Wolves edge out Bulldogs in pulsating early-season affair

Milo Wallace’s late-game heroics sealed a statement victory for Oaklands over Barnet in their second game back in NBL1.

Will Farquharson

And breathe . . . Saturday afternoon had just about everything you could ask for from a basketball contest. At half-time, the Bulldogs trailed the Wolves by 11 points and were fortunate not to be down by more. They would have ended the game wondering quite how they did not come away from the Copthall Leisure Centre with their second victory of the season.

Oaklands earnt promotion from NBL2 last season, winning 18 and losing none. Despite their lower-league rank, they made it all the way to the semi-final of the NBL cup, defeating NBL1 side Barking Abbey en route to the final four. Put simply, the Bulldogs would have to be right at it to earn anything from their home league debut.

The two sides went into Saturday’s contest sitting first and second in the table. The Bulldogs won their opening game by 26 points over the Cobham Cobras, while Oaklands defeated the Sussex Storm 96-72.

The away side were busy over the summer, most notably acquiring Milo Wallace from the Loughborough Riders (BCB) and Danny Evans from the Worthing Thunder (BCB). Both would start against the Bulldogs, with Barnet making one change from the side that began the win over Cobham, as Chuck Duru came in for Darren Ainembabazi.

Barnet began last week’s contest sluggishly, but there would be no such problems this time around – Christian Gamble knocked down two nice midranges to get things underway. The Wolves meanwhile were equally impressive offensively, with their opening three buckets all coming from outside the arc.

After a strong start to the game for both sides, the contest roared into life. Levi Ehiorobo, who had an excellent first quarter against Cobham, drove towards the basket before throwing down a ferocious dunk over Reis Pinnock. The referee blew his whistle for an and one opportunity, but you would be forgiven for missing it amidst the cacophony of noise.

Despite the mayhem going on around them, the Wolves quickly regained their poise. Throughout the first half, Oaklands generated good look after good look, picking apart the Barnet defence with excellent ball movement. Coach Liam Jefferson, who also works with Great Britain’s Under-16 side, can only have been pleased with his team’s application offensively.

On the defensive end, they were making the Bulldogs work for every bucket. Young Oaklands centre, Dylan Gladstone, was doing an excellent job protecting the paint, while Pinnock constantly pestered Barnet’s ball handlers. If not for some timely foul calls, the Wolves would have been out of sight by half-time.

Going into the second half, the Bulldogs had no choice but to bare their teeth. Vinnie Monaghan and Sable Cooper made quick buckets to begin the period, before Ehiorobo swallowed up Matthew Disu’s dunk attempt. Suddenly there was an energy in the building again.

It was then Monaghan’s turn to get the crowd on their feet. The Australian followed up a gorgeous spin and lay with an improbable jumpshot from just inside the perimeter. The crowd erupted as a foul was called, with some fans even spilling onto the court much to the Wolves players’ displeasure.

Having looked excellent offensively throughout the opening 20 minutes, Oaklands could now not get anything going. With time in the period running out, Ainembabazi drained a three from the top of the key to give the Bulldogs a one-point lead. A 20-8 third quarter – bonkers.

The onslaught continued to begin the fourth. Cooper executed a tough lay-up through contact before Gamble knocked down a three and extended his side’s advantage to six points. This matchup only seemed to be heading one way.

But the Wolves have not lost a league fixture in over a year – underestimate them at your peril. Moments after Gamble’s three-pointer, Evans answered back with a three of his own. Oaklands were exerting more and more pressure on the Bulldogs defence and snatched back the lead midway through the fourth.

With the game hanging in the balance, new signing Wallace stepped up to the plate. Having connected with a three earlier in the period, the forward rose up over an outstretched Cooper and buried another long-range jumper. The ex-Leicester Rider was making this contest his own.

The Bulldogs bit back and retook a slender lead; but with two minutes remaining, Wallace came up big again with yet another three-pointer. The Wolves led by four with 70 seconds to go.

Both sides looked out on their feet, they had given it absolutely eveything. Barnet pushed and pushed but could not quite find that extra bit of quality. The Wolves would prevail as 71-67 winners in a memorable contest – Wallace the hero for the away side.

With Saturday’s win, Oaklands Wolves moved top of NBL1 and will face second-placed Barking Abbey this weekend. The Bulldogs will look to get back in the win column away at Southwark Pride.