Worthing Thunder Basketball Club

Welcome to the web site for the Worthing Thunder Basketball Club. The Thunder Senior Men's Team play in the British Basketball League, the premier division of basketball in the UK.

Half-term Basketball Camp

The Worthing Thunder are hosting a 2-day Basketball camp at The Angmering School on Monday 15th and Tuesday 16th of February 2010 from 9:30 am to 12:30 pm (ages 8-15 yrs)

The campers will be coached by the Thunder players themselves. For further details see the News page.

30 January - Close, but not close enough.

Sheffield Sharks survived a tough away trip to Worthing Thunder with a well earned 100-105 win on the south coast. For Thunder it was their first defeat in seven matches.

Sheffield began well and took a 32-21 lead into the second quarter. The visitors maintained a double-digit advantage until half time (55-45). With Shark's Tafari Toney dominating the paint, Worthing used good play from their guards to drag themselves back to 74-76 heading into the final stanza.

Thunder briefly took the lead on Sherrie Prezzie- Blues three at 85-84, but Sheffield stormed back with five points from Mike Tuck in an 8-2 run. Reggie Bratton's late three put Thunder back within touching distance but Perry Lawson drained two free throws to seal the win for Sharks.

24 January - Thunder win in overtime!

Worthing Thunder moved themselves kept up their pursuit of a top-four finish in the BBL Championship table thanks to a thrilling 82-83 overtime victory over the Worcester Wolves at Worcester University on Sunday afternoon. The Wolves led 64-61 heading into the final stanza, but the Thunder re-took the lead at 70-72 off the back of a 12- 2 burst with 4:41 remaining in the game. Four points from Devin Smith gave the home side the lead once again at 74-72 but a Sherrad Prezzie- Blue basket tied the game at 74-74 with 2:39 left. Both sides had opportunities to win the game in the closing stages and a Reggie Bratton three-pointer rimmed out with 2 seconds left to send the game into overtime. In the extra period the visitors leapt out to an early 76-79 lead, but the home side came straight back at them and a Harry Disy free-throw with 32 seconds left in the game gave the Wolves a 82-81 lead. The home side stepped up the pressure on the defensive end, but a Reggie Bratton basket with 18 seconds left gave the Thunder the lead at 82-83. The Wolves had one last opportunity to win the game, but Daniel Gilbert's long- range effort was unsuccessful and the Thunder held on for the all- important victory. Earlier in the game the visitors started strongly and opened up an early lead at 10-18 thanks to nine points from Bratton. The Wolves managed to close the gap through the remainder of the opening period and trailed by two points at 20-22 at the end of the first quarter. In the second period, both sides continued to trade baskets throughout the quarter with neither side able to establish a sense of authority on the game and the Wolves finished the half the stronger netting six of the last eight points in the half to trail by two points at 39-41 heading into the locker rooms at the half. In the second half, a 12-4 start to the third period from the visitors took the score out to 44-53, but the home side battled back and a 13-4 tear tied the game at 59-59 heading into the closing stages of the third quarter. A three-pointer from Kastytis Normantas and a Disy basket helped the Wolves into a 64-61 lead before the fireworks of the final stanza and overtime. Disy led the Wolves scoring with 22 points, but it was Bratton who led all scorers in the game with 30 points personal for the Thunder.

23 January - Thunder see off Pirates

Worthing Thunder moved into the BBL Championship's top seven with a hard fought 85-90 road win at Essex Pirates.

Pirates, playing on back-to-back nights after losing at league leaders Sheffield on Friday, began the match well and led 26-20 at the end of the first quarter. Thunder trimmed the gap to one (44-43) by half time.

Worthing managed to edge ahead during the third quarter as they took a 62-66 lead into the final stanza.

Essex tied the match at 72-72 with just over five minutes remaining and trailed by just one (80-81) with 1.54 on the clock.

However, a jam by Thunder's BBL slam-dunk runner- up Kadiri Richard opened up a four point lead (81-85) and the visitors were able to hold on from the free throw line from there.

Pirates Randy George led all scorers with 24 while Evaldas Zabas led Worthing with 22.

17 January - Weekend of wins for Thunder

This weekend proved fruitful for Thunder as they edged out reigning Champions Newcastle Eagles 105 - 99 in a league encounter and beat old rivals Manchester Magic 109 - 72 in the BBL Trophy curtain raiser at the NIA in Birmingham.

Worthing Thunder 105 (20,45,70) (Makalainen 27, Zabas 26, Bratton 21)
Newcastle Eagles 99 (22,52,69) (Chapman 24, Bridge 21, Smith 19)

An 8-0 close to the match, which included a go-ahead three-point shot by Evalda Zabas with two seconds left, proved to be the difference between the sides.

Looking to keep the pressure on Sheffield Sharks at the top of the table an Andrew Bridge three got Newcastle off the best possible start. That three-point lead was the largest advantage either team had in the first quarter as another Bridge bomb from beyond the arc put his team 20-22 up after ten minutes.

