March 25, 2018 Cornelius, NC – The Winston-Salem Wolves fought back from a 12-point early game deficit to garner a road win over the Charlotte Tribe in ECBL minor league action on Sunday.
This game was and anticipated matchup between two teams that have experienced early season success, with the Wolves coming in undefeated and the Tribe only suffering a single loss on the year. The game was back and forth in the early minutes, but Charlotte took advantage of hot outside shooting to quickly build a 12 point lead and two quick fouls on LePreece Lynch, one of the primary scorers this season for the Wolves, was forced to remain on the bench for much of the first half.
The Wolves were then able to successfully climb back into the game by driving to the bucket and getting to the foul line, and managed to chip away at the Tribe lead until finally retaking the lead just before the half, with bench scoring from Lynch and Joshea Singleton. A deep three from the Tribe’s Robert Brown tied it at the half, 68-68 and both teams went to the locker rooms looking to make adjustments for the second half.
The second half was a battle of lead changes and comebacks, as the Wolves were able to build a lead but the Tribe continued to work their way back, eventually retaking the lead. Despite the back-and-forth lead exchanges, with less than three minutes to go, Wolves guard Khadier Fulcher drove to the basket and was fouled, and his free throws put the Wolves up for good. During the final minute the Tribe was forced to foul but the Wolves were able to close the game out and walk away with a win, 125-117.
Despite the early foul trouble, the leading scorer for Winston-Salem was LePreece Lynch, with 29 points and 11 rebounds for his third double-double on the season. Forward Zalinor Banks added 24 points and 9 boards, while starting point guard Antonio Robinson put together another solid stat line of 22 points, 10 assists, 5 rebounds and 4 steals.
The Wolves overcame poor shooting from deep by getting to the free throw line, and not turning the ball over, with 29 team assists to only 8 turnovers.
With the win, the Wolves improve to 4-0 on the season and remain atop the Northeast Division standings. The team will face the Carolina Chosen Lions (Rocky Mount) at home in Winston-Salem on Saturday, March 30, before heading back out on the road to Columbia on Sunday for the second part of a back-to-back weekend.
The Charlotte Tribe dropped to 3-2 on the season after two tough losses over the weekend to defending league champs PrimeTime Players (Fort Mill) and Winston-Salem. The Tribe are currently second in the Southwest Division standings.
