Gladiators and Wolves dominate, Riders and Eagles earn hard-fought wins in action-packed Saturday

Caledonia and Oaklands earned emphatic wins, on the same day Leicester and Newcastle fought their way to victory, in a single day of Championship basketball.

London Lions 32 – 99 Caledonia Gladiators (14/12/2024)

Championship action tipped off on Saturday afternoon at the University of Westminster, with the Caledonia Gladiators visiting the London Lions. With the hosts still winless, the odds were with the Glads, who were looking to push toward mid-table with an important victory.

It started well for the visitors, with Erin McGarracan flying out of the blocks for a string of early baskets to set the tone. A three from Kat Tudor, followed by a contested lay-up from Hannah Robb meant that Caledonia had opened up a double-figure advantage within a matter of minutes.

Fabienne Zere offered some slight buoyance for London, but they faced an offensive barrage from the Gladiators, who scored by committee for the remainder of the opening period and finished the quarter up by 10 points.

In the second quarter, Aerianna Harris pounded the paint early, earning a couple of trips to the line to widen the gap. Macy Spinks scored from close range but Caledonia held firm, frustrating the home side on offence and punishing them on the other end. Tudor dominated, posing a threat from beyond the arc and penetrating the lane at will.

Despite the efforts of Helene Trailin from the bench, London just couldn’t find a way in. Delaynie Byrne stepped up for the Gladiators’ second unit to cooly convert at the charity stripe and when the teams split for the locker rooms, the visitors  held a 17-point lead.

Tope Ali-Balogun’s half-time team talk didn’t have much of an impact; things only got worse for the Lions when they returned for the second half. McGarrachan and Tudor combined for a totally dominant sequence in minutes following the restart, scoring an incredible 25 unanswered points for the duration of the quarter.

Turnovers haunted the Lions, who were defensively overwhelmed, unable to find an answer for the superior Caledonia ball movement or make a mark on the rebounding column, with the visitors domineering the glass with ease. Heading into the final quarter, a 40-point chasm had been created and this one was all but finished.

A similar tale in the final chapter, London couldn’t get near the basket, while Tudor piled in the points in impressive fashion, stretching the floor and carving her way to the rim with regularity. Bryne rejoined the party to complete a double-double and put the cherry on top, but when the final buzzer sounded, Caledonia had bulldozed their way to a 67-point rout, having lead the entire game.

Most Valuable Player: Kat Tudor dazzled as Caledonia’s offensive leader, scoring 24 points, pulling down three boards and dishing out an assist.

Leicester Riders 73 – 70 Manchester Basketball (14/12/2024)

The Netball Centre saw Manchester arrive on Saturday evening, as Leicester tried to close the gap on the visitors in the Championship Table.

Manchester made a bright start, with Bride Kennedy-Hopoate draining a pair of threes in the opening minutes to create an early advantage for the away team. Leicester found a swift response though, in the shape of Kaia Harrison and Jessica Eadsforth-Yates, who combined a deep three with a successful trip to the line to push the Riders ahead.

Shahd Abboud entered the game, leading Leicester’s second unit with a pair of step-back jumpers and a make at the charity stripe to maintain the hosts’ lead. Kennedy-Hopoate hit from beyond the arc in the final seconds of the first quarter and Manchester slimmed the deficit to just three points.

A pair of buckets from Leicester forward Elise Tweedie re-opened the gap as the second period began, with the Riders’ intensity ramping up on the other end and Manchester unable to score until five minutes into the quarter.

Shortly after, Harrison drained a pair of contested lay-ups to extend the difference to 15 points, as Leicester started to run away with the lead. When the half-time break came along, Leicester had pushed the lead to 16 and were in control of the clash.

Danni Williams got Manchester rolling as the third quarter began, making a bright start and hitting a couple of shots to pull the guests closer. However, lay-up from Julia Chandler and a three from Eadsforth-Yates kept Manchester beyond reaching distance for a while.

The teams traded baskets for most of the remaining quarter, but Manchester enjoyed multiple trips to the free-throw line near the end of the penultimate period which shrunk the deficit to just four points.

Shaw and Williams combined for a strong offensive sequence as the fourth began, converting a pair of lay-ups to make it a two-point game. When Kennedy-Hopoate scored from close a minute later, Manchester found themselves back in front.

Leicester hit back with three minutes remaining, with Chandler scored at the line to keep the hosts in the contest. Abboud then drained a trio of free-throws with around 90 seconds on the clock and Riders were on top by one.

Manchester weren’t done yet however. Shaw scored a lay-up with a minute to go and provided the visitors an enormous lifeline, edging them a point ahead. Chandler successfully converted at the line to regain the Leicester lead and handed the pressure over to their opponents.

Despite an excellent performance, Williams couldn’t get Manchester over the line, as she missed a pair of shots in the final moments and when Harrison hit both shots at the line with seconds left, Leicester had secured the all-important three-point W.

