The Wenty Leagues WheelKings opened their 2008 NWBL campaign on Saturday with a 70-62 loss to the West Sydney Razorbacks. However, the closeness of the final margin hides the tremendous effort of the WheelKings in fighting back from a 20 point first quarter deficit.

Wenty provided an exciting second half of basketball after the terrible start that saw them trailing 24-7 at the end of the first quarter. Still down 15 at the half, the WheelKings benefited from the benching of Razorbacks star Troy Sachs (33 points, 29 boards, 12 assists) who was in foul trouble midway through the third quarter. Sachs' absence, and improved shooting from the WheelKings, saw the gap narrowed to just 6 points going into the final term.

It was now a confident WheelKings outfit that continued to challenge for the lead in the fourth quarter, even with the dominant Sachs back in the game. The remarkable comeback continued with Wenty narrowing the gap to just 3 points in the last few minutes. They had the momentum but couldn't convert several crucial shots down the stretch. The misses led to transition baskets by the Razorbacks and there simply wasn't enough clock for the WheelKings to recover.

The team was disappointed they couldn't close out the game the way they wanted but there were plenty of positives. Most importantly, the team showed a lot of heart to get back into the contest, and their defence was strong in restricting the talented Razorbacks to 70 points at a conversion rate of just 36%. Unfortunately, the taller Razorbacks were able to get numerous second attempts as they pulled in a stunning 29 offensive rebounds. It was the major difference between the 2 teams and was really what cost the WheelKings a better chance at the win.

Koen Jansens, in his first game back after a 2 year break, played the full 48 minutes and in the second half looked like he’d never been away. He led the team with 25 points followed by Craig Cannane with 17 at an impressive 64% accuracy. Craig had a solid all-round game, especially when his preparation this season had been severely hampered as he recovered from a broken leg.

It's fair to say that the WheelKings coaching staff expected a slow start due to player injuries and absences at training the past month. However, with a roster that’s finally healthy and showing signs of renewed commitment, Coach Hewson expects to see a big improvement in teamwork and execution of the game plan in the coming matches. Certainly, with the imminent return of Paralympian Liesl Tesch and Australian representative Bill Latham, the team should improve very quickly.

(photos courtesy of Noel Rowsell and Marion McNeill - www.photoexcellence.com.au )