Wolves roll on, Gladiators prevail, Hatters, Rebels and Eagles dominate in exciting week of hoops

Oaklands remained unbeaten as they ran out victorious against Manchester, whilst Durham enjoyed mixed fortunes across two fixtures and London suffered on the road at Sheffield.

Durham Palatinates 68 – 85 Caledonia Gladiators

A mid-table clash took place on Saturday at the Sports and Wellbeing Park, when the Palatinates welcomed the Gladiators.

Marina Fernandez Pardo offered an early spark for Durham, making a pair of contested threes to open the game and earning the hosts a two-point lead. But that was when the fun ended for the home team.

Aerianna Harris converted a lay-up to tie the game and Kat Tudor followed up with a make from beyond the arc, pushing the Gladiators ahead. The visitors held on to the advantage as the first quarter developed, despite the efforts of Harriet Ottewill-Soulsby and Shanique Lewis on the other end. When the first quarter came to an end, Caledonia held a five-point lead.

The Glad’s scored by committee at the start of the second quarter, finding open shots to create a double-digit gap after a couple of minutes. Harris combined with Mathilde Domenger on an offensive sequence to pile in the points, moving ahead by 19 midway through the period.

Eliza Brault splashed home a three and drove confidently to offer some light resistance for Durham, but the hosts struggled mightily to chip away at the deficit. As the team broke for half-time, the visitors remained up by 19.

Domenger took the reigns as the second half began, carving through the lane and earning an extra trip to charity stripe to move ahead by 23. Harris then grabbed the baton for Caledonia, converting a pair of lay-ups, before Tudor tagged in with three confident shots that created a 32-point chasm.

Ottewill-Soulsby earned two trips to the line near the end of the penultimate quarter, shrinking the gap temporarily, but Delaynie Byrne hit back with a crafty lay-up and the Glad’s progressed into the final period up by 28.

Durham showed fighting spirit in the fourth; Lucas, Fernandez Pardo and Brault scored steadily as the quarter unfolded, while the hosts’ defensive intensity increased. Harris showed up with a pair of makes, but Caledonia then struggled with an extended barren spell. With three minutes left on the clock, Durham had moved to within 16 points.

Time was limited for the Palatinates though and when the final buzzer sounded, Caledonia had weathered a rocky fourth quarter and earned a 17-point win.

Most Valuable Player: Aerianna Harris shone for Caledonia, logging 20 points and three rebounds to inspire her team to victory.

Cardiff Met Archers 60 – 97 Essex Rebels

The Archers Arena was the destination for a Championship clash between Cardiff and Essex on Saturday afternoon.

The hosts had only won one contest leading into the game, so the home crowd anticipated a challenging game. They made a positive start however; Abigail Yunker sank a mid-ranger to open scoring and Kiara Stewart hit a turn-around jumper to add to it.

Essex came back swinging though, Lauren Park-Lane put together a tremendous offensive sequence to cancel out the Archer’s advantage, carving through the lane for impressive lay-ups and hitting from three-point range.

Yunker was joined by Jenna Hoschouer as Cardiff pushed back with confident shot-making, but the Rebels found an answer each time. Claire Paxton hit a pair of threes as the first quarter creeped to an end and despite the hosts’ effort, the visitors remained on top by three at the break.

Taylor O’Brien took over for Essex at the start of the second quarter, converting a couple of lay-ups, before Maria Blazejewski widened the gap with two scores from close range. Yunker and Hoschouer carried the offensive load for Cardiff with a steady run of open shots, but the team offence of Essex overwhelmed them.

The Rebels found themselves with a double-digit lead near the end of the second period and Brooke Flowers added insult to injury with two consecutive lay-ups to widen the differential to 15. Yunker plugged away for Cardiff, but when the teams split for half-time, a last-gasp Blazejewski lay-up had earned Essex a 16-point lead.

Yunker remained Cardiff’s lifeline, but the game moved even further beyond their grasp quickly as the second half began. Park-Lane hit a trio of threes in the early stages of the third quarter, as Cardiff started to look laboured. Turnovers crept in for the hosts, while Park-Lane continued to controlled the pace of the contest and score with regularity.

Flowers hit a jumper with seconds left in the third and the Rebels earned a 22-point lead, heading into the last instalment.

It didn’t get any easier for Cardiff in the fourth quarter; their offence fell apart and they struggled mightily to maintain Blazejewski and O’Brien, who ran up the score with lights-out shooting from deep.

Things got out of hand down the stretch and when the final buzzer sounded, the Rebels had secured a 37-point W in a dominant display, while Cardiff would be forced to regroup after a forgettable performance.

Most Valuable Player: Lauren Park-Lane starred in a brilliant Essex performance, scoring 27 points and dishing out nine assists.

Oaklands Wolves 83 – 74 Manchester Basketball

The league-leading Wolves played host on Saturday night, as mid-table Manchester rolled into the Oaklands College Sportszone with a point to prove.

The visitors ran into trouble early, when Tayjanna McGhee-Pleasant made an immediate impact with deadeye shooting from beyond the arc, before creating space at mid-range to propel the Wolves into an early lead.

