Dziki Warszawa, in the presence of almost 200 season ticket holders, played their first friendly match this season in front of their home crowd (and their second on their pitch in general) before the upcoming games. Our rival was Anwil W łocławek - the winner of the last regular season and 3-time Polish champion. Unexpectedly, after an exciting ending, the friendly match ended in a 76:76 draw.
The first quarter was even and the fight was fierce. The players' commitment did not indicate that it was just a pre-season friendly. For most of the opening part of the match, the Dziki maintained a several-point advantage. And so the first part ended after Piotr Pamuła threw a three-pointer for 19:14, seconds before the end .
After a little over a minute of the second quarter, Anwil equalized, and a moment later Emmanuel Akot gave the guests the lead (19:21). Anwil tried to jump back, after the second three-pointer in the game by Karol Gruszecki it was already 20:26, and a moment later the guests had a seven-point advantage (22:29). However, the Wild did not give up. After Krzysztof Sulima fouled Denzel Andersson during a three-pointer attempt, the Swede used three free throws and the score was tied at 29:29. The end of the second half belonged to the home team, and the score at halftime was set at 37:33 by the new playmaker Rickey McGill with a spectacular three-pointer from... the half of the court .
Wild escape after the break
After the break, the Dziki went into fifth gear and drove away - first after a three-pointer by Janari Joesaar for six points (44:38), and in the middle of the quarter even for twelve points (55:43 and 57:45 after an individual finish by Mateusz Szlachetka). Both teams closed the quarter with an 8-point advantage for the hosts (62:54).
Later, however, Anwil started to make up for the losses, and after four minutes of play and Justin Turner's action, it was only 62:61. But Dziki Warsaw showed character. The action , in which they fought for the ball practically on the ground, was crowned by Jarosław Mokros with a three-pointer and it was 67:61, with three and a half minutes left on the clock. Gruszecki also responded with a three-pointer, and a moment later Michał Michalak, and we had a tie at 67. 2+1 by Janari gave the Dziki a breather (70:67). After more successful actions, the same player summed up one of them with a dunk, it was 74:67. However, three-pointers by Gruszecki and Kamil Łączyński - the second one 1.6 seconds before the end - changed the final result to… a draw 76:76.
- When the fans come, everything takes on a different, even greater meaning and the players react differently. This was visible in the pace of our game and the energy we had in this match. It was at a much higher level than in the first three friendlies - said coach Krzysztof Szablowski , asked about the high level of commitment and the emotional level of the friendlies, which in terms of sportsmanship and fierce fighting resembled a league match.
Dziki Warsaw - Anwil Wloclawek 76:76 (19:14, 18:19, 25:21, 14:22)
Wild: McGlynn 18, Andersson 14, Joesaar 13, McGill 10, Szlachetka 8, Pamuła 5, Mokro 4, Aleksandrowicz 3, Grochowski 1.
Anwil: Gruszecki 21, Michalak 16, Petrasek 7, Ongenda 6, Taylor 6, Turner 6, Łączyński 5, Akot 4, Lazarski 3, Sulima 2.
Damian Juszczyk
Wild Warsaw / SEC Newgate CEE