WBBL Championship
London Lions 67-58 Sevenoaks Suns (11-8, 33-28, 51-45)
(Lions – Beckford-Norton 15, Leedham-Warner 14, Breen 11; Suns – Wurtz 17, Monakana 15, Carr 11)
WBBL Championship
Newcastle Eagles 51-65 Caledonia Pride (14-20, 32-34, 42-43)
(Eagles – Mcvicar 24, Fernandez Pardo 15, Gaynor 5; Pride – James 19, Phillips 15, Edwards 10)
In a record-breaking day of action, London Lions smashed the record of consecutive WBBL wins whilst Caledonia Pride pulled out a hard-fought victory in front of the highest attended league game in WBBL history.
The Lions racked up their 26th consecutive win in domestic action in a Championship chasing clash with Sevenoaks Suns, whilst the Pride edged Newcastle Eagles infront of a packed Vertu Motors Arena.
The day’s action tipped off at the Copper Box, where a win for London would see the Lions break the WBBL record for consecutive wins, as well as maintain their perfect record in the Championship.
They faced a stern test from the Championship’s other 14-0 side, Sevenoaks Suns who limited the Lions’ offensive opportunities in the first period, however the Suns themselves were limited to only eight points in the opening 10 minutes.
There was very little to separate the two sides throughout the ballgame, however the Lions continued to build on their slender lead heading into the closing stages, led by the ever-impressive Shanice Beckford-Norton. As London looked to close the game out, a huge pair of triples from Jo Leedham-Warner put the gloss on a record-breaking win for the Lions.
Beckford-Norton led the Lions with 15 points, whilst Leedham-Warner racked up 14 points to go with six rebounds. Frankie Wurtz posted a double-double of 17 points and 12 rebounds for Sevenoaks.
In the clash labelled “The Big One” the Pride faced off against cross-border rivals Newcastle, who were backed by a bumper crowd. The Pride wasted no time in looking to rain on the Eagles’ parade, as they raced into a 10-2 lead early into the ballgame.
Newcastle regrouped and made it a one score game going into the half and made it a one-point ballgame setting up a tense final 10 minutes. Both sides struggled to find their footing offensively in the third period.
The Pride saved their best for last as they outscored the Eagles 22-9 to continue their excellent form, as they secured their sixth win in a row. The official attendance was confirmed at 1,122, a WBBL Championship record.
Taylor Edwards put in a stunning performance as she stuffed the stat sheet, racking up a triple-double of 10 points 13 rebounds and 10 steals, to go with four assists and one block.