B. Braun Sheffiled Hatter lift the trophy after beating Manchester Basketball in the Super League Basketball Cup Final at the AO Arena.

Sheffield Hatters triumph over Manchester Basketball to claim Super League Basketball Cup title

The B. Braun Sheffield Hatters were victorious in the Super League Basketball Women’s Cup Final, defeating Manchester Basketball 90-71.

It was the second piece of silverware the Hatters have won this season, after lifting the Betty Codona Trophy in February.

Starting Fives

Manchester Basketball: Irene Oboavwoduo, Maaja Bratka, Frannie Hottinger, Veera Pirttinen, Tiarra East

Sheffield Hatters: Jessica Eadsforth-Yates, Georgia Gayle, Shauna Harrison, Megan Mullings, Antoinette Lewis

First Quarter

It was advantage Sheffield early, as they smothered Manchester with their suffocating defence to force easy buckets on the other end. They held a four-point lead through breathless transition play. 

Jessica Eadsforth-Yates had the highlight of the quarter for the Hatters. Driving to the rim, the Manchester-born guard dropped her defender with a spin move before laying it in for two. 

That instilled confidence in Sheffield, who scored a barrage of points on the break midway through the first by forcing the ball from Manchester’s hands. Megan Mullings capitalised with an open layup with four minutes on the clock to make it 12-5.

After a timeout called by Head Coach Oli Parr, Manchester hit back. Irene Oboavwoduo hit a corner three to steal some momentum. She then drove hard to the hoop to draw a foul, and scored her fifth points of the afternoon from the line. 

But thanks to a 5-0 run led by Shauna Harrison, Sheffield held a 20-12 lead after the opening 10 minutes. 

Second Quarter 

Manchester started the second quarter hot, cutting the game to six with a triple from Eva Karasaite. They swarmed the glass on the offensive end to generate extra possessions and chip away. 

They stayed within touching distance thanks to East’s hot hand. The American found joy driving to the rim and finishing through contact. 

But the second three of the game for the Hatters’ Cheyenne Stubbs stalled any Manchester momentum. She, Georgia Gayle and Mullings combined for timely scores to keep their opponents at arm’s length. 

The game’s physicality ramped up as halftime approached. Nina Krisper emphatically blocked Oboavwoduo at the rim, but East picked up the loose ball and was sent to the foul line. Krisper then returned the favour, drawing a foul from East on the other end. 

This exchange fired up Manchester, who stormed back into the game thanks to a Jori Davis three. This set up a breathless countdown to the half. 

The teams frantically exchanged buckets in the final minutes of the second quarter, and Sheffield had the better of this exchange. Harrison brought her tally on the game to 12 points, and the Hatters took a 49-39 lead into the break. 

Third Quarter

Sheffield stepped on the gas out of the half, building a 17-point lead. Gayle kicked it off with a three from the top of the arc, then Antoinette Lewis and Mullins followed up with buckets in the paint. That forced a Manchester timeout three minutes into the third. 

Manchester’s response came at the hands of East, who continued to slash to the hoop with ruthless aggression. Sheffield had no answer at the rim, and she brought her tally to 19. 

Despite East’s best efforts, the Hatters lead grew thanks to explosive three-point shooting. Eadsforth-Yates and Chantel Charles both hit contested efforts, then Eadsforth-Yates, who pulled the strings throughout the third, finished in transition to make it a 21-point lead for Sheffield. 

They carried that significant lead into the final quarter, in a strong position to see the game out.

Fourth Quarter

Manchester gritted their teeth and came out firing in the fourth, going on an 8-0 run to cut the deficit to 15 points. That breathed life into the side as they looked to mount a dramatic comeback.

Gayle steadied the Hatters with a triple, halting Manchester’s surge. She and Lewis rebuilt Sheffield’s lead to 20 points with six minutes remaining in the tie. 

Manchester continued to pour on the points, as Oboavwoduo scored five in quick succession.  But it had little impact on their deficit. Gayle caught fire on the other end to maintain her side’s strong position with the clock ticking down. 

Gayle’s triple with four minutes left brought her total to 20 points for her hometown team. It proved to be the dagger, seeing off any chance of a late comeback from Manchester. 

Player of the Game 

Georgia Gayle was named Final MVP with a stat line of 20 points, 7 rebounds and an index rating of 19 after shooting 7-12 from the field. 

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