Hatters’ dominant start continues; Oaklands’ impressive opening performance

Week Two of the Betty Codona Trophy continued this weekend, as seven teams took to the court in both North and South groups.

The B. Braun Sheffield Hatters secured their second win of the competition, while London Lions, Newcastle Eagles and Oaklands Wolves all chalked up their first victories.

Nottingham Wildcats 56 – 62 Newcastle Eagles

Newcastle Eagles bounced back from their season-opening defeat to the Sheffield Hatters with a hard-earned 56-62 triumph over the Nottingham Wildcats.

A dominating double-double performance for Andrea Daley provided the Eagles with a much-needed presence in the paint. Daley finished the game with 13 points and 17 rebounds.

Shaniya Rose provided Nottingham with a much-needed spark from the bench, registering 16 points in 25 minutes on the floor.

The home side kept it a close contest in the first quarter as both Emma Nolan and Rachel Harvey recorded six points, however Newcastle took a 27-35 lead into the half-time break.

The Wildcats looked reenergised after the break, aggressively attacking the paint to reduce the deficit to just five points. A determined Jada Dapaa refused to quit as she added seven vital points in the fourth quarter to drag the Eagles to victory.

Player of the Game: Andrea Daley (Newcastle Eagles)

London Lions 96-27 Cardiff Met Archers

The London Lions could not be stopped as they blew away the Cardiff Met Archers with a scintillating performance, with the game finishing 96-27 in favour of the home team.

Lions’ guard Annika Shah stole the show with a 28-point performance. Not only did the 22-year-old showcase phenomenal scoring efficiency, but she also exhibited exciting playmaking traits by laying on seven assists for her teammates.

Cardiff were restricted to just eight first-half points due to an energetic and disciplined defensive performance by the Lions, while London’s Jada Lewis sank three shots from deep to extend her side’s lead to 41 points.

It was much of the same in the second half as the Lions recorded another 47 points to emphatically register their first win of the season.

Player of the Game: Annikah Shah (London Lions)

Sheffield Hatters 96-90 Manchester Basketball

Manchester Basketball signalled their intent to lift the Betty Codona Trophy with an enthralling performance against the Sheffield Hatters at the Canon Medical Arena, but ultimately fell to a 96-90 defeat.

Sheffield’s Megan Mullings led the scoring with 25 points, while also doing a magnificent job defensively for her team, stealing the ball back on five separate occasions.

In the first half of play, there appeared to be only one winner as the Hatters raced to a 53-35 lead, as Mullings, Nina Krisper and Georgia Gayle looked unstoppable.

Nevertheless, Manchester had a point to prove as Frannie Hottinger scored eight of her 14 points in the third quarter to cut Sheffield’s lead to just six points.

Manchester’s second-half resurgence continued into the dying embers of the game; however, the Hatters’ championship experience carried them over the finishing line as they made it two wins out of two.

Player of the Game: Megan Mullings (Sheffield Hatters)

Oaklands Wolves 85-62 London Lions

Two games in three days for the Lions; this time, Oaklands Wolves came out victorious as they defeated their opponents 85-62.

The Wolves’ captain, Shanice Beckford-Norton, registered 14 points while sinking four out of her five field-goal attempts, inspiring her side to a majestic triumph.

Oaklands started the game with aggressive intent, but two laser-focused shots each from deep by London’s Jada Lewis and Annika Shah changed the direction of travel as the Lions took a 23-26 lead into the first-quarter break.

This sparked a reaction from the home team, who began to flex their muscles in the second quarter, as Beckford-Norton displayed her finesse from up close with a selection of deft touches, including a beautiful floating jump shot.

A flurry of fourth-quarter scoring from Danielle McCray (eight points) and a lack of killer instinct from the Lions saw the reigning regular-season champions slip into the ascendancy and clinch an opening-game win.

Player of the Game: Shanice Beckford-Norton (Oaklands Wolves)

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