Most Valuable Player: Headlining a well-rounded team performance, Julia Chandler recorded 13 points, 15 rebounds and three assists on the way to victory.

Oaklands Wolves 108 – 41 Cardiff Met Archers (14/12/2024)

The lowly Archers travelled to Oaklands College Sportzone on Saturday, to face the high-flying Wolves, who were jostling for second position.

Giving their respective positions in the league, the Wolves faithful had great cause for optimism going into this one. They were vindicated from tip, as Terri Battle scored a lay-up to take the reigns almost immediately for Oaklands.

Abigail Rafferty then made a pair of lay-ups to extend the lead and gain full control of the fixture for the hosts. Jenna Hoschouer and Solene Lemoigne soon scored at the line to offer a glimmer of hope, but back came the Wolves; Tayjanna McGhee-Pleasant hit a pair of lay-ins to stretch the gap further.

As the first quarter drew to a close, Sam Ashby came off the bench to convert a three-point play at the line and the Wolves were 17-points superior.

Ashby carried over the momentum into the second quarter, immediately creating a 20-point advantage with a make from beyond the arc. Minutes later she combined a contested lay-up with another three, as the game spiralled out of Cardiff’s control.

Beth Sarson also got hot from three-point land and Battle pounded the paint to add insult to injury. When Shanice Beckford-Norton finished under the basket at the close of the half, Oaklands had pulled ahead by 40 points.

At the restart, McGhee -Pleasant converted consecutive lay-ups in two offences, before hitting a three a minute later and tightening the Wolves’ grip over the affair. Laura Shanahan scored a three provide some sort of consolation, but this was clearly beyond reach for Cardiff.

Rafferty and Ashby took turns on offence for the remainder for the third period and Oaklands’ dominance had surpassed the 50-point mark. When Ashby showed composure at the line at the end of the third, the hosts were up by 55.

Cardiff actually put together their most productive quarter in the fourth, with Lemoigne putting on a valiant offensive display. They were merely play for pride however, the Wolves scored by committee and overwhelmed the visitors on both ends. Most notably, they were able to pull down more than twice as many rebounds over Cardiff, allowing them to control the pace of the game.

As the Wolves dribbled this one out, they finished the game with a 67-point victory.

Most Valuable Player: Coming from the bench, Sam Ashby made a huge difference for the Wolves, recording 25 points, eight rebounds and four dimes.

Newcastle Eagles 83 – 71 Essex Rebels (14/12/2024)

Two mid-table teams met at the Vertu Motors Arena on Saturday evening, as the Newcastle Eagles and Essex Rebels faced off.

Maria Blazejewski hit a three within a matter of seconds, inspiring a positive start from the visiting Rebels. Lauren Park-Lane and Brooke Flowers then made a pair of mid-range jumpers to sustain the Essex lead.

It didn’t take long for Newcastle to respond however; Jada Guinn earned a three-point play at the line and Tierra Hodges sank a shot from deep to earn the Eagles a lead of their own. O’Brien pushed back, scoring two lay-ups midway through the quarter, tying the game for Essex.

Kendall Currence came off the bench for the Eagles, making an immediate impact by scoring a two-pointer reestablish the lead. Guinn and Hodges then combined for a confident offensive sequence, creating a nine-point differential, before Park-Lane responded with a jumper to make it seven as the first period ended.

Shannon Hatch took the baton as the second quarter started, scoring two unanswered lay-ups to push the lead to double-figures. Park-Lane then scored seven points in two minutes, to pull Essex within just three points.

Lauren Saiki joined forces with Guinn as the second period developed, scoring a string of easy buckets to pull ahead of the visitors. Guinn hit another close shot at the end of the half and just like that, Newcastle held a 15-point lead.

Essex restarted in fashion, Taylor O’Brien hit from mid-range to regain some momentum, before Flowers got hot to make a string of jumpers to shrink the deficit and give themselves a fighting chance.

Hodges and Guinn earned trips to the line and cooly converted, but back came Flowers with a pair of lay-ups to claw back into the fixtures. As the third quarter ticked away, Park-Lane drew a foul on a converted lay-in and when she hit from the stripe, Rebels had won the quarter by five and were just 10 points behind.

Essex enjoyed an even brighter start for the fourth quarter, with Park-Lane and McDerment hitting from deep and Flowers hitting from under the basket to make it a two-point game with eight minutes remaining.

After a frustrating spell of missed shots, Newcastle found their groove again. Currence made the most of a trip to the line and Hodges made hook shot to regain control. A minute later, Guinn splashed it home from three-point territory and the Eagles seemed to be pulling away.

Park-Lane sank from beyond the arc once more, but Essex couldn’t quite carve a route into contention. Saiki and Currence made free throws down the stretch and when Guinn scored a mid-ranger in the final seconds, Newcastle had secured a 12-point W, moving ahead of their opponents in the Championship table.

Most Valuable Player: Jada Guinn was tremendous, adding three assists and three rebounds to her 31-point scoring performance.

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