Author: WinstonSalemWolves

Wolves Advance To Second Round With Win Over Carolina Chosen Lions

The Winston-Salem Wolves advanced to the second round of the 2024 ECBL playoffs with a win over the Carolina Chosen Lions on Saturday, June 8, 134-107.

Head Coach Antonio Robinson said it took a total team effort to get the win, which is the first playoff win for the Wolves since the 2019 season.

The win over the Lions sets up a rematch with the Petersburg Cavaliers, who handed the Wolves a loss in the final regular season game this year. The Wolves are looking to return to the ECBL title game, coming out of a loaded Northern Conference this season.

The matchup against Petersburg will take place at a neutral site in Fayetteville.

Wolves Face Chosen Lions In First Round of ECBL Playoffs

Winston-Salem Wolves vs NC Capitals 2024 Jahlil Rawley

The Winston-Salem Wolves will travel to Charlotte for the first round of the ECBL playoffs, as multiple playoff games are being held at one site for the 2024 postseason.

The Wolves will face the Carolina Chosen Lions for the first round on June 8th, a team they’ve faced and defeated earlier in the season. Tip off is 5pm at Mountain Island Fitness in Charlotte.

The Wolves enter the playoffs without starting guard Mike Chambers, who suffered a knee injury in the final regular season game and will be out for the remainder of the season. Despite this, the Wolves still enter the postseason with a strong backcourt, including point guard Jahlil Rawley and Mike Hughes, both of whom are capable of scoring and will work to make up for the loss of Chambers.

Wolves Fall To Petersburg On The Road; Playoffs Up Next

Winston-Salem Wolves 2024 Antonio Robinson

The Winston-Salem Wolves had the chance to grab the #1 seed for the ECBL playoffs in a road game against the Petersburg Cavaliers on Saturday, but fell 136-128 in what has become an annual event: the Wolves vs the Cavaliers for the Northern Conference regular season title. Unfortunately for the Wolves, they were unable to secure the regular season title, which would have been the second in a row for the team.

However, after finishing 10-3 on the season, the Wolves now turn to the playoffs and next weekend they will host the Carolina Chosen Lions out of Rocky Mount, NC in the first round of the 2024 ECBL playoffs and the bid to make a run for the ECBL title. The Wolves have appeared in one previous ECBL Championship in 2019, despite making the playoffs in 4 of their 5 active seasons. Head coach Antonio Robinson feels his team is poised to make another run at the trophy, and the first step will be getting past the first round of the playoffs.

Game times and dates will be announced this week.

Wolves Fight For #1 Seed; Heading To Virginia For A Showdown

Winston-Salem Wolves vs SC Upstate Redhawks ECBL 2024

By all accounts, the Winston-Salem Wolves have had another great season – they’ve secured a solid winning record, a playoff berth, twice knocked off teams ranked #1 in the ECBL, and currently hold the #1 position in the ECBL power rankings. But the #1 playoff seed for the Northern Conference still hasn’t been set – the final showdown for that prize will happen this weekend in Petersburg, VA as the Wolves hit the road for their final regular season game. The Wolves control their own destiny – win, they’ve got a first round bye; lose, and they’ll be hosting the lower seed in the first round of the ECBL playoffs.

The game on June 1 in Petersburg tips at 5pm EDT as the Petersburg Cavaliers are also chasing the top playoff spot. There’s a bit of deja vu here – this will makr the third time that the Wolves and Cavaliers have faced each other to battle for the top playoff seed. The Wolves came out on top last year, but this year the Cavaliers hold the home court advantage.

Of course, playoff seeding isn’t the holy grail when chasing a championship – the Wolves have held the #1 seed twice – most recently last season – and yet haven’t yet gotten to hoist the championship trophy. In 2019, the inaugural season, the Wolves managed to get to the title game but fell to the defending champion PrimeTime Players; in 2023, the Wolves fell in the first round to the NC Capitals. Many of the team members from 2023 are well aware of the perils of the playoffs, and are ready to tackle it regardless of seeding.

For more updates, follow the Wolves on social media for playoff date announcements, as well as here on WSWolves.com!

