Oaklands Wolves and Caledonia Gladiators prepared for next Sunday’s SLB Trophy Final with victories on a five-game weekend.

Durham Palatinates 69-58 Cardiff Met Archers

Durham Palatinates made it two wins in a row with a 69-58 victory over a stubborn Cardiff Met Archers in the North East on Saturday.

However, Durham had to come from behind in order to secure the win, trailing 19-9 after the first ten minutes and by as many as 13 points overall, they didn’t make it easy on themselves in the opening half.

A strong second period, followed by a 25-13 third quarter settled the nerves of Lee Davie’s side as they move to fifth, while Cardiff remain second from bottom with just one win in nine.

Katie Bennett led the Palatinates with 19 points, with Marina Fernandez-Pardo adding 18 points and nine rebounds. Laura Shanahan amassed 15 points for the Archers.

MVP: Marina Fernandez-Pardo (Durham Palatinates)

Leicester Riders 79-105 B.Braun Sheffield Hatters

The B.Braun Sheffield Hatters hit 17 three-pointers as they blew away the Leicester Riders 105-79 in the East Midlands.

Georgia Gayle hit six of those triples from nine attempts for 23 points, along with nine assists as the Hatters took a double-digit lead after the first quarter and never looked back.

Emma Gandini matched Gayle’s total with 23 points for the victors. Katie Januszewska led all scorers for Leicester with 27 points on 63% shooting.

MVP: Georgia Gayle (B.Braun Sheffield Hatters)

Oaklands Wolves 93-49 London Lions

Oaklands Wolves defeated basement side London Lions 93-49 as they head to the SLB Trophy final next Sunday unbeaten.

The game was effectively over as a contest in the first quarter, as the Wolves started the game with a 28-0 run, holding the Lions scoreless for the first nine minutes.

Mila Skipic Piscitelli ended the draught for London, who battled after the torrid start but by that point, there was no way back.

Danielle McCray led the Wolves with 16 points in a comfortable victory ahead of their Birmingham odyssey next Sunday. Kian Omer-Jones had 13 for London.

MVP: Danielle McCray (Oaklands Wolves)

Caledonia Gladiators 82-74 Newcastle Eagles

Oaklands’ efforts were matched by the Caledonia Gladiators as they toppled the Newcastle Eagles 82-74 at PlaySport on Sunday.

However, it took a while for the SLB Trophy final-bound Gladiators to find their groove, and it took until the final period for them to race away from the Eagles and secure a third straight win.

Kat Tudor’s shooting was sublime, as she hit five triples in her 23-point haul, with Great Britain international Kirsty Brown going a perfect 6/6 from the floor to add 13. Tierra Hodges led Newcastle with 27.

MVP: Kat Tudor (Caledonia Gladiators)

Nottingham Wildcats 80-85 Manchester Basketball

Manchester Basketball grabbed an 85-80 road win over a determined Nottingham Wildcats, but the side from the North West had to endure a nervy last period despite leading by 18 at one stage.

Davida Dale was mercurial with a 21-point, 12-rebound double-double for Manchester, whose lead peaked at 18, but with 1:22 remaining saw that advantage trimmed to 82-79 through a triple from Jiselle Havas.

But Manchester hung on with game-winning free throws and grabbed the win.

Claire Jacobs led all scorers for the Wildcats with 31 points.

MVP: Davida Dale (Manchester Basketball)