Sheffield’s double-digit win over Caledonia was the tightest contest in a string of highly convincing victories.
Manchester Basketball 84 – 58 Essex Rebels
This week’s Championship action tipped off in Manchester, when the hosts welcomed the Essex Rebels to the National Basketball Performance Centre.
Bride Kennedy-Hopoate set the tone immediately for Manchester, splashing home a contested jumper from deep in the opening seconds. Courtney Shaw and Danni Williams then combined with buckets to early the hosts a 5-0 lead.
Essex responded with a run of their own, as Taylor O’Brien led the Rebels’ charge, slicing through the lane and pushing them ahead by two. Davida Dale fought back however, sinking a pair of shots to regain the advantage for Manchester.
Despite the efforts of an aggressive Maria Blazejewski, Essex couldn’t keep up with Manchester, who widened the gap as the half developed. A Shaw lay-up widened the gap to double-digits, before Kennedy-Hopoate continued the offensive onslaught and punished Essex for their careless turnovers. O’Brien helped the Rebels chip away lead into the break, but as the teams split for the locker rooms, Manchester led by five points.
As play resumed, the momentum stayed with Manchester, with Dale and Kennedy-Hopoate to effect every facet of the game. Williams piled on the points for the home team and Essex just couldn’t change the course of the contest, missing a long string of three-pointers and consistently lapsing on defence.
Nothing much changed down the stretch and when this one wrapped up, Manchester had secured the 26-point victory.
Most Valuable Player: Bride Kennedy-Hopoate put on a dominant performance, recording 17 points, 15 rebounds and five assists.
London Lions 66 – 90 Leicester Riders (26/10/2024)
Barking Abbey School was the scene for a Saturday evening clash between London and Leicester, with both teams having made differing starts to the season.
The in-form Riders made a slow start, as Monique Esbrand led a positive start for the Lions with a sequence of aggressive drives to gain an early lead. However, it didn’t take long for Leicester to respond, as Brittany Hodges scored a pair of baskets to earn the visitors their first lead.
Shahd Abboud then stepped in from the bench to convert from three, to ensure that Leicester remained on top as the opening quarter came to a close.
Money! @ShahdAbboud 🎯 pic.twitter.com/5ygkGdFJ5K
— Leicester Riders (@RidersWomen) October 26, 2024
The second period was London put together a healthy run, with Kian Omer-Jones joining forces with Esbrand to catch up, before a Macy Spinks lay-in put the Lions back on top midway through the quarter.
Leicester came back swinging; Julia Chandler made a string of buckets inside to propel the Riders back on top and Kaia Harrison’s well-rounded contribution ensured that the Riders held onto the lead heading into the break.
Nobody scored for two minutes at the restart, but then Hodges sparked Leicester back to life. Esbrand put up a respectable fight for London, but their opponents moved the ball too well, stretching the defence and finding open shots with regularity.
Down the stretch, the Lions saw their chances slip away. The Riders absolutely dominated the glass and suffocated the hosts on defence. Chandler, Hodges and Harrison continued to convert on second-chance opportunities, overwhelming London in the paint.
When Alexandra Shaw sank a free-throw with seconds remaining, Leicester had earned a 24-point W and continued their perfect start to their season.
Most Valuable Player: Brittany Hodges was magnificent, logging 19 points, 16 rebounds and an assist on her way to victory.
Sheffield Hatters 86 – 76 Caledonia Gladiators
Sunday’s play tipped off at the Canon Medical Arena, with the Gladiators visiting the unbeaten Hatters.
Sheffield raced out of the blocks rapidly, scoring 11 unanswered points in the opening three minutes, led by Nina Krisper, whose assured mid-range shooting propelled the hosts forward. The teams then went scoreless for an extended spell, before Delaynie Bryne showed Caledonia’s first sign of resistance. However, a three-point play from Shauna Harrison meant the Hatters took a nine-point lead into the first break.
Georgia Gayle made an impressive start to the second period, widening the gap for the Hatters, but then came Kat Tudor, who pushed back for the visitors with contested threes to keep her team in the contest.
Caledonia’s momentum was short lived, Laura Zolper converted thrice from the free-throw line to extend the advantage beyond double digit and when Harrison made a mid-range jumper, Sheffield carried an 11 point lead into half-time.
Shortly after the restart, Tudor put together a tremendous run, showcasing her offensive prowess to shrink the deficit to just four points. However, Sheffield answered back with force, through multiple buckets from Zolper and Madison Washington.
As the end of the third quarter approached, Bryne sank a pair of shots from the charity stripe and Mathilde Domenger made a lay-up to bring the game within two points. As before, Sheffield responded quickly; Washington and Krisper splashed from deep to widen the gap back to double figures.
The teams traded baskets through much of the fourth quarter, but Gayle and Krisper’s offensive consistency ensured that Caledonia never really reduced the difference enough to give themselves a realistic chance of a comeback.
As the teams left the floor, Sheffield had secured the 10-point victory to remain atop the Championship with an unbeaten record.
Most Valuable Player: Headlining a strong team performance, Nina Krisper recorded 15 points, five rebounds and five assists.
Nottingham Wildcats 90 – 48 Cardiff Met Archers (27/10/2024)
The Wildcats welcomed the Archers on Sunday evening, with both sides hoping to bounce back from last week’s losses.
Following a brutal 58-point defeat to Sheffield, Cardiff were out to make a statement and that was evident from the beginning. Kiara Stewart and Abigail Yunker combined with assured shot-making to gain an early lead over the hosts.
It wasn’t long before Nottingham responded however, with Claire Jacobs leading the way, forcing her way through the paint to catapult the hosts ahead near the end of the opening period.
Contested threes from Jiselle Havas and powerful inside play from Ashlee Lewis extended the advantage in the second quarter, as Nottingham pushed the gap beyond double digits. Six unanswered points from Jacobs just before half-time awarded the Wildcats a well-earned 18-point lead.
As the teams returned for the second half, Erin Antosh played a part in Nottingham’s continued dominance, stifling Cardiff defensively and commanding the boards to dictate the flow of the game. Abbey Whitehouse offered additional scoring for the second unit as the third period drew to a close. As the teams took their final break, the hosts had held their opposition to just three points in the quarter and led by 34.
Nottingham cruised through the fourth quarter, building upon their tremendous offensive display and building upon their significant lead. When the final buzzer sounded, the Wildcats had won by 42 points.
Most Valuable Player: Claire Jacobs starred for Nottingham, recording a brilliant 32 points, five rebounds and five assists.