Danni Williams fought back for Manchester with a string of crafty lay-ups, but Oaklands had found their groove early, moving the ball with assurance and finding open looks for multiple scorers. When Abigail Rafferty hit an open jumper midway through the first period, the hosts had earned a double-digit advantage.

Shanice Beckford-Norton joined the party for the home team with a pull-up jumper and Ella Fotu stepped up from the bench to successfully drive the lane, as the Wolves continued to score steadily. However, Manchester found a temporary solution from the second unit in the form of Eva Karasaite, who drained a pair of shots to pull her team to within two points.

The tension didn’t last long however; Fotu let it fly from beyond the arc to re-open the gap and a free-throw from Beckford-Norton ensured the first quarter finished with a six-point differential in favourite of the Wolves.

The hosts rolled on as the second quarter began. Danielle McCray forced her way to the basket, temporarily sharing the offensive load with Beckford-Norton, who led the charge with tremendous playmaking, as the Wolves began to dominate a struggling Manchester team.

Fotu’s important contribution continued, as she carved through the lane to pile in the points of the Wolves and Terri Battle added a pair of buckets of her own for good measure, creating a 20-point chasm. Nicolette Fairley converted a lay-up at the end of the half, but Oaklands strolled to the locker room ahead by 19 and in cruise control.

When the teams re-emerged, Manchester had struggled to find an answer for the Wolves’ offence. McGhee shot from deep, while Beckford-Norton converted in the paint consistently as the home team widened the gap.

Manchester suffered through a four-minute scoreless spell, before Danni Williams hit from three-point territory midway through the third, but the contest was moving beyond reach for the visitors. Fotu enjoyed another offensive surge near the end of the quarter, extending the difference to 31 points, before Manchester pushed back to make it 25 head into the final instalment.

McCray hit a jumper at the restart and Oaklands were comfortable – perhaps a little too comfortable. Terri Battle scored a hook-shot with six minutes remaining and that’s when things got a little bit more interesting.

The Wolves went scoreless for the remainder of the contest and turnovers crept in for the hosts, which Manchester took advantage of. Despite the massive deficit, the visitors still saw a potential route into the fixture. Warren took the reins on offence, combining mid-range jumpers and aggressive lay-ups with smoothly free-throw shooting chip away at the once-enormous point differential.

A three-pointer from Warren brought the deficit to single-digits, but time had ran out. Despite their lacklustre final quarter, Oaklands had escaped with a nine-point victory and their 8-0 unbeaten campaign continues.

Most Valuable Player: Playing a major part in an excellent team performance, Tayjanna McGhee-Pleasant scored 19 points and pulled down four boards on the way to victory.

Newcastle Eagles 89 – 64 Nottingham Wildcats

The Wildcats arrived at the Vertu Motors Arena with just two wins to their name and had a challenge ahead of them, facing the Newcastle Eagles.

Erin Antosh got the visitors off to a great start by opening scoring with a smooth lay-up, but they were quickly faced with Newcastle’s dangerous combination of Jada Guinn and Tierra Hodges, who both hit from mid-range to take a lead of their own.

The teams traded buckets for a couple of minutes, before Jiselle Havas responded for Nottingham, scoring a pair of lay-ups to push the Wildcats ahead yet again. The Eagles swiftly found an answer from the second unit though, when Kendall Currence scored twice from close range to leapfrog the visitors for the final time.

Guinn recorded four points in a minute to end the first quarter, which the Eagles finished with a five-point advantage.

Antosh combined with Claire Jacobs as the second quarter began, both hitting jumpers to pull to within a single point. The teams then went blow-for-blow for a few minutes, before Currence converted two lay-ins to extend the differential to seven.

Ashlee Lewis converted from mid-range to shrink the gap again, keeping the Wildcats within reaching distance. However, Hodges stood in their way, pounding the paint to push away from Nottingham once again, finishing the half with a five-point lead.

Hodges carried over the momentum as the third quarter got underway, hitting a lay-up to move back ahead by seven. Lewis offered temporary resistance with a score of her own, but then Guinn stepped up. The American guard put together a strong offensive sequence to create a 10-point lead with four minutes left in the period.

Guinn then followed up with another run of 10 consecutive points for the hosts, taking full control of the clash. When the third quarter came to a close, the Eagles were up by 10.

Things did not get any easier for Nottingham in the final instalment. Guinn earned multiple trips for the free-throw line to pull Newcastle away. Hodges then tapped in for the Eagles, showcasing her offensive bag with makes from an array of spots. Currence then continued to serve as the sole bench scorer and just like that, the home team’s offensive surge had catapulted them in front by 32.

Lewis and Antosh scored a string of baskets down the stretch, but they were mere consolation points. The Eagles eventually finished the game with a 25-point win and moved to third place in the Championship table.

Most Valuable Player: Jada Guinn dominated this one, logging 34 points, five boards and six dimes in a highly-impressive display.

B. Braun Sheffield Hatters 106 – 37 London Lions

On Sunday, the Lions travelled to the Canon Medical Arena still in the hunt for their first win, which would prove difficult when facing the second-placed Hatters.

