Worthing Thunder bagged their first win of these season as they truimphed in a thrilling overtime victory over the Essex Pirates 95-92.
Adam Williams was the difference maker for Thunder. He had 18 points, including arguably the game winning basket, and the Thunder looked much better with him on the floor. John Nottley also had a big game with 18 points and 9 rebounds, and Shaun Durant added a double-double of 13 points and 11 boards.
Essex returnee Taner Adu scored 31, almost carrying his team to victory.
Pirates had the right gameplan early on, really hassling Thunder so they could not get into any type of rhythm. Thunder sometimes stuggled to get the ball up the court and gave the ball away plenty of times. Worthing's lack of a genuine point guard was very apparent, but the return of Sherrad Prezzie-Blue should really help this team compete.
When Thunder were down 14 I thought they were out of it, but they showed fantastic character with a run that was inspired by the play of Adam Williams, who was my MVP for the night.
Pirates couldn't contain Durant and Nottley downlow, so it was a little frustrating that too often Thunder settled for drives or long shots. Mbye and Capers, in particular, missed quite a few shots (although they worked tirelessly defensively, and did make some big shots during Thunder's run in the third)
I felt a bit sorry for Essex by the end because they did work very hard, although in the end I always felt that Thunder's superior experience would pull them through. They really relied on Taner Adu. He was their go-to-guy whenever they needed points, and duly delivered especially in the first half.
Felt like they could do with a couple of genuine big guys as Sturt really looked dangerous from deep, but despite working hard, is not a natural big. The match was probably theirs for the taking in the third, and perhaps lacked a killer instinct.
It was a messy game, with lots of turnovers and sloppy play. Nevertheless, it was thrilling towards the end with the lead changing hands all the time in the final quarter and overtime. The refereeing was a bit odd, inconsistency seemed to be the key word. Questionable calls on travelling and fouls, admittedly I think a lot went in favour of Thunder.
Worthing Thunder
Adam Williams - sparked Thunder's comeback and was the key player for Thunder. He really came up big at the end, and I feel he was as important to Worthing as Adu was to Essex. 8 out of 10
John Nottley - did a good job inside again, was surprised to read the stats and see he had 18 points, he certainly scored them quietly. 7
Marlin Capers - also quiet, but scored steadily. Looked out of sorts in the first half and the energetic Pirates defense pushed him out of his comfort zone, but came back strong in the second half. 6
Mansour Mbye - missed a few open threes early on and seemed very wasteful in possession. To his credit he was very important in containing Essex in the final part of the match and hit some massive free throws. 6
Shaun Durant - great on the boards and scored efficiently inside. Felt he should have been fed the ball a little more than he was, but his double-double made him probably our 2nd best player on the night. 8
James Brame - did his best at the point but didn't look comfortable. He defended hard. 5
Pepe Zafirov - did okay as a backup for the big guys, but fouled out. 5
Gareth Laws - seemed a good veteran presence, but didn't see a lot of time. 6
Dominic Baker - thought he did a decent job with the time given to him and didn't look out of his depth. 6
Essex Pirates
Taner Adu - really was their most important player and if they had won he would have deserved credit for the victory. Seemed like he was being asked to do too much though, seemed to be relied on as the point guard and the go-to scorer. 8
Adrien Sturt - anchored Pirates defense inside, when he fouled out they couldn't stop the Thunder bigs. Has a nice shooting touch from deep and punished us a few times for leaving him open. 7
Jamell Anderson - young, athletic and enthuasiastic but really lacked killer instinct. Scored well, though, and played some good D. 7
Samuel Toluwase - undersized, but strong and aggressive, worked hard for his points. Fouled out. 5
Daniel Briglia - looked okay, but nothing special. Didn't appear to have any weapons. 5
Colin Sing - expected to see better from him. Didn't look very confident and passed up a few open shots. 4
Zach Gachette - has potential, but probably isn't ready for big minutes at BBL level. 5
Tom Woods - ineffectual. 5
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