Essex Rebels, Leicester Riders and Seriös Group Newcastle Eagles all secured wins in the Women’s British Basketball League Championship.
Starting Fives:
Essex Rebels: Claire Paxton, Katherine Tudor, Megan Haines, Dayzsha Rogan, Darcy Kay Rees
Manchester Giants: Brooklynn McAlear-Fanus, Idil Turk, Eva Karasaite, Leah McDerment, Sydney Hunter
First Half:
In the early stages of the game, Dayzsha Rogan and Megan Haines paired up extremely well for Essex Rebels, with Sydney Hunter starting well for the Manchester Giants
Idil Turk was able to use her speed to give the Essex defence some trouble, finding herself at the rim on more than one occasion.
Katherine Tudor and Brooklynn McAlear-Fanus were able to make a strong offensive impact to tie up the game midway through the second quarter.
However, Rebels had an explosive last few minutes of the half. Tudor and Rogan substantially turned up the heat on offence, allowing Essex to go into the half with an eight-point lead, 45-37.
Second Half:
Tudor continued to score in a variety of ways, with McAlear-Fanus making major efforts to help the Giants get back into the game.
Manchester showed determination, with Hunter and Karasaite making further contributions in an attempt to close the gap.
Darcy Kay Rees consistently provided stability in terms of rebounding, which played a huge part in the Rebels holding onto their lead.
Essex went on to win the game by a whopping 22 points, ending things 96-76.
Player of the Game:
Katherine Tudor lead the Rebels offense as she picked up 37 points, proving how much she deserves her All-Star spot.
| Team | Player | Points | Rebounds | Assists |
| Essex Rebels | Katherine Tudor | 37 | 0 | 0 |
| Manchester Giants | Sydney Hunter | 21 | 10 | 0 |
| Manchester Giants | Brooklynn Mcalear-Fanus | 17 | 8 | 8 |
| Essex Rebels | Darcy Kay Rees | 8 | 17 | 3 |
Leicester Riders 79 – 73 Oaklands Wolves
Starting Fives:
Leicester Riders: Taylor O’Brien, Rayven Peeples, Marissa Hamilton, Samantha Ashby, McKenzie Johnston
Oakland Wolves: Caterrion Thompson, Beth Sarson, Jorjah Smith, Shaqura Wade, Allison Day
First Half:
Rayven Peeples was able to get things going with a confident seven points in four minutes, allowing the Leicester Riders to take the lead in the first quarter.
The Riders had a six-point lead going to the second quarter, however the Oakland Wolves came back fighting and eventually took the lead halfway through the second.
Leicester trailed closely behind Oakland, until two mid-range jumpshots from Shaquera Wade gave them an eight point lead.
The first half of play ended 35-43.
Second Half:
The Riders were not ready to give up, and Peeple’s efforts allowed them to take the lead within the first five minutes of the third quarter.
This gave Leicester a huge confidence boost, and Oakland’s defence started to show some weakness as the quarter progressed.
The defensive breakdown of the Wolves became even more apparent in the fourth quarter, as the Riders continued to find easy lay-ups.
Leicester were able to pick up the win, ending the game 79-73.
Player of the Game:
Sam Ashby was in top form for the Leicester Riders, with 23 points, seven rebounds, and four assists.
| Team | Player | Points | Rebounds | Assists |
| Leicester Riders | Sam Ashby | 23 | 7 | 4 |
| Oaklands Wolves | Caterrion Thompson | 25 | 3 | 2 |
| Leicester Riders | Taylor O’Brien | 12 | 11 | 3 |
| Oaklands Wolves | Shaquera Wade | 11 | 4 | 5 |
Seriös Group Newcastle Eagles 72 – 69 Nottingham Wildcats
Starting Fives:
Seriös Group Newcastle Eagles: Fernandez Pardo, Abigail Lowe, Lauren Saiki, Tierra Hodges, Katie Nolan
Nottingham Wildcats: Jocie Leavlod, Jiselle Havas, Mari Stewart, Jessica Wayne, Brooke Bjelko
First Half:
Seriös Group Newcastle Eagles had a strong start to the game, ending the first quarter with a nine-point lead.
Tierra Hodges proved to be in excellent form for Newcastle, whilst the Nottingham Wildcats had difficulties coming back from a double-digit deficit.
Marina Fernandez Pardo went into the break with 11 points, finding herself in the paint very frequently.
Newcastle ended the half with a 47-33 lead, leaving Nottingham desperate to claw back some points.
Second Half:
The Wildcats found it difficult to contend with the Eagles’ offensive approach, and had no luck getting to the rim thesmselves.
Mari Stewart was Nottingham’s main spark, however Newcastle’s control over the game continued to overshadow this.
However, with just over six minutes to go, the Wildcats were able bring the deficit to five points, igniting some hope for the fans and players.
Both teams began to exchange leads in an exciting finish to the game, but Newcastle re-gained their composure and won the game 72-69.
Player of the Game:
Tierra Hodges made a huge difference for the Newcastle Eagles, scoring 20 points, 10 rebounds and two assists.
| Team | Player | Points | Rebounds | Assists |
| Seriös Group Newcastle Eagles | Tierra Hodges | 20 | 10 | 2 |
| Nottingham Wildcats | Mari Stewart | 28 | 10 | 0 |
| Nottingham Wildcats | Jessica Wayne | 12 | 11 | 2 |
| Seriös Group Newcastle Eagles | Marina Fernandez Pardo | 11 | 5 | 4 |
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