It’s been a long time coming but basketball is back at last and Nottingham Wildcats finally got to play a much-needed game this weekend as they hosted London Lions and their Barking Abbey Academy in a pre-season match at the Wildcats Arena.
The final score was Wildcats 43 Barking 83 but more important than the result was the fact both sets of players had the chance to run out after a long layoff through covid and the destruction the virus has had on the basketball season throughout the year.
Six out of the eight players involved were Nottingham Academy starlets with both sets of teams playing youngsters with a much-changed side to normal proceedings especially for Nottingham.
In another successful outing the girls U18’s team were also involved yesterday as they hosted Sheffield Hatters with the with the result ending 53-42 in the away teams favour.
Finally even better news for Nottingham’s male basketball team the Nottingham McDonald’s Hoods who won their first competitive game of the campaign in the newly formed L Lynch Trophy which is a competition set up for all 14 NBL Division One sides along with two invited academies.
Played initially at the first-round stage in four groups of four teams, Nottingham won their first game at Leicester Warriors 92-88 as Laurits Juffer scored 19 points with 13 rebounds and 70% field goal accuracy.
Familiar players who have re-joined the Hoods ahead of the season include 6ft3in Guard, Delaney Powell who returns for his fifth season at the club, Kieran Wright, who will play his fourth year with the Hoods, Matthew Ward-Hibbert who signs for a second successive year as well as Matthew Parket who also joins for a second year.
The Hoods next match was scheduled to be against the Derby Trailblazers on Saturday but the game has been postponed.
*Main image @Hatters_BC the Wildcats U18’s playing against Sheffield Hatters at the weekend.
