Thames Valley Kings started 2023 with an explosive round of fixtures in the British Wheelchair Basketball National League this past weekend as they hosted a triple-header of matches across three divisions.
Starting the day off was Kings third team against Southern Sharks 2s in Division Three South, and it was the league leaders, Sharks who picked up a narrow win by seven points – 33-40.
Kings 3s were able to keep neck and neck until the third quarter, but the league leaders were able to pull ahead and maintain their lead.
It was a gutsy performance from Kings 3s who earlier in the season suffered a heavy defeat against the same team.
In the second game of the day, both Kings’ and Sharks’ first teams were in action against each other in Division One South, It was a very strong performance from Kings first-team as they controlled the game throughout with clinical finishing from the offence being matched by a strong defence game, Kings taking the win, 81-30.
The final game of the day, A Division Two South match between Kings second team and Cardiff Met Archers, the game went down to the wire.
With the game tied with seven and a half seconds left, it was a last-gasp basket from Conal O’Donovan that won the game for Kings 40-38.
Kings can also be thankful for a stellar first quarter defensive performance which saw the Archers kept off the scoreboard for almost the entire quarter which aided in the win.
More Wheelchair Basketball action is scheduled this weekend as BWB Junior league’s Round-Robin format takes a stop in Berkshire this Saturday as Aces, Bears & Kings do battle in Junior League as Kings host fixture round three in Pool B – as all three clubs will look to try and book a place at the Elite 8s finals.