Windsor Star

BREAKTHROU­GH FOR EXPRESS

Wormely nets 12 points in first win

- JIM PARKER jpparker@postmedia.com twitter.com/winstarpar­ker

There might have been some frustratio­n for the Windsor Express, but the team never lost faith. After dropping the first three games to start the NBL of Canada season, the Express finally broke into the win column on Wednesday.

With seven players finishing in double figures, the Express rolled to a 103-91 win over the expansion Sudbury Five before a crowd of 880 at the WFCU Centre. “Man, it feels really good,” said Express point guard Horace Wormely, who finished with 12 points and 11 assists. “(The season) started out a little rocky, but this is a marathon.”

Sudbury was the team that started the Express in the wrong direction as the club erased a 20-point Windsor lead to take the opener. “We lost the last four games last season, got swept in (three games) in the playoffs and then lost three to start,” Express head coach Bill Jones said. “That’s in the back of your mind. It casts some doubts, but I knew I had assembled a good team.

“It was getting it out of them and realizing you can’t get outworked in profession­al basketball.”

It was a slow start on Wednesday against Sudbury, which lost for the first time in four games this season. The Five started with a 6-0 run to begin the game, but the Express used a 17-4 run to move into the lead.

“We’re building,” said Express guard Ryan Anderson, who had 14 points and 12 rebounds. “I’ve never started 0-3 before, but we only have two players that have won championsh­ips, me and DeAndre (Thomas). “Everyone’s trying to understand and feel comfortabl­e and to gel and to have chemistry and that stuff matters.”

The Express stretched the lead to 16 points in the third quarter, but Sudbury did push back with a 10-0 run to make it a six-point game.

“Game of runs,” Wormely said. “It’s basketball and that’s life. It’s really just staying the course and trust what you’ve been working on and eventually you know it’ll pay off.”

But it was the defence that kept the Five from getting any closer. After allowing an average of 113 points per game in three games to start the season, the Express held an opponent under 100 points for the first time this season. “After our last game, that’s the only thing we worked on was defence,” said Jones, whose team had six days off before Wednesday’s

We lost the last four games last season, got swept in (three games) in the playoffs and then lost three to start. That’s in the back of your mind.

match. “We worked on our pick and roll coverage.

“They worked hard and played good defence and we have to keep playing that and hopefully, this is one of many wins for us.” Juan Pattillo led the Express with 18 points, while Reggie Hamilton had 16 points off the bench. Thomas added 14 points off the bench, while Anthony Ottley Jr. finished with 13 points and Richard Amardi added another 10 off the bench. “It’s going to take time, but I won’t back off what I said that I believe we can win a championsh­ip,” Anderson said.

“I still believe that in my heart of hearts. I just know it’s a long road to get there.

“The season’s six months. You can’t get too high or too low because, if you get too high, you’ll fall hard and if you get too low, you’ll stay down there. You have to kind of cruise in the middle.”

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 ?? DAN JANISSE ?? Brian Addison of the Windsor Express and Grandy Glaze of the Sudbury 5 battle for the ball during their game on Wednesday at the WFCU Centre.
DAN JANISSE Brian Addison of the Windsor Express and Grandy Glaze of the Sudbury 5 battle for the ball during their game on Wednesday at the WFCU Centre.

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