Smith praises Thunder’s fight back to claim first BBL win of the season against Essex

WORTHING Thunder Basketball Club head coach Gary Smith hopes their first BBL win of the season over Essex Pirates on Saturday will give their season the kick start it needed.

Thunder picked up their first points of the season at the fourth attempt, they overcame fellow BBL Championship strugglers Essex who remain rock bottom after the thrilling 95-92 win.

Smith nerves were on edge through the encounter as Thunder played catch-up for most of the game while Essex controlled long periods of it, but he was pleased at the character his side showed to come back.

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He said: “It was a bit frustrating as I know we are a better team than how we were playing.

“But in the end, we found the switch, turned it on and did what we should have been doing in the last six minutes and overtime, and came out winners.

“For the last bit of the game we put the onus of them and stepped up our defence. We made them make decisions and the wrong ones, whereas for the first 33 minutes of that ball game we put ourselves into situation where we made the wrong decisions.

“Some teams could have, and would have, folded in the situation we were in. But we showed a lot of character to come back, which was a positive to take from the game.

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“Sometimes as a player and coach you have your back against the wall, and you need to come out fighting and that is what we did.

“Adam Williams had a great game, and a massive spark to command the game and earn himself some time on the ball.” 

Having gone 21-18 behind after the first quarter and 42-35 at the half-time break it looked as though it was going to the Pirates’ day.

They had the advantage of Taner Adu returning for them who led the attack with 31 points and they moved into their first double digit figure lead at 48-37 early in the third quarter.

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A 7-2 Thunder run cut the arrears to single digits at 57-48 but Adu restored the 10-point margin at 59-49 with three minutes to go in the penultimate period.

But Thunder then jumped into action and finished with a 12-4 run to head into the final 10 minutes with the game at 63-61.

A Marlin Capers triple ensured the game was tied at 67-67 and it was to be the same at the end of regulation time as Adu saved Essex with a basket to force the extra period.

A Toluwase dunk with a minute to go put Essex into a 92-91 lead. Adam Williams, whose 18 points led Thunder’s board level with John Nottley, put the home team back in front and Mansour Mbye then hit home the free-throws after he was fouled to seal the win for Thunder.

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