Essex Rebels are the first name into the Women’s British Basketball League Trophy Final, after beating Manchester Giants 80-70 in a game where they took the lead early on and never gave it up.

It was a battle of the frontcourt substitutes, with Tyra Whitehead and Sydney Hunter both contributing eye-watering numbers off the bench. Whitehead finished with 19 points and 18 rebounds to keep the visitors at arms length, despite them fighting back through Hunter who racked up 23 and 17 of her own.

Despite Manchester’s valiant fightback to stay in the game, they couldn’t finish the job as Essex locked in on defence down the stretch.

Starting fives:
Essex Rebels: Claire Paxton, Renee Busch, Katherine Tudor, Megan Haines, Darcy Kay Rees.
Manchester Giants: Lauren Thomas-Johnson, Brooklyn McAlear-Fanus, Georgia Anderson, Myah Pace, Hannah Shaw.

First Half

Kat Tudor got the first bucket of the ball game after nearly three minutes of play had gone. It was a scrappy start from both sides with turnovers at both ends and clear looks at the basket not falling.

Brooklyn McAlear-Fanus responded with a floater for two before Tudor followed up with the game’s first triple.

Essex were the side in the ascendancy, and pushed out to a 15-8 lead as the threes continued to fall, this time Claire Paxton and Renee Busch getting in on the act. 

McAlear Fanus got seven of the first 10 Giants points, but it wasn’t enough to cut into the deficit. Rebels were rising to the occasion and led 21-11 after one.

The second quarter started quicker than the first, with the sides trading scores early. Manchester’s introduction of Hunter into the game saw the scoring spread around the team and reel in the hosts.

Giants went on a 10-3 run to make it a three-point ball game, with Georgia Anderson’s effort from deep forcing Essex head coach, Ashley Cookson into calling a timeout.

The game started to increase in physicality as the sides forced each other to work for their scores. Every time Essex found the bottom of the basket, Manchester would respond right back.

Tia Freeman and Whitehead were posing problems in the paint for the Giants defence – Whitehead pulled down 12 boards in the first half alone. Hunter took her total to double-figures, and was able to keep the visitors in touching distance.

Tudor thought her three was the perfect end to the half, but McAlear-Fanus cut through the defence, finishing at the rim with the foul. She couldn’t get the and-one to go and Essex were up 39-34 at the halfway stage.

Second Half

The energy continued to run high at the start of the second half, with this tie shaping up nicely to go the distance with both sides slugging it out. McAlear-Fanus and Hunter continued to drive Manchester forward, with the latter quickly notching up her double-double.

Myah Pace strung together some jump shots to cut the deficit, but Dayzsha Rogan piled on some quick scores to keep the hosts in front.

Whitehead also claimed her double-double following a pair of fadeaways in the key, putting Rebels 57-50 up.

She continued adding to her points tally from the free-throw line and was the go-to scorer late in the third. Her lay-up in the final seconds cancelled out a pair of Giant foul shots and restored an eight point lead going into the fourth.

With Essex up 63-55, Manchester needed to combine their scores with tough defence. Tudor was giving the Giants nightmares and put up the side’s first five of the quarter, responding to Hunter’s three-ball immediately.

Rebels took control of the tie again through Busch who made it a 10-point game, with Whitehead following up with the finish.

Hannah Shaw’s first points of the game came from behind the arc and silenced the home crowd with the clock winding down.

Neither side was holding back. Going into the final minute Essex still led by a few and milked the clock at every opportunity.

The Giants couldn’t capitalise on two misses from Darcy Kay Rees from the line. They had to foul to keep their hopes alive, but Essex got the job done and booked their place at the Utilita Arena.

Rebels defended home court with an 80-70 win, and cemented themselves as Betty Codona Trophy finalists. Their opponents in Birmingham will be decided tomorrow when London Lions travel to the B. Braun Sheffield Hatters at the Canon Medical Arena.

Player of the Game

Tyra Whitehead was the player of the game and did it all for the Essex Rebels. She finished with an insane stat line of 19 points, 18 rebounds and seven assists to see her side into the Trophy Final, keeping Manchester Giants at bay when they threatened to come back.

Player	Team	Points	Rebounds	Assists
Tyra Whitehead	Essex Rebels	19	18	7
Kat Tudor	Essex Rebels	21	7	3
Sydney Hunter	Manchester Giants	23	17	1
Brooklyn McAlear-Fanus	Manchester Giants	17	9	6