Basketball report: Worcester Wolves 79 Cheshire Phoenix 65

A large crowd was on hand at the University of Worcester Arena to see if Wolves could repeat the form that has pushed them through to the BBL Cup final at the end of this month.

Worcester fended off early Cheshire resistance to build a 25-14 first-quarter lead and kept a double-digit cushion until the end of the evening for their third championship win in a row.

Raheem May-Thompson’s third score created a 16-12 gap between the sides with three minutes left in the opening quarter.

Mark Hughes powered forwards to thump the ball through the hoop and showcased his versatility with a long-range score that confirmed Wolves’ control.

A series of driving lay-ups from Cortez Edwards continued the momentum.

Even when shots went astray Edwards’ effervescence saw him able to defy greater numbers to grab second opportunities.

Maarten Bouwknecht debuted on the scoresheet to bring up a 45-29 advantage just after half-time.

Early in the final period Edwards extended the punishment to 64-45 when he stole the ball at midcourt and celebrated with a dazzling reverse dunk.

Jordan Williams tormented defenders with his back-to-the-basket superiority and May-Thompson pulsed to a game-high 23 points as Worcester sauntered to their victory.

Edwards and Williams both posted 16 points with the former also tallying 12 assists and 10 rebounds for a prized triple-double performance.

Hughes supplied a similarly-impactful all-round display with 14 points, 11 rebounds and five assists.

“Everyone contributed,” confirmed head coach Matt Newby. “It was a team win. It was a little ugly here and there but when you can still win ugly that’s no bad thing.”

Wolves have just one remaining fixture ahead of their January 26 cup final against Bristol Flyers at Arena Birmingham.

On Friday (7.30pm) Worcester visit the team they overcame in the semi-finals Leicester Riders for a league encounter.

“We’ll do our homework on Leicester and take it from there,” added Newby.