The 66-50 victory against Wangaratta on Saturday night was comfortable but the coach was not impressed.

“While this win was important, we still have a lot to work on if we are going to be a force come finals time,” Merrilees said.

“It was good to get back on court together after eight weeks off but there weren’t too many positives to take out of the match.”

The win boosted the Wolves’ chances of claiming top spot after Shepparton lost to Seymour.

Wodonga started well and established a nine-point lead midway through the first quarter on the back of some creative play from Jack Duck and good finishing by Broady Mills.

But the Warriors found their range late in the first.

A buzzer-beating three-pointer by Ian Pople cut the quarter-time lead to four.

However, a 10-point second quarter from Duck, who finished with a game-high 23 points, inspired the Wolves to a commanding 15-point half-time lead, a buffer they maintained during a scrappy second half.

Although the Wolves had plenty of scoring chances in the second half, they were unable to sink their shots and with Wangaratta’s dominant interior presence, were limited in their second shot opportunities.

“Wang have a habit of crowding up the paint and making it difficult to execute,” Merrilees said.

“We got sucked in and frustrated far too easily for my liking.”

Heath Ohlin finished with 13 points for the winners while Daniel Suter (11) was Wangaratta’s leading scorer.

The Lady Wolves had the bye.