On Tuesday night the Wolves hosted the unbeaten Stealers at the Windrush Leisure Centre in downtown Witney. Heading into the game Witney knew they would be facing their most formidable challenge of the season, with the former league champions fielding several National League players on their roster. The team had spent time working on defensive strategies in preparation for their first big game of the year, and felt confident they could pull off the upset.
Starting for Witney were Matt Jura and Tom Iverson at forward, with Mark Gannon, Kuba Szajer and Gary Solis in the backcourt. The plan was to attack Oxford with size, speed and aggressive defence, and get off to a strong start. Stealers won the opening tip, and were immediately under pressure with Witney deflecting passes and forcing them into a turnover. Solis opened the scoring by knocking down an open three to put the Wolves up, and a clear statement had been made. As the first period proggressed, Oxford were forced to work hard offensively by the Wolves' active defence, which alternated between a 2-2-1 full court press and 3-2 zone, and a strong man to man. The Stealers kept their composure and showed why they're considered the league's strongest team by moving the ball well and getting their bigs open for low post buckets, and breaking out for transition scores. Witney were not to be outclassed, however, as Jura began to find his groove on the low block and Gannon picked Oxford guard Jarvis clean for a breakaway layup. At the end of a good first quarter, Stealers led 28-20.