The London Lions and Manchester Basketball went the distance in a thriller, while the B. Braun Sheffield Hatters kept top spot locked up.
As the Championship season continues to wind down ahead of the Play-Offs, here is this week’s recap of a four-game slate.
Manchester Basketball 76-80 London Lions (AOT)
London Lions made a massive leap towards securing a spot in the post-season with a thrilling 80-76 win over Manchester Basketball after a period of overtime at the NBPC.
It was a deserved victory for the Lions, who had led for the majority before being pegged back in the fourth quarter due to a furious final rally from the hosts, which gave them the lead until the final 30 seconds when Annika Shah drained a three to take the game to overtime at 70-70.
In the extra period, London did just enough to edge Manchester as Shah again connected from beyond the arc to give her side the lead for good with under a minute to play before maintaining that slight edge until the final buzzer.
Shah would finish with a team-high 21 points, with Mya Proctor chipping in with 18. Maaja Bratka led Manchester with 23 points and 13 rebounds.
B. Braun Sheffield Hatters 109-73 Cardiff Met Archers
Championship leaders B. Braun Sheffield Hatters dismissed the Cardiff Met Archers 109-73 at the Canon Medical Arena.
Led by 26 points and 10 rebounds from Megan Mullings, the Hatters forced 30 turnovers from the Archers, scoring 41 points off of those giveaways, despite the best efforts from Cardiff.
Sheridan Flauger paced the Archers with 19 points, but despite a valiant effort, they remain winless.
Oaklands Wolves 81-67 Essex Rebels
Oaklands Wolves battled back from a poor start to beat the Essex Rebels 81-67 in St Albans behind a stellar showing from Shanice Beckford-Norton.
The Great Britain international led the Wolves with 19 points and connected on four three-pointers, going for 58 percent in the end as Oaklands recovered from a 27-18 deficit after the first quarter to race clear and lead at the break and from there, they couldn’t be caught.
Danielle McCray added 15 points for Oaklands to support Beckford-Norton. Nat Chou led Essex with 23.
Caledonia Gladiators 83-54 Nottingham Wildcats
A blistering first quarter from the Caledonia Gladiators was the catalyst for their 83-54 success over Play-Off hopefuls, Nottingham Wildcats at PlaySport.
The hosts took an early 14-4 lead, en route to a 29-8 first-quarter lead and never looked back. The Wildcats enjoyed a solid second half, when they played their best basketball, but by then the game was out of reach.
Brynn Masikewich went 9/12 from the field for 20 points and 12 rebounds for the winners, helped along by Anastasia Warren’s 19 points.
Johanna Langbehn led the Wildcats with 17 points on 55 percent shooting.