Sheffield came into the fixture as clear favourites, which made sense from the very start. Tyia Singleton opened scoring for the hosts and setting the tone for what would unfold as the game developed. The American forward powered her way through the paint for the Hatters’ first five points, forging a lead that they would not surrender.

Despite the efforts of Chinwe Iwunze and Macy Spinks, who contributed sporadic baskets from inside and beyond the arc, London suffered extended scoreless spells, while Sheffield put the pedal to the metal. Singleton was joined by Shauna Harrison and Georgia Gayle, as the trio piled in the early points, finishing the first quarter ahead by 19.

The Lions showed found some temporary buoyancy in the form of Monique Esbrand lay-ups, but the home team simply would not relent. Emma Gandini added to London’s misery with a run of makes, before Singleton took the reins yet again, letting it fly from deep and forcing her way to the charity stripe with regularity.

Harrison drained 7 consecutive points of Sheffield, as the contest started to become ludicrously one-sided midway through the second. Laura Zolper converted a pair of lay-ups too, ensuring that the Hatters entered half-time with a sizeable 38-point advantage.

Gayle made it forty almost immediately after the re-start, finishing a crafty lay-up and kicking off a long 20 minutes for the visitors. Singleton’s offensive onslaught continued, as she commanded the boards with tremendous presence and gave London’s defence no choice but to send her to the line.

Nina Krisper added some extra points with confident shot-making, while Iwunze and Spinks plugged away on the other end, playing for pride as the Lions endured another forgettable quarter.

London entered the final period down by 44, but that’s when things got silly. Sheffield locked the Lions up on defence, rendering them scoreless for the first six minutes of the fourth. On offence, they moved the ball with incredibly fluidity, finding open looks for almost everybody.

The road team managed just four points and committed seven turnovers in the fourth quarter, explaining the gargantuan 69-point deficit when the final buzzer sounded. London would remain winless, while Sheffield excellent day at the office pushed them closer to league-leading Oaklands.

Most Valuable Player: Tyia Singleton made an enormous impact on this contest, recording 34 points, 20 rebounds and three assists to lead her team to a major victory.

Leicester Riders 62 – 67 Durham Palatinates

Following their loss to Caledonia one day prior, the Palatinates arrived at the Netball Centre with the goal of returning to winning ways, as they faced the Riders.

With both teams on four wins heading into the contest, fans anticipated a fairly tight affair. That’s not necessarily what they saw at the start of this one; Brooke Bigott opened scoring for Leicester with a confident lay-up and Julia Chandler did the same, as the hosts raced ahead to a 7-0 lead.

Four unanswered points from Harriet Ottewill-Soulsby provided an answer for Durham, but Leicester came back swinging to stay ahead and when substitute Shahd Abboud drained a jumper at the end of the quarter, they found themselves ahead by six.

After a low-scoring opening period, this one gained momentum in the second. Eliza Brault converted a lay-up and splashed an open three to push back for the visitors, before Shanique Lucas stepped up with a forceful drive that pulled Durham within two.

Bigott didn’t slow down on the other end however, she hit a trio of shots from beyond the arc in less than two minutes, pushing the hosts’ advantage beyond double digits. Lucas and Ottewill-Soulsby hit back with contested jumpers, drawing back within two, before Kaia Harrison enjoyed an offensive burst that earned Leicester an eight-point lead as the teams broke for half-time.

Lee Davie’s half-time team talk clearly left a mark, as Durham returned for the third quarter with extra fight. The defensive intensity increased and Sarah Wells scored twice, tying the game with 15 minutes left in the fixture.

Jessica Eadsforth-Yates hit back for Leicester, regaining the lead with an assured drive, but Durham wouldn’t go away. Marina Fernandez Pardo pulled up from mid-range to pull the away team closer, before Lucas hit from three-point land to tie the game yet again.

The teams traded buckets as the third quarter progressed and when Elise Tweedie made a lay-up in the final second, this one was tied at 48.

Abboud provided the perfect start to the fourth for Leicester, hitting a three to regain superiority, but Fernandez Pardo and Lucas responded with a pair of makes to give Durham a lead of their own. Abboud’s impressive run continued, as she made two lay-ups to push the hosts on top by five with as many minutes remaining.

Durham weren’t going lie down and take it however; a combination of Fernandez Pardo lay-ups and steady-handed Lucas free-throws catapulted the visitors ahead by a single point with three minutes left on the clock.

Bigott tied the game when she split a pair from the line, but that’s when Brault seized her moment. The American guard hit a clutch go-ahead three with just over two minutes left, before Katie Bennett stepped up from the bench to gain a five-point lead.

Despite Leicester’s efforts, Brault took care of business from the free-throw line in the closing seconds, as Durham managed the game down the stretch. When this one was said and done, the Palatinates had secured a five-point victory and moved closer to their opponents in the Championship table.

Most Valuable Player: Shanique Lucas spearheaded the Durham offence, recording 25 points, nine rebounds and an assist in this well-earned W.

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