Oaklands scoop maiden Cup by beating Hatters

Oaklands Wolves claimed their first piece of silverware as a franchise after seeing-off B. Braun Sheffield Hatters 65-51 in the SLB Women’s Cup Final at the Motorpoint Arena in Nottingham.

Sam Ashby was crowned Final MVP with 12 points and 8 rebounds. 

The heartbreak of January’s Cup Final defeat to Caledonia Gladiators was vanquished in emphatic fashion, with the opening two baskets the only advantage that Sheffield could muster, ending with a field goal mark of 30% and only three triples tickling the net.

By contrast, Oaklands shot more than 50% in the first half before settling for 43% on the game. Likewise, they didn’t shoot well from outside, but their damage was done inside and from the mid-range, proving that in this modern game, it isn’t a lost art, and it can win you games.

Georgia Gayle and Shauna Harrison led Sheffield with 11 points each.

In a cagey opening, high on physicality and low on field goal percentage, Oaklands carved out a slight edge with 2:59 remaining in the first as back-to-back scores from Ashby gave Oaklands a 16-11 lead.

It forced Hatters coach Vanessa Ellis into a timeout, which proved to have no effect. An 11-0 finish to the first quarter gave the Wolves a 21-11 lead, and they held their Yorkshire counterparts scoreless for the last 3:34.

The dry spell lasted another minute before Sheffield got back in the scoring column with a solitary free throw from Shauna Harrison, quickly leading to their first field goal in more than four minutes from Nija Collier.

It started a positive spell from Sheffield, who until then hadn’t been able to get out of first gear. A free throw from Tyia Singleton made it a one-possession game until a 7-0 burst from the Wolves restored their double-digit cushion.

The Hatters could only register a point before a turnaround from Terri Battle, a score from Shanice Beckford-Norton, and a dagger three from Ashby gave Oaklands control, leading 37-23 at the break.  

It seemed every time Sheffield found their groove, Oaklands would compose themselves, knowing that they would counter.

And on cue, they did. A run of 12 points unanswered from the Wolves ballooned their lead to 53-32, with Battle and Mcghee-Pleasant doing all the damage.

Leading 58-41 going into the fourth period, Sheffield knew they needed to start the final ten the better of the two sides and build a sizeable run to make the game competitive.

Unfortunately for the Hatters, it never materialised. Oaklands kept their side of the scoreboard ticking and halted any mini bursts the Yorkshire team had.

What they said:

“It’s amazing, leading up to this and even when we were in the Trophy, we spoke about how much winning a trophy would mean to to Lee [Ryan] and Beth [Sarson], people that have been at the club for ages, so all of us are quite happy for them.

“But also the organisation as a whole, we are well-rounded as team, and today we showed that with multiple people getting on the scoreboard.” — Shanice Beckford-Norton (Oaklands Wolves)