Great Britain’s wheelchair basketball team made an emphatic start to their Paris Paralympics campaign with an easy win over Germany, 76-55, in the opening Group A match at the Bercy Arena on Thursday. The star of the evening was Gregg Warburton, who accumulated 24 points en route to his convincing victory. Already a two-time Paralympic bronze medallist from the 2016 and 2020 Games, Warburton showed his scoring capabilities but also admitted weaknesses in his performance.
The 27-year-old Lancashire native, born with an abnormality to his left arm and having both feet amputated at six months, remained humble after his great showing: “It’s far from perfect,” Warburton admitted after missing some easy shots. In the end, though, he underscored that it was a needed win: “We’ve got a lot of work still to do, but first one in the books, good start.” He was grateful for a receptive crowd, saying, “It was an honor to play in front of such a good crowd,” as thousands attended.
The team of Britain sprinted out of the blocks in the first quarter with Warburton scoring the team’s first points assisted by its captain Philip James Pratt. Though having an early lead, the German team led by Matthias Guntner fought back in the second quarter. Guntner found his rhythm and ended the game with 19 points to help Germany close it to a seven-point gap at halftime, leading Britain 32-25.
During the third quarter, it became more aggressive because an important three-pointer was sunk by Thomas Boehme, getting the leading team’s margin to just four points. It was now assumed that the tide was in Germany’s favor because Britain’s shots were not going in while Warburton kept on scoring for his team. Adding to that were crucial free throws from Ben Fox.
By the end of the third quarter, Britain had extended the lead to a 10-point buffer into the last quarter. In the last stretch of the game, the British were too strong for the Germans as they eased through for a comfortable victory with a 21-point difference. This victory hands Great Britain a solid start in this tournament as they seek to build on this momentum in the games to come.
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Jawad Shah