The Wrap

Eight became four in the WBBL Cup this past weekend after the Quarter-Finals took place.

Reigning holders, Manchester Mystics were knocked out of the competition after falling to a 76-86 loss at home to Caledonia Pride.

Rosanna Reynolds starred with 33 points along with five rebounds and five assists, while Tricia Oakes had 14 points and 16 rebounds in the win as Pride advanced to their first-ever Semi-Final in the WBBL.

Lauren Thomas-Johnson poured in 25 points for the Mystics, but their title defence came to an end.

 

Nottingham Wildcats – who were runners-up in last season’s Final – put together a strong performance to inflict a first loss on the season for Sevenoaks Suns.

Ashley Harris posted a 20-point, 12-rebound double-double to lead the Wildcats with a crucial 22-10 final period deciding the contest.

“Our win this weekend was needed,” declared Wildcats’ Siobhan Prior. “The change of mindset from the Championship to the Cup competition gave us a clean slate, after a very difficult start for our club.

“As we expected, it was a tough game from beginning to end, but producing one of our most consistent performances so far enabled us to keep a high level of play, both offensively and defensively, for a good portion of the 40 minutes and helped us to come out on top in the end.

“The focus for us had to be at the defensive end. After a poor showing defensively last week, we knew how important a solid, team defensive performance would be this week.

“We managed to keep the rebounding battle within 2 and for the most part, we didn’t allow easy, shots. I think that was big for us.”

 

She added: “The next goal has to be to take this game into our next and start gaining momentum in the Championship.

“Focussing on the other competitions is going to be important for us this year but just like every season, we need to take each game as it comes and focus on the next game in front of us.

“We are still very cognisant that we need to be better individually and as a team. There is still a lot to work on but it has been a positive weekend for the club.”

Meanwhile, Leicester Riders also advanced to the last four with an impressive 90-74 victory over Westfield Health Sheffield Hatters.

Krumesh Patel’s side pulled clear in the third period en route to victory with a game-high 23 points from Alex Smith.

 

Team Northumbria complete the Semi-Final lineup after they recorded a 58-72 success on the road at Oakland Wolves behind Alison Gorrell’s 19 points.

Kara Bonenberger and Evelyn Ovner also added double-doubles in the win to help their side move within a win of competing for silverware at Arena Birmingham in January.

The Semi-Final draw is as follows:

Nottingham Wildcats v Leicester Riders
Team Northumbria v Caledonia Pride

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