Caledonia Gladiators put together a strong fourth quarter to beat Essex Rebels in a fiercely competitive battle at Playsport on Sunday.

 Djeneba N’diaye led the way with 19 points and seven rebounds in a 69-61 win as the Gladiators remain unbeaten after three games.

Katherine Tudor also had 19 in vain for the Rebels.

Caledonia Gladiators starting five: Robyn lewis, Hannah Robb, Erin Mcgarrachan, Sokhna Binton Lo Sylla, Kirsty Brown.

Essex Rebels starting five: Claire Paxton, Renee Busch, Katherine Tudor, Megan Haines, Darcy Kay Rees

From the start, Essex had a solid defensive plan to disrupt Caledonia’s inside game, forcing them to take outside shots.

And it worked in the first quarter as the Rebels started on a 7-2 run, holding the hosts scoreless for the first three minutes.

Caledonia fought back as Essex’s offence became too reliant on the outside shot, but their defence was stubborn in the first ten minutes that saw both teams shoot under 35% from the field in a physical period.

Leading 15-14, the Gladiators were looking to improve their execution in the second, and they were able to start strongly, racing to a 20-16 cushion in the first three minutes of the second.

Essex struggled to execute themselves in the quarter but looked to Katherine Tudor for inspiration as she connected on a four-point play to give them a lift.

The visitors recovered from their slow start thanks to eight first-half points from Claire Paxton, leading 35-33 at the break.

And the Rebels were able to extend the lead as the third quarter progressed, forcing Caledonia into hard, heavily contested shots as the visitors led 46-39 thanks to a three from Tudor with 3:15 left.

Caledonia were able to respond with a 7-0 spurt with N’diaye knotting the game at 46-46 with a three from the top.

However, there was concern for the hosts with Erin Mcgarrachan on four fouls going into the fourth period and trailing 51-48.

Caledonia persevered in the fourth and baskets from Ariadna Puyol and Kirsty Brown gave them a 54-51 lead with 7:10 left.

Essex were unable to mount a comeback from there, being held to just four points in nearly nine minutes in a one-sided final period.

B. Braun Sheffield Hatters battled to a 94-78 win over Seriös Group Newcastle Eagles at Canon Medical Arena.

Desiree Ramos came off the bench to lead Sheffield with 20 points, supported by 14 from Carla Drennan, as they hit 21 points from the foul line.

Chloe Gaynor and Marina Fernandez both had 18 points for the Eagles.

B.Braun Sheffield Hatters starting five: Carla Drennan, Nicolette Fairley, Georgia Gayle, Emma Eichmeyer, Madison Washington

Seriös Group Newcastle Eagles starting five: Chloe Gaynor, Zoe Willis, Marina Fernandez, Abby Lowe, Katie Nolan

In a relatively even first four minutes, the Hatters started to coast away as a three-pointer from Great Britain international Georgia Gayle gave her side a 17-10 advantage.

That quickly became a double-digit lead towards the end of the first, thanks to a bucket from Nicolette Fairley, giving Sheffield a 29-19 cushion before settling for an eight-point lead after one.

In the second period, the hosts began to flex their muscles, with their lead peaking at 18 points and Newcastle failing to stop their counterparts from playing their attacking brand of basketball.

But the Eagles – true to their competitive nature – battled, and a score from Fernandez towards the end of the half narrowed matters to 53-42.

And battle Newcastle did as they took advantage of subpar execution from the Hatters with a three from Abby Lowe reducing the deficit further to 58-55 midway through.

The hosts didn’t just survive but thrived as they found a second wind to extend their lead to 75-61 after three quarters thanks to a 9-0 finish.

That run proved to be the dagger, with Newcastle never troubling the Hatters despite decent spells in the final ten.