Chasing Playoff Seeding: Wolves Still On Top – For Now

Winston-Salem Wolves 2024 Playoffs

The Winston-Salem Wolves have held the number one playoff seed since defeating the DC Heat at home on April 14, but keeping that seed ranking certainly hasn’t been a cake walk.

Following the win over the Heat, the Wolves travelled to Fayetteville to face a team that had been on a six game winning streak and only one game out of the top seed – additionally, the Wolves had dropped their earlier game to Fayetteville and losing again would mean the Wolves would fall behind if the seeding came down to a tiebreaker. The Wolves managed to eke out the win on the road and hold onto that top seed – for now.

After falling to the Wolves, the DC Heat continued to win, as did the Petersburg Cavaliers, both of whom now only have two losses each; the Heat are 11-2 on the season, with a 9-2 conference record, and Petersburg is 9-2 overall with a 7-2 conference record. This means that despite only a few games remaining in the regular season, the playoff seeding isn’t set, and the Wolves need to remain focused.

The Wolves only have one regular season game on the schedule, June 1 at Petersburg, while the Cavaliers have two games left before the playoffs. On May 25, they will face the NC Capitals before returning home to host the Wolves. Meanwhile, the DC Heat have wrapped up their regular season and can only wait to see if the Wolves drop their final game. A Wolves win clinches the number one seed, but a loss would push DC into the number one spot – DC defeated Petersburg earlier in the season and holds the tiebreaker if both Petersburg and DC finish with the same record.

Of course, playoff seeding is only one factor that matters in the postseason, as the Wolves are well aware. Last season the Wolves grabbed the number one playoff seed only to lose in the first round of the playoffs, a sting that the current team is well aware of. The team is focused on not only returning to the playoffs, which they’ve now clinched, but also making a serious run at the ECBL title.

Wolves Defeat KLBC To Stay On Top Of The Playoff Hunt

Winston-Salem Wolves vs DC Heat

The Winston-Salem Wolves secured their fifth win in a row over the visiting Kingdom Life Basketball Club to secure both their 10th win of the season and continue to hold on to the number one playoff seed, with one game remaining in the regular season.

The Wolves led throughout the game, building a 12 point lead in the second quarter before KLBC was able to put together a run of their own and cut the lead to a single digit. However in the second half, the Wolves pulled away and led by 20 for most of the fourth quarter. Head Coach Antonio Robinson was able to rest his regular starters for extended periods during the third and fourth quarters as the Wolves cruised to a win, 111-91.

This win keeps the Wolves in the number one seed position headed to the playoffs; however, with only a single game remaining in the regular season, the final seeding is still very much up for grabs. The DC Heat, who the Wolves defeated earlier in the season, hold the same record as the Wolves and the Petersburg Cavaliers are only one win behind at 9-2 on the season. Winston-Salem will hit the road on June 1 to face Petersburg in another season ending battle for playoff positioning.

The victory over Kingdom Life improved the Wolves record to 10-2 on the season, a follow up to the successful conference regular season title in 2023, and set the Wolves up for another run at the ECBL title.

Wolves To Return Home To Host KLBC on May 19

Winston-Salem Wolves team huddle 2024

The Winston-Salem Wolves, fresh off their fourth win in a row after hitting the road to Fayetteville, are poised to return home to host Kingdom Life Basketball Club on May 19.

The home game versus KLBC will be the final regular season home game for the Wolves, who are currently ranked #1 in the ECBL power rankings and holding the #1 playoff seed with only two games remaining in the regular season.

The Wolves have had a very successful season thus far and are hoping to finish strong as they head into the playoffs.

The game against KLBC tips at 3pm and will be played at the Forsyth Tech Bolton Campus gym.

The playoff picture isn’t set – despite the Wolves defeating the DC Heat earlier in the season, the Heat and Wolves are both 9-2 overall, so if the Wolves or Heat drop one of their last games, it could change the playoff seeding. Fayetteville continues to be in the mix, having been one of only two teams to defeat the Wolves this season – which is exactly why the win over Fayetteville was so critical at this point in the season.

KLBC has struggled this season and continues to look for their second win on the season – but the Wolves are aware that they cannot overlook anyone in the ECBL despite the records.

