Durham return to winning ways, Oaklands and Caledonia secure trip to Trophy Final in three-game week

The Wolves and Gladiators will meet in the Betty Codona Trophy Final in Birmingham next month, after exciting semi-final victories. Elsewhere, the Palatinates beat the Wildcats in Championship action.

Durham Palatinates 80 – 72 Nottingham Wildcats

The only Championship fixture of the week tipped off at the Sports and Wellbeing Park in Durham on Saturday, where fans anticipated an competitive affair, with both teams tied on two wins.

The home crowed had cause for optimism in the early stages, as Hannah Ottewill-Soulsby attacked in the paint to create an early Durham advantage, before Marina Fernandez Pardo built upon the lead with a string of contested lay-ups.

Claire Jacobs provided resistance for Nottingham, as she kept the visitors within touching distance with several successful trips to the free-throw line. The hosts found a response though Eliza Brault, who let it fly from deep to re-open the gap for the Palatinates, making multiple shots from beyond the arc.

Despite the efforts of Jacobs and Abbey Whitehouse, Nottingham found themselves behind by double-digits, finishing the first quarter chasing an 11-point deficit.

Jiselle Havas fought inside to controlled the boards for the Wildcats, while earning a couple of trips to the charity stripe to give her side a fighting chance. However, after a quiet couple of minutes, Durham couldn’t be stopped, as they stretched the floor and splashed home multiple threes to widen the chasm.

Brault was on a mission and Nottingham could not slow her down. The Wildcats went scoreless for five minutes, while Durham piled in the points to run away with the lead. When Shanique Lewis hit a three in the final seconds of the half, the home team earned 26-point superiority heading into the break.

When the teams returned from the locker rooms, Jacobs provided a beacon of hope, hitting from three-point range to generate some momentum for Nottingham. She recorded 11 consecutive points for her team, as they reduced the difference.

Ottewill-Soulsby forced her way to the line to pull away yet again, but back came Whitehouse with a lay-up that pulled the Wildcats closer. As the third period finished, their tremendous third quarter pulled them from 27 points behind to within 12.

Lilly Annim and Alice Fallon stepped up from the bench, combining a three with a tough lay-up to pull within seven points, making a full-comeback feasible. The teams then exchanged baskets for a few minutes, with Durham finding the answers and hitting back with buckets of their own every time Nottingham drew closer.

However, midway through the final quarter, Ashlee Lewis scored five unanswered points to slim the lead down to just two points. A minute later, Jacobs took a trip to the free-throw line and made it a one-point game.

That’s when Durham decided enough was enough. Ottewill-Soulsby hit from mid-range, Brault converted at the line and Fernandez Pardo drained a three to regain control. When the final buzzer sounded, the hosts had earned the eight-point W, propelling them to 4th place and a 3-2 record, while the Wildcats dropped to 9th in the Championship table.

Most Valuable Player: Eliza Brault played the starring role for Durham, recording 26 points, seven rebounds and three assists on her way to victory.

Oaklands Wolves 99 – 68 Essex Rebels

The Betty Codona Trophy Semi-Finals got underway on Saturday evening, as the Wolves welcomed the Rebels to the Oaklands College Sportszone.

With the teams on different ends of the Championship table, Wolves came into the game as favourites, but that didn’t stop Essex from making a bright start. Lauren Park-Lane hit an early three-pointer to push the visitors ahead in the opening stages.

Maria Blazejewski splashed a mid-range jumper to keep the Rebels in front midway through the first period, but it didn’t last long. Oaklands found an answer from the bench in the shape of Ella Fotu, who made an immediate impact with a contested lay-up to leapfrog their opponents. Abigail Rafferty then hit a pair of shots from increase the advantage and the Wolves were rolling.

Taylor O’Brien momentarily tied the game with a trip to the free-throw line, but the hosts looked to the bench again and Terri Battle answered, driving the lane to edge ahead once again. Cameron Taylor Willis hit a three in the final seconds of the opening quarter, moving to within three points as the teams headed to the bench.

At the start of the second quarter, Sam Ashby let it fly from long range and galvanised the home team. Fotu then took the baton, scoring six unanswered points to create a double-digit lead for the Wolves.

