Wolves aiming to get back on the glory trail (From Worcester News)

Wolves aiming to get back on the glory trail

10:00am Tuesday 29th November 2011 in Worcester Wolves By Steve Carley, @stevecarleyWN #WENsport

WORCESTER Wolves head coach Paul James has called on his side to keep their focus as they bid to return to winning ways at Milton Keynes Lions tonight (7.30pm).

Wolves saw their eight-game victory streak ended in agonising fashion on Friday with a 76-75 defeat at Sheffield Sharks, which was also their first loss in the British Basketball League.

However, they have a chance to bounce back under the glare of the Sky Sports cameras at the Milton Keynes Basketball Centre, the first live televised game of the season.

James was disappointed to be edged out by the Sharks and is expecting better tonight as his side bid to improve on their fourth place in the table.

He said: “We did not play at our best against the Sharks and especially failed to control the game in the second-half.

“We lost a little composure and got frustrated with many calls that we felt went against us. We need to do a better job staying focused and not letting things get out of our control affect the way we play.”

The Lions have only won once in the BBL this term and have lost their last two matches - 95-92 at home to Glasgow Rocks and 92-76 at Plymouth Raiders.

James, though, is not about to take Mike New’s side lightly on their home court.

“I have not had a chance to see the Lions as yet but they look to have a lot of scoring talent,” he said. “They have almost six players averaging double points and that will make them tough to beat.

“Demarius Bolds is a real scoring machine and new players to the BBL, Daniel Northern and Howard Crawford, are also going well.”

Lions coach New is also preparing for a tough test against the high-flying University of Worcester side.

He said: “Wolves are playing the best basketball in the league at the moment.

“Richie Gordon, Sherrad Prezzie-Blue and Tommy Freeman have been solid for them and provide a strong nucleus to play around and lead from different areas of the floor.

“It’s great to be back on Sky and live games are even more exciting. We need to produce a win and my guys really need to step up now.”

He added: “Against Rocks, our defence really let us down in the final minutes of the game. We will have to play much better team defence for a full 40 minutes and close games out defensively to get wins this season.”