as Selvey and Salter both missed pairs of free-throws. Errol Seaman, so often the unsung hero of a successful second season for Jon Burnell’s team, kept them in the game during the quarter, hitting nine points, including a successful “and-one”, and a three-pointer from Salter sent the visitors into the locker room tied at 43.

A lacklustre start to the second half seven straight points from the home team, including a trey from point guard Matt Collins, but scores from Selvey and Warwick brought the Big Cats within two midway through the period. That proved to be as close as the visitors came during the remainder of the game. They were not helped by some inconsistent refereeing which saw Salter collect his fourth foul and Seaman penalised for a rare intentional and-one call, and back-to-back Collins scores sent Wolves into the final break with a comfortable 13 point lead.

Selvey led the Big Cats with eight points in the third period, though four successive misses from the charity stripe did little to keep the hosts in touch. To give the Leopards credit, they refused to lie down in the final period, but tired legs soon caught up with them, and despite six points from Warwick, the game was over by the midway point.

One consolation for Burnell’s team was the news that London United had lost against Sheffield Arrows, sealing sixth place for the Big Cats in the final table.

Leopards: T Selvey 19, S Salter 15, J Warwick 15, E Seaman 13, D Jones 6, M Eames 4, B Moore, T Christie, E Gregory.