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Heat get off the mark against Wolves

Published on: 18th October 2011

Huddersfield Heat finally got their first win of the 2011/12 EBL Division 3 North campaign, with a hard fought victory over fellow promoted side Warrington Wolves. The Heat went into the game on the back of two league defeats and without forward Chris Bigley, who was serving a one match suspension.

Both teams would begin brightly, although it would be the visitors who took the initiative early, with a 5-12 lead by the fourth minute of play, however two successive scores by centre John Huggett, and the first of many from forward Joe Irving, brought the Heat back to within one, 14-15. Both sides would exchange scores until the end of the period, which would see the Heat with their first lead of the game, 26-25.

The second quarter was an equally tight affair, with neither team being able to pull away completely. An 8-0 run by the home team, was answered  by 6-0 run by the Wolves. Irving and guard Aaron Allison were beginning to score with fluidity on their way to 27 and 21 points respectively, with the half time score showing a narrow 3 point lead for Huddersfield, 44-41.

After the restart, neither team would ease up on defence, but it was the Wolves who came out on top. An early 10-0 run in the quarter from the Heat, gave them their biggest lead of the game in the fifth minute, 59-49, but it was Warrington who would hit back hard with a 15-2 run that would see the end of the quarter with the visitor’s biggest lead so far, 61-66.

In the final stanza, the Heat’s scoring trio of Irving, Allison and Swaine would combine for 15 points down the stretch, including two huge free throws from Irving, to edge out the Wolves in an entertaining encounter in front of a pleased home crowd. Player-coach Eduardo Perez was delighted after the game:

“We responded well after recent setback, and put together the kind of performance I know we are well capable of. It’s now time to find some consistency and start to put some results together and start working our way up the league team. I am very happy with my guys tonight.”

Next up for the Heat, a double header weekend, as they travel to Manchester Magic in the league on Saturday evening (Amaechi Centre, 6.00pm) and then host Leeds Carnegie II in the second round of the National Shield on Sunday afternoon (Rishworth, 5.30pm).

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