Following the game against KLBC, the Wolves hit the road for a tough season finale against the Petersburg Cavaliers.

With Playoff Seeding On The Line, Wolves Hit The Road

Winston-Salem Wolves vs SC Upstate Redhawks 2024

On May 11, the Winston-Salem Wolves will hit the road again to face the Fayetteville Panthers with playoff seeding on the line.

While the Wolves come into the game with an 8-2 record and ranked #1 in the ECBL power rankings for the second week in a row, they are facing one of only two teams to hand them a defeat this season in the Panthers, who come in with an 8-3 record and boasting a six game winning streak.

The Wolves will be reliant on a deeper bench than in the first game, but both teams have their sights on the postseason with potentially the number one seeding in the balance.

The DC Heat are also chasing the number one seed with a 9-2 record of their own, with the only on-court loss of the season coming from the Wolves.

If the Wolves are able to secure a road win in Fayetteville, they would have split the regular season match ups with the Panthers and maintain their position with the overall won-loss record.

The game in Fayetteville tips at 5 pm for fans looking to attend at Berean Baptist Academy, 518 Glensford Drive, Fayetteville NC.

Following the road game, the Wolves will return to Winston-Salem for their final home game of the season on May 19.

Winston-Salem Wolves And The ECBL Playoff Landscape

Winston-Salem Wolves 2024 Antonio Robinson Jahlil Rawley

If the season ended today, the Wolves would hold the #1 seed in the ECBL playoffs for the second season in a row – but of course, the season isn’t over.

With a record of 8-2 overall, the Wolves definitely control their own destiny in playoff seeding; however, with a few weeks left in the regular season, nothing has been settled – so let’s take a moment and review the playoff landscape before the final push.

Close on the heels of the Wolves are the Fayetteville Panthers – with a record of 8-3, the Panthers are one of only two teams to hand the Wolves a loss this season. There were a few contributing factors in the loss – the Wolves were short handed, on the road and playing the second game of a back-to-back when they last lost to the Panthers. However, the Panthers have proven to be a quality team this season, winning their last 6 games. The Wolves travel again to play Fayetteville on April 11, so this matchup could create a tie at the top of the division and the tiebreaker would go to the Panthers.

The Wolves have one home game remaining on the schedule – May 19th against Kingdom Life Basketball Club, who have yet to secure a win in the 2024 season and suffered a loss to the Wolves earlier in the season. Following that, the Wolves hit the road again to face another playoff contender, the Petersburg Cavaliers, who won the conference title in both the last two seasons.

Elsewhere in the conference, the DC Heat have been a force, compiling a 7-2 record with only one loss on the court, to the Wolves. The other loss on their record was by forfeit, so the lone loss to Winston-Salem is significant and puts them in a position where they need to win out the remainder of their season and hope for a loss from other teams.

The playoff seedings in the Northern Conference may not be set, but several teams seem to have a spot secured: Winston-Salem, Fayetteville, DC, Rowan County and Petersburg. Where those teams are positioned is still up in the air. Rowan County could be the dark horse, being the only other team to defeat Winston-Salem this season, and despite a slow start, have built a 7-4 record.

For full details in the remaining schedule, be sure to check out the Schedule & Results page.

Wolves Move To 8-2 On The Season With Win Over NC Capitals

Winston-Salem Wolves 2024 Team Photo

The Winston-Salem Wolves improved to 8-2 on the season with a win over the visiting NC Capitals on Sunday, April 28 by a score of 124-107.

The Wolves led throughout the game, despite the Capitals keeping within striking distance, cutting the lead to 6 multiple times, before the Wolves pulled away in the 3rd and 4th quarters to seal the win.

The win keeps the Wolves in the #1 seed spot for the playoffs, but with an upcoming game against the Fayetteville Panthers, the playoff seeding is definitely not set. The Wolves will have to close the final three regular season games as strong as possible in order to secure the best seeding.

Following the win, the Wolves will hit the road to face Fayetteville on May 11, before returning home on May 19 to face Kingdom Life Basketball Club.

For the current schedule and dates, visit the Schedule & Results page.

Note that the remaining home games are being played at the Forsyth Tech Community College campus, located at 1300 Bolton Street in Winston-Salem.