The Eagles enjoyed the better of the second quarter with a 7-0 run giving them a 28-37 lead. A later 11-5 burst stretched it to 41-52 before free throws from Kadiri Richard and Ville Makalainen trimmed the deficit to 45-52 at half time.

Thunder continued to close the gap with first Sherad Prezzie-Blue and then Sam Cricelli knocking down shots to make it a two-point game. And the comeback was complete at 67-67 following James Brame's free throw. Evaldas Zabas edged the home side in front 70- 69 to end the third quarter.

Reggie Bratton's five free throws early in the final stanza gave Thunder their biggest lead of the night at 79-75. But all it did was inspire the Eagles to put together an 18-9 run to move ahead 88-93.

A Bratton three kept Thunder in touch as the match was tied at 93, 97 and 99 before Zabas put Worthing ahead for good. Makalainen sealed the points from the charity stripe after the Eagles 'Hail Mary' pass had sailed through the endline to give Worthing their second win of 2010.

08 January - Plymouth game cancelled

Owing to the adverse weather conditions experienced at present, Worthing Thunder regret to inform that the home game against Plymouth Raiders on Saturday 9th January has been postponed until further notice. Please watch the website for further details or contact the Club Office.

02 January - Thunder down Jets

Worthing Thunder 109 (31,55,74) (Bratton 28, Makalainen 17, Zabas/Richard 15)
Cheshire Jets 94 (26,48,68) (Hamilton 29, Myers 18, Marks 17)

The Worthing Thunder have joined four other teams on 16 points in the congested mid-table of the BBL Championship after upsetting the fourth-placed Cheshire Jets 109-94 on the South Coast.

The hosts were led by 28 points from Reggie Bratton, while Ville Makalainen scored 17. James Hamilton, for the Jets, led all scorers with 29 points.

The Thunder, who have taken a share of the final playoff spot, had a remarkable start as Bratton netted 18 points in the opening period. His team raced into a 23-9 lead as he scored all of their points, including two three-pointers, in a 14-6 run. The Jets responded immediately with an 11-4 spell, and when Peterson made a triple with the last play of the period, they had narrowed the gap to 31-26.

The visitors took that momentum into the second stanza and swiftly tied the game at 31 through James Hamilton and Steven Gayle's three-pointer. Back-to- back three-pointers from Sherrad Prezzie-Blue got the Thunder back on track, and the Thunder held that edge until John Simpson's three tied the teams once more at 44. But the Jets could not take a lead in the first half, and the last six points of the quarter put the Thunder back in the ascendancy at 55-48.

The picture didn't change a great deal in the third period, despite the Thunder managing to re-establish their double-digit lead at 66-55 on two Zabas free- throws. Peterson responded with a three-pointer and the Jets were still within six at 74-68 going into the decisive stanza after Hamilton scored with six seconds remaining in the third. But the Thunder were not really troubled as they pulled away in the fourth quarter. The Jets finished the game with four players through a combination of foul trouble (Marks) and injury (Gayle and Calvin Davis).

01 January - Fixture changes

Following the incidents at Worcester Wolves, together with the Sheffield Sharks reaching the BBL Cup Final, there have been a number of fixture changes to note:

Saturday 16th January (H) - now Newcastle Eagles not Sheffield Sharks.

Saturday 30th January (H) - now potential BBL Trophy 2nd Round game v Newcastle Eagles or Reading Rockets.

Sunday 14th March (a) - new date for Guildford Heat away game (from 11th April)

Sunday 28th March (a) - new date for Worcester Wolves game (from 6th December)

Saturday 3rd April (H) - now Sheffield Sharks (from 16th January).

19 December - Thunder 90 - 87 Leicester Riders

In a tight encounter this evening, the Worthing Thunder seized a 90-87 win over the visiting Jelson Homes DMU Leicester Riders, in both sides' last game before the Christmas break.

The Thunder started with Sherrad Prezzie-Blue, Sam Cricelli, Kadari Richard, Ville Makalainen, and new signing Evaldas Zabas. The Riders began the game with Isaac Westbrooks, Bradd Wierzbicki, Lataryl Williams, Jason Johnson and Shaun Durant.

Makalainen grabbing a steal and giving Zabas the ball for the first points of the ball game signalled the Thunder's intensity from the start, as a Kadari Richard foul shot then put them up 3-0, with the visitors yet to put the ball in the basket. Opening the Riders scoring was Jason Johnson, who also netted one of his two free throw attempts. Westbrooks then went 2/2 from the line to put the Riders level with Worthing at 3-3 early doors. The teams then exchanged scores, with the scoreline being level at several points in the last few minutes of the opening period, as the Thunder were just one point ahead, 19-18 going into the second quarter. This ten minutes was a similar story, as a Prezzie-Blue three pointer gave the Thunder a slightly larger lead at 41-39 going into the locker rooms at half time.

