Key battles in this weekend’s SLB was highlighted by a rematch of January’s Trophy Final and the second of the Cup Semi-Finals as the road to Nottingham draws nearer.

And Manchester Basketball was involved in more history-making antics in Cardiff.

B Braun Sheffield Hatters 94-90 Newcastle Eagles

B. Braun Sheffield Hatters eventually edged the Newcastle Eagles 94-90 in the SLB Cup Semi-Final to set up a showdown with the Oaklands Wolves in the Final on Sunday, March 9 in Nottingham.

The scoreline suggests a tighter match-up, but on the whole, Sheffield deserved this. Shooting 51% from the field, leading for the majority, bar a minor setback in the second, when Newcastle found their rhythm to go ahead, that rhythm was quickly halted by a Hatters team focused on the mission at hand.

It was also a great moment for long-time Hatter coach Vanessa Ellis, who marked her 250th game in charge with a win that tested her team’s character, but they passed it with flying colours.

Leading by as many as 12 points, the Eagles threatened late on, and a lay-up from Jada Guinn trimmed the deficit to 91-90 with less than a minute left.

Cooler than the other side of the pillow, the Hatters took advantage of poor execution from Newcastle to see-out the game from the foul line. GB international Shauna Harrison hit two of those foul shots, adding to her 21-point tally for Sheffield.

Guinn was fantastic, but her 24 points for the Eagles was not enough.

MVP: Shauna Harrison (B.Braun Sheffield Hatters)

Caledonia Gladiators 58-66 Oaklands Wolves

Oaklands Wolves shut the door on Caledonia Gladiators’ fourth-quarter plans to come away with a 66-58 win on Sunday in a rematch of the SLB Trophy Final at PlaySport.

With the game knotted up at 52-52 going into the final ten minutes, it was nicely balanced between the two sides, as the hosts looked in a solid position to repeat their Trophy exploits and inflict the first Championship loss of the season on the Wolves.

However, Oaklands had other plans. They held the Gladiators to just six points in the fourth while scoring 14 points themselves. Sam Ashby scored seven of her 17 points in the final period.

Ashby’s GB team-mate Shanice Beckford-Norton added 13 points as the Wolves move to 11-0. Caledonia drop to 7-5 with Kat Tudor leading with 12.

MVP: Sam Ashby (Oaklands Wolves)

Cardiff Met Archers 55-99 Manchester Basketball

Manchester Basketball ruthlessly dismissed Cardiff Met Archers 99-55 in the Welsh capital and made history to cap off a delightful Saturday afternoon’s work.

Danni Williams led Manchester with 24 points, 13 rebounds and 11 assists, with Davida Dale posting 11 points, 11 rebounds and 11 assists – the first time in SLB history that two team-mates had recorded triple-doubles in the same game.

History was made, but it was the result that will be most important. Manchester continued their target of a top-four finish, shooting an impressive 53% from the floor and leading from start to finish.

Kiara Stewart led Cardiff with 15 points and nine rebounds.

MVP: Danni Williams (Manchester Basketball)

Essex Rebels 76-71 Leicester Riders

Essex Rebels were victorious in a hard-fought contest against a spirited Leicester Riders side, as Maria Blazejewski starred in the 76-71 win.

Blazejewski hit 24 points, and went 11/11 from the free throw line, as she led a Rebels resurgence. Trailing for most of the game, Essex took the lead for good in the fourth quarter with Blazejewski going for 13 points in that final frame to propel the hosts to victory.

The result is harsh on Leicester, who deserved more, but on this day, especially in the fourth, went up against a determined foe.

Katie Januszewska played all 40 minutes and paced the Riders with 19 points.

MVP: Maria Blazejewski (Essex Rebels)

Nottingham Wildcats 66-80 B. Braun Sheffield Hatters

B. Braun Sheffield Hatters made a perfect week as they stayed in second place with a routine 80-66 success over the Nottingham Wildcats in the East Midlands.

Tyia Singleton shot 57% from the field, as she poured in 26 points for the Hatters, as coach Ellis’ side led to the jump ball to the final buzzer, with their advantage peaking at 14 points.

The loss keeps Nottingham second from bottom. Claire Jacobs had 19 for the hosts.

MVP: Tyia Singleton (B. Braun Sheffield Hatters)

London Lions 70-79 Durham Palatinates

Durham Palatinates grabbed a hard-fought 79-70 win over SLB basement side London Lions, as a 20-6 second quarter proved to be the game-changer.

Despite this latest loss, the Lions can feel confident in their performance as a team. However, playing as a team had a blip in the second that cost them a possible first win of the season in all competitions.

Harriet Ottewill-Soulsby had 27 points and 10 rebounds to lead Durham as they had four players feature in double figures.

Kian Omer-Jones had 25 for the Lions.

MVP: Harriet Ottewill-Soulby (Durham Palatinates)