Rebels run riot in Nottingham, Eagles fly to victory

WBBL Championship

Nottingham Wildcats 50-65 Essex Rebels (12-23, 33-38, 40-55)

(Wildcats: Nicholas, 23; Shaw, 6; Ashton/Gyles, 4 – Rebels: Turner, 23; Paxton, 12; Swart, 11)

Newcastle Eagles 99-72 Oaklands Wolves (25-16, 46-33, 67-55)

(Eagles: Fernandez Pardo/Nolan, 22; Lewis/Justinak, 18; Gaynor, 10 – Wolves: George, 22; Gould, 15; Carrasco-Fernandez/Smith, 12)

Making up the first matchup for WBBL Championship Saturday, the Nottingham Wildcats hosted Essex Rebels. Both teams, who reside next to each other in the standings, with four points apiece, looked eager to put out an energetic performance.

High-energy was certainly on the cards in the opening minutes, as Essex’s supreme Sune Swart went toe-to-toe with Nottingham’s fearless Kennedy Nicholas.

A great defensive start enabled Essex to start the better, forcing a handful of turnovers, frustrating the Wildcats attack. With Essex debutant Daniela Turner‘s perfectly timed steal resulting in another two points, the hosts were forced into exhausting a timeout to regroup.

While a pretty three-point shot fell for Rebels guard Ashleigh Munns, Nottingham’s speedy forward Imani Whittington responded with a strong contested left-handed layup down at the other end.

Essex, however, were finding their range early, going three for six from beyond the arc to carve out a comfortable advantage, with the first quarter winding down.

The trailing Wildcats begun the second period of action in stellar fashion. In particular, Nicholas and Kayla Shaw combined to convert layups, three-pointers, as well as take visits to the free-throw line off the back of great attacking play – Essex’s advantage cut down significantly.

With Nottingham scoring ten points uninterrupted, the lead changed hands routinely. Nicholas provided Nottingham with their first lead of the competition, while Rebels responded with a pair of Claire Paxton jump-shots and a second three-point conversion for Andrea Kohlhaas to keep the teams even.

Six lead changes concluded a dramatic first half. Rebels, however, ahead by a hair.

The game remained closely contested as it ventured into the second half. An array of shifty ball-handling moves from Nottingham guard Brahe Ashton enabled the Wildcats attack to flow well.

However, Turner’s equally crafty moves provided the Rebels with valuable points, maintaining the Essex lead. Kohlhaas’s third three-point conversion put the Rebels ahead by 15, as the penultimate quarter reached its conclusion with Essex firmly in the lead.

Last quarter action pitted Nicholas against an undeterred Swart. Both key players exchanged baskets early; Nicholas with a fierce post-move layup, Swart a staggering three-point shot from the top of the arc.

A name to be remembered across WBBL teams this season, Daniela Turner continued to dismantle Nottingham’s defence, amassing 23 points, 5 rebounds and 4 assists while spearheading the Rebels attack, as the visitors sealed a 15-point victory.

Closing out Saturday’s WBBL Championship fixture ticket, the Newcastle Eagles faced-off with a revitalised Oaklands Wolves side, whose recent arrival Cassidy Gould entered the contest as the league leader in points per game (22.7).

The contest began with brilliant Newcastle defensive effort, helping Antoinette Lewis get on the scoreboard early – their leading scorer averaging just shy of 20 points per game.

With a swooping start, Eagles sharpshooter Maria Fernandez Pardo drained two three-pointers to get the host team fired up. Not to be counted out, Oaklands’ Eva Karasaite replied with a three-point shot of her own.

Despite a relentless Newcastle full-court press defence, which forced 12 first-quarter turnovers, Oaklands’ Grace George and Vanessa Obanor connected perfectly, leading to a much-needed score.

With Fernandez Pardo up to double figure scoring very early on, the Eagles closed out a commanding first quarter.

A scoreless two minutes of play courtesy of some great defence from both sides, a clever Chloe Gaynor layup got the Eagles first on the board in the second quarter.

In similar fashion, a strong inside move from George begun Oaklands’ second quarter scoring. A sneaky steal and score from Jorjah Smith helped to keep the Wolves within single digits of Newcastle.

Maggie Justinak was able to break down the Oaklands defence for a stylish and-one floater, while Lewis continued to serve as the defensive anchor for the Eagles, tallying three first half steals to her name.

Gould’s consecutive baskets, featuring a three-point conversion, helped to keep Oaklands in contention. However, a corner three pointer from Rachael Bland, followed up closely by a Lewis layup placed the Eagles up by 16 with a minute left in the first half of action.

The third period of the game began with a calculated press break play by the Oakland Wolves to set up Miriam Carrasco-Menendez for the layup.

Fernandez Pardo continued with her shooting display, knocking her third basket from beyond the arc, without a miss. A burst of points through forward Katie Nolan allowed the Eagles to widen their advantage.

An 11-3 run for the Wolves in the closing minutes, punctuated by an electrifying Daisy Porter three-point shot, pathed the way for a potential comeback. However, Gaynor and Justinak’s combined attacking prowess gave the Eagles a decisive boost as the Eagles’ lead endured, heading into the last period.

Beginning the final quarter, many eyes were fixed to Eagles guard Justinak, whose 13 points, 8 rebounds, 8 assists across three quarters of the game showed hints of a triple-double performance.

Oaklands’ George continued her scoring clinic, clinching 21 points midway into the last quarter. As for the Eagles, Lewis was able to muscle her way down in the post for a tough layup, grabbing a handful of offensive rebounds in the process – the first player in the contest to notch a double-double, in points and rebounds.

With four players on 15 or more points, the Eagles were successful in edging out a young Oaklands Wolves side.

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