One team has sealed their place in the SLB Cup Final in Nottingham on Sunday, 9 March while the B. Braun Sheffield Hatters lose ground at the top in an action-packed weekend.

There was also a morale-boosting victory for Cardiff and Newcastle Eagles reign supreme in the North-East.

Oaklands Wolves 90-53 Leicester Riders (SLB Cup Semi-Final)

Oaklands Wolves advanced to their second Final of the season after thumping Leicester Riders 90-53 in the SLB Cup Semi-Final.

In a breathtaking display of offensive execution, the Wolves were relentless all game long. A 14-0 run in the second quarter gave Oaklands a 42-22 advantage and they never looked back as Leicester were put to the sword in six brutal minutes.

The Riders had their spells in stages but the game was long decided by the time Leicester got into their groove, as Oaklands never needed to get out of second gear.

Sam Ashby dazzled with 22 points to lead the victors, draining six three-pointers and shooting 43% from the field, supported by Ella Fotu’s 12.

Oaklands now look forward to another Finals day out, this time in Nottingham on Sunday, March 9, where they meet the winner of the second Semi-Final between B. Braun Sheffield Hatters and Newcastle Eagles.

Katie Januszewska led Leicester with 20 points as they bowed out at the Semi-Final stage.

MVP: Sam Ashby (Oaklands Wolves)

Cardiff Met Archers 66-54 Nottingham Wildcats

Cardiff Met Archers gave themselves a boost with a deserved 66-54 home win over fellow strugglers Nottingham Wildcats in the Championship.

It was only Cardiff’s second win of the season, matching the win record of the Wildcats, as Connie Clark led the way for the Welsh side with 20 points, despite only shooting 5/20 from the field, she did get to the line at will, scoring nine of those 20 from the stripe.

The Archers had to recover from a poor first quarter showing, where they trailed for the majority of the opening ten minutes, but found their way in the second, en route to a 37-31 cushion at the break.

From there, Cardiff’s lead grew further as they raced clear of their rivals from the East Midlands.

Jiselle Havas paced Nottingham with 16 points.

MVP: Connie Clark (Cardiff Met Archers)

Essex Rebels 77-94 Manchester Basketball

Manchester Basketball secured a comfortable 94-77 win over Essex Rebels on an emotional afternoon in Colchester where basketball was not the overall priority.

Playing their first home game since the tragic deaths of Daljang Wol, Makyle Bailey, Eva Darold-Tchikaya, and TJ Hibbert, Essex battled but were out-battled by a strong Manchester side who maintained their top-three credentials.

The trio of Lauren Thomas-Johnson, Danni Williams, and Davida Dale all scored 20 points or more, with Williams and Dale securing double-doubles.

Williams led the way with 24 points and 11 rebounds and Dale scored 22 points and collected 13 boards. Thomas-Johnson shot 50% for 20.

Maria Blazejewski led Essex with 22 points.

MVP: Danni Williams (Manchester Basketball)

Newcastle Eagles 81-75 Durham Palatinates

Newcastle Eagles made hard work of it towards the end but eventually saw-off Durham Palatinates 81-75 in the North-East derby.

Jada Guinn shot 61% from the field to lead the Eagles with 22 points as they enjoyed a sizeable lead from the latter stages of the first quarter onwards. Abby Lowe added 15.

Harriet Ottewill-Soulsby led Durham with a double-double of 20 points and 13 rebounds as they slipped to their second straight defeat.

MVP: Jada Guinn (Newcastle Eagles)

Caledonia Gladiators 67-64 B. Braun Sheffield Hatters

A Kat Tudor three with 25 seconds left handed Caledonia Gladiators a 67-64 win over B. Braun Sheffield Hatters.

It was a clutch shot in a tightly contested battle where the biggest lead in the fourth quarter for either side was just five points. It was always going to come down to the last shot, and Tudor’s game-winning triple settled a tense battle.

Tudor went 4/7 from downtown to lead the Gladiators with 19 points, supported by 16 points and nine rebounds by Delaynie Bryne.

Georgia Gayle led Sheffield with 20.

MVP: Kat Tudor (Caledonia Gladiators)