The third stanza was an interesting one, as Prezzie Blue continued his hot form to knock down another triple, thanks to a Makalainen pass, which took the Thunder's advantage out to 44-39. A field goal from new signing Zabas then stretched this to seven points. The sides were then fairly even for the next couple of minutes, until when the scores read 57-54 in Worthing's favour, the home side went on an 8-2 run to put them up 65-56, their largest lead of the night. An Adam Williams three pointer fortunately closed the gap for Leicester, who then trimmed the deficit to 68-64 at the end of the third, thanks to a 6-3 run of their own. A thrilling fourth quarter then followed, as Makalainen stepped up in the dying moments from the charity stripe, to put them ahead 88-87. Zabas then did the same, as he knocked down both of his free throws to seal a 90-87 win.

The Lithuanian marked his debut for the Thunder with a 20 point performance, matched by Sam Cricelli, and Makalainen supported them with 15 points. For the visitors, Bradd Wierzbicki can be proud of his 24 points to lead all scorers on 6/6 free throw shooting, and Jason Johnson had a double-double of 23 points and 11 rebounds.

18 December - Thunder release Zafirov

Worthing Thunder Basketball Club today announce that they have released Petroslav Zafirov with immediate effect. The Club would like to place on record their grateful thanks to the player during his spell with Thunder and wish him well in the future.

16 December - New Signing!

Worthing Thunder Basketball Club today announces the signing of exciting 21 year old Lithuanian guard Evaldas Zabas following his release from the Worcester Wolves.  6'2" Zabas, a former Lithuanian under 20 international, moves down to the South Coast from the Midlands and the club hope to get clearance to play him in this coming Saturday's home game against the Leicester Riders.  Thunder fought off competition from elsewhere in the BBL for the Lithuanian's signature and are hopeful that he will settle well in Worthing.

Glasgow Rocks 103 - 85 Worthing Thunder

After an encouraging win over BBL powerhouse Newcastle Eagles last weekend, Dave Titmuss' will be disappointed with his side after the Thunder went down 103-85 to the Glasgow Rocks this evening.

It was the Rocks 20-8 run for the first six minutes of the opening period which put them ahead enough to gain a 27-17 lead at the end of the first period. The second quarter was then a case of the teams exchanging baskets, as the Thunder generally kept the gap to within ten points. The Thunder did trim the deficit to just nine points at 39-28, only for the Rocks new signing Michael Crowell to knock down a long ranger off a pass from Rob Yanders. Ville Makalainen sunk two free throws for the visitors, only for Yanders to find Gareth Murray for an easy layup to extend the Rocks' lead to 15 points at 45-30. The Thunder then struggled to make inroads into such a deficit, as the Rocks shaded a half-time scoreline of 48-34.

The third quarter then saw the Rocks keep their distance between twelve and fifteen points, only for the Thunder to battle back. The Rocks led by as many as 16 points in the quarter, but some good work from imports Reggie Bratton and Sherrad Prezzie-Blue cut the gap to just ten points at 59-49, with 3:38 left in the period. The teams were then fairly even, as a Ryan Marrast basket with four seconds took Worthing to 69-56 down going into the fourth quarter. The final period belonged to the Rocks, as they out scored their opponents 34-29 to seal a comfortable win. They were led by a fine display from American guard Jessie Sapp (26 points). Reggie Bratton led the Thunder scoring with 31 points.

Thunder shoot down Eagles

Worthing Thunder 104 (22,46,76) (Bratton 32, Makalainen 23, Prezzie-Blue 15)
Newcastle Eagles 90 (21,49,72) (Smith 19, Bridge 17, Jackson/Chapman 15)

Worthing Thunder moved back into the play-off positions with a well-earned 104-90 win over reigning BBL champions Newcastle Eagles. Newcastle controlled the first quarter and led by six (15-21) on Reggie Jackson's two. A 6-0 burst by Thunder capped by a Prezzie-Blue three put the home team on top 22-21.

Eagles again put themselves on top to take a 33-40 lead midway through the second quarter and they stretched it out to nine (39-48) before Thunder responded to close to 46-49 at half time.

Thunder were making a habit of ending quarters well and they did it again in the third with an 8-0 tear taking them into the final stanza 76-72 in front. That momentum was carried into the early stages of the fourth quarter with Reggie Bratton's (pictured) three putting Worthing 85-78 up.

Eagles fought hard to trim the gap and were back at three (93-90) on Charles Smith's free throw before an 11-0 run by Thunder to end the match made the victory safe.

Thunder U16's get call up

A squad of twenty-six players have been named to the U16 Men's squad for the build up to next year's FIBA Europe U16 European Championship Division B. Thunder are pleased to announce thay the squad will include three Thunder junior players; Joe Carter , Kyifer Del Mundo and Luke Nelson.

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