WBBL Championship
Sevenoaks Suns 62-41 Leicester Riders (20-14, 32-21, 49-31)
(Suns – Monakana 16, Wurtz 15, Carr 12; Riders – Robb 12, Stone 12, Hamilton 10)

Sevenoaks Suns managed to keep the pressure on London Lions for the WBBL Championship title on Friday after defeating Leicester Riders at home, 62-41.

Bouncing back from a surprising defeat to Nottingham Wildcats on Wednesday, the Suns returned home to host the visiting Riders, determined to keep hot on the toes of London for the league title, and their determination showed as the home side managed to take a six point lead in the first quarter after a competitive opening few minutes from Riders.

Backed by leading scorers Janice Monakana and Frankie Wurtz, plus a near double-double for captain Cat Carr, 12 points and eight rebounds, the Suns produced a powerful second quarter performance, outscoring Riders 12-7 to give themselves an 11 point lead going into half-time.

A 9-0 run in the third quarter saw Suns extend that lead to 20 to give themselves a comfortable lead as the final period commenced. A still determined Riders side however managed to cut that lead back down to 14 in the first five minutes of the fourth quarter, but an additional 8-0 Suns run, led by Carr and Monakana, saw the home side retain a 22-point lead, enough to see off the remaining two minutes of the game and to keep their title hopes alive.