Oaklands moved the ball effectively, as they frustrated the Essex defence, who couldn’t contain the hosts’ dynamic offence. O’Brien and Brooke Flowers provided a glimpse of hope with a string of makes, but as the third quarter developed, the Wolves built an insurmountable lead. Battle and Fotu piled in the points and when the teams split for half-time, their side were up by 19.

Fotu wouldn’t relent, as the teams returned for the second half. She muscled her way to the basket for a three-point play and set the tone for Oaklands once again. Park-Lane and Blazejewski pushed back with a pair of baskets to pull closer, but back came Rafferty with a series of lay-ups to keep the contest beyond reach.

The teams swapped buckets for the remainder of the third and when O’Brien drained a much-needed three in the final possession of the quarter, the Rebels were behind by 20 and had some serious work to do to keep their Trophy hopes alive.

It didn’t get easier for Essex in the fourth; Battle and Fotu continued to represent the second unit by widening the gap for Oaklands. Turnovers and missed shots plagued the Rebels, with their comeback hopes diminishing as the minutes ticked away.

Rafferty and Ashby carved through the lane to keep Oaklands ticking, while Essex starting to run out of gas entirely. The Wolves controlled the pace down the stretch and when Beth Sarson converted from close range just before the buzzer, they had earned am emphatic 31-point win and a ticket to the Trophy Final at the Utilita Arena on January 26th, where they will face either the Gladiators or Hatters.

Most Valuable Player: Ella Fotu made a massive impact from the bench, adding four rebounds and three assists to her 21-point scoring contribution.

Caledonia Gladiators 68 – 62 B. Braun Sheffield Hatters

The Wolves’ opponents in Birmingham’s Final were to be decided on Sunday afternoon, as the Hatters visited the Playsport Arena to face the Gladiators.

The hosts came flying out of the blocks, with Aerianna Harris pounding the paint to launch her team ahead with a string of lay-ups and boards. However Georgia Gayle and Emma Gandini soon responded for Sheffield, putting together an offensive run that tied the game.

Laura Zolper and Nina Krisper then scored consecutive lay-ups to push Sheffield ahead by three, sparking some hope for the road team. They were met by Tea Adam though, who drove aggressively to regain the advantage for Caledonia.

A game of cat and mouse then unfolded for a few minutes, with Sheffield tying the game but being hit back with lead-taking interior makes from the Gladiators. As the opening quarter came to an end, Mathilde Domenger drained a pair of threes to take a firm hold of the game, heading to the bench with a four-point advantage.

Delayne Byrne gained heat as the second quarter began, making jumpers from inside and out to shift the Glad’s further in-front. Gayle came back swinging for the Hatters when she scored 11 consecutive points for her team, in turn pulling her team back into the contest.

Despite Gayle’s efforts, the home team re-opened the gap, as Adams and Hannah Robb forced their way to the charity stripe to jump ahead yet again. Just before the interval, Tiya Singleton hit a last-gap lay-up and the Hatters had edged closer and finished the first half behind by just four.

Fans will have questioned the locker room air-conditioning, because both teams were freezing cold when they re-emerged. After just under three minutes however, Gayle finally etched the second-half scoring column.

Baskets were then swapped for an extended period, with Sheffield attempting to chip away at the lead but Caledonia showing firm resistance and scoring steadily. Turnovers and poor decision making became a problem for the Hatters, who were running out of time. The third was a quarter to forget for both teams, with just 18 points scored overall, but the hosts remained on top by eight.

Caledonia made another bright start coming into the final quarter, which was punctuated by Robb, who secured a lay-in after a minute to establish a double-digit lead. A barren spell then unfolded until the middle of the period, before Laura Zolper enjoyed a successful trip to the line, pulling it back to nine.

With four minutes left on the clock, Byrne found an easy look and took advantage, widening the gap back to 11. Once again, Zolper’s free-throws shrank the deficit back to nine, before she drove for an impressive lay-up that made it a seven-point game with 90 seconds on the clock.

A minute later, Emma Gandini converted from close to slim the margin to five, but that’s when the party ended. Byrne split a pair of free throws, before the Hatters missed a pair of three-point attempts in the final seconds and just like that, Caledonia had booked their ticket to face the Wolves in the Trophy Final.

Most Valuable Player: Headlining a team performance in which the offensive load was shared, Delayne Byrne made a difference from the bench, recording 13 points and seven rebounds along the way.