Palatinates edge Archers, Rebels slay Wildcats, Riders cruise to victory over Eagles

Durham Palatinates, Essex Rebels and Leicester Riders all picked up wins in the Women’s British Basketball League Championship.

Cardiff Met Archers 69-73 Durham Palatinates

Cardiff Met Archers starting five:  Abigail Yunker, Cami Barone, Lara Habling, Jenna Hoschouer, Haylee Saurette,

Durham Palatinates starting five: Janika Griffith Wallace, Elle Hendershot, Eliza Brault, Katie Bennett, Harriet Ottewill-Soulsby

Cardiff Met Archers missed out on their first win of the season as they narrowly avoided victory against Durham Palatinates, who won for the first time in three months, beating The Archers 73-69.

First Half

The Palatinates started on the stronger foot at the beginning of the first quarter.

Janika Griffith-Wallace and Elle Hendershot shined to give The Palatinates a 14-point lead.

But by the end of the quarter, the Archers had found their rhythm and halved the gap they had.

Going into the second quarter, they continued with this momentum and Haylee Saurette was the difference maker, bagging 8 points herself.

With this performance, the Archers overcame the deficit and were leading by one point at the end of the first half with the score being 36-35.

Second Half

The momentum was still with the Archers, as Haylee Saurette continued to shine, with her good form scoring only 12 seconds into the half.

They had a 9-point advantage over the Palatinates, but a strong final few minutes at the end of the penultimate quarter saw that advantage be demolished to only two points.

However, the Archers were still in pole position to grab their first win of the season. But there was a roadblock in their way and that was Griffith-Wallace.

13 points in the final quarter for the Palatinates, she was the difference maker and crushed the hopes and dreams of the Archers by denying them their first win of the season.

The Palatinates won by a 4-point advantage over the Archers.

UNBEATABLE Player of the Game

The Player of the Game was Janika Griffith-Wallace. If it was not for her brilliance in the final quarter, Durham Palatinates would have not sealed the victory. Her impressive performance of 24 points, 13 of which came in that magical final quarter, 7 rebounds and 3 assists made her the difference-maker today.

Team Player Points Rebounds Assists
Cardiff Met Archers Haylee Saurette 28 12 0
Cardiff Met Archers Molly James 11 2 2
Durham Palatinates Janika Griffith-Wallace 24 7 3
Durham Palatinates Eliza Brault 14 6 0

Essex Rebels 91-69 Nottingham Wildcats

Essex Rebels starting five:  Claire Paxton, Katherine Tudor, Megan Haines, Dayzsha Rogan, Darcy Kay Rees,

Nottingham Wildcats starting five: Abbey Whitehouse, Mari Stewart, Jessica Wayne, Brooke Bjelko, Jiselle Havas

Essex Rebels ended the three-game winning streak of Nottingham Wildcats to make it 5 on the bounce for them, by winning 91-69 against The Wildcats.

First Half

The Wildcats took the lead over a minute into the first quarter, but shortly after the Rebels tied things up.

This set the story for how the first quarter would play out.

The Rebels took an early lead thanks to Dayzsha Rogan. They built up a six-point advantage over the Wildcats.

But a chaotic final two minutes saw the Wildcats tie things up at 17-17 at the end of the first quarter.

However, the second quarter was not like the first.

A strong team effort led by Rogan, saw the Rebels dominate and pull a 14-point advantage over the Wildcats at the end of the first half.

Second Half

The Wildcats were determined not to give up even when they were 14 points behind.

A comeback was still on the cards, and that was the case. Lead by Brooke Bjelko.

Scoring 11 points in the third quarter, she helped close the gap to The Rebels to only 8 points.

But it was not meant to be. The Rebels showed why they were near the top of the table.

A strong offensive mixed with an impenetrable defence saw The Rebels outscore The Wildcats 23-9 in the final quarter.

The final score was 91-69 in Essex Rebels favour.

UNBEATABLE Player of the Game

The Player of the Game was Essex Rebels Dayzsha Rogan. Her impressive performance throughout the match was the reason as to why The Rebels were as dominate as they were, with an impressive 26 points, 5 rebounds and 2 assists.

Team Player Points Rebounds Assists
Essex Rebels Dayzsha Rogan 26 5 2
Essex Rebels Claire Paxton 17 4 1
Nottingham Wildcats Brooke Bjelko 23 6 0
Nottingham Wildcats Mari Stewart 13   10 0

Seriös Group Newcastle Eagles 57-77 Leicester Riders

Seriös Group Newcastle Eagles starting five:  Chloe Gaynor, Marina Fernandez Pardo, Abigail Lowe, Lauren Saiki, Tierra Hodges


Leicester Riders starting five: Taylor O’Brien, Rayven Peeples, Marissa Hamilton, Samantha Ashby, Mckenzie Johnston

A shaky start for the Leicester Riders saw them take home the win against Seriös Group Newcastle Eagles by winning 77-57 with a dominant final quarter.

First Half

Newcastle Eagles were the stronger team in the first quarter and saw them have the edge over the Riders.

A solid team effort saw them have a 5-point advantage going into the second quarter.

But The Riders were not playing around, as they looked to turn things around.

With help from Sam Ashby, the Riders tied the score up and then went further by pulling out a gap of their own.

The Riders ended the first half with a 9-point lead. Having gone from behind to lead at the end of the half 33-24 over The Eagles.

Second Half

As they did in the first half, the Eagles were quicker out of the gates.

With thanks to Tierra Hodges, The Eagles closed the gap to only a 4-point advantage. Bringing the score line to 43-47 at the end of the penultimate quarter.

It was still anyone’s game to win heading into the final quarter.

But once again we saw why these top teams are at the top of the table.

Rebels dominating duo of O’Brien and Ashby, ran riot amongst The Eagles, scoring 17 points between them in the final quarter.

This saw all hope lost for the Eagles as there was no stopping these two.

The final whistle blew, and the Riders had won with a 20-point advantage over the Eagles, the biggest difference of the game. The score was 77-57 in The Riders’ favour.

UNBEATABLE Player of the Game

The Player of the Game was Leicester Riders Taylor O’Brien. The amazing form that she has been in is one of the key reasons why The Riders are doing as well as they are. She put up an impressive 18 points, 5 rebounds and 5 assists.

Team Player Points Rebounds Assists
Newcastle Eagles Tierra Hodges 20 9 2
Newcastle Eagles Katie Nolan 8 9 0
Leicester Riders Taylor O’Brien 18 5 5
Leicester Riders Sam Ashby 16 1 4

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