Wolves secure Championship with back-to-back wins, Hatters stay in second and Lions sink further in pivotal week of games

Oaklands won twice at the weekend to win the title in style, in a week where Essex, Cardiff and Durham also picked up wins.

Durham Palatinates 68 – 61 Leicester Riders

The Palatinates welcomed the Riders to the Sports and Wellbeing Park on Saturday afternoon, with both teams jostling for position in mid-table.

Eliza Brault opened scoring for Durham with a lay-up, before Katie Januszewska replied with a Leicester triple, setting the tone for a competitive first quarter. The teams then traded buckets, going toe-to-toe for a the majority of the period, the hosts led by Sarah Wells lay-ups and visitors sparked by Januszewska’s sharpshooting.

Kaia Harrison then stepped up for the Riders, putting together an offensive sequence to move her team ahead. Elise Tweedie worked tirelessly on the glass, providing Leicester with multiple second chance opportunities. Januszewska then splashed it home from deep to finish the quarter with a five-point advantage.

Durham needed a lift in the second quarter, and they found one in Orieoma Chukwu-Etu, who came off the bench to offer an extra scoring punch for the home team. Harrison offered temporary push back with a hard drive, but the Palatinates would not relent. Marina Fernandez Pardo took control of the game, hitting consecutive threes to snatch the lead.

Shanique Lucas then hit a reverse lay-up an followed with a successful trip to the free-throw line and when the teams split for half-time, Durham led by five.

Despite Brault’s early efforts when the teams returned for the second half, Leicester enjoyed a tremendous scoring surge, courtesy of Harrison and Brooke Bigott. The visitors put together a 10-0 run, opening up a five-point lead of their own and taking the momentum.

Durham hit back, going on a run of their own and scoring 11 unanswered points, through a Wells floater, before triples from Fernandez Pardo and Wells. Just like that, the Palatinates found themselves ahead by six. Despite a couple of Leicester makes, Durham finished the third quarter ahead by four.

Soon into the final quarter, Durham created a double-digit advantage, due to threes from Chukwu-Etu and Lucas. Wells then built on that, hitting at the charity stripe and from beyond the arc. Januszewska and Bigott hit back for Leicester with a pair from deep, pulling back to within striking distance.

Januszewska then made a four-point play, pulling the Riders to within just five points. She then traded baskets with Chukwu-Etu, making it just a four-point contest with less than a minute remaining.

Unfortunately, that’s when Leicester’s comeback hopes died. Fernandez Pardo and Chukwu-Etu took care of business at the line, before Lucas iced the contest in the final seconds with free-throws of her own. In an entertaining, back-and-forth contest, Durham had secured the seven-point W.

Valuable Player: Marina Fernandez Pardo played a huge part in Durham’s victory, recording 13 points, eight boards and three assists.

Cardiff Met Archers 71 – 57 London Lions

Still on the hunt for their first win of the season, London travelled to Cardiff to take on the Archers on Saturday afternoon.

Jenna Hoschouer opened scoring for Cardiff, hitting from mid-range to claim the first lead. However, the Lions quickly hit back with a three from Monique Esbrand and free-throws from Macy Spinks, opening up what would be their game-best lead of three.

Abigail Yunker responded with a pair of lay-ups, snatching the lead back for Cardiff. A couple of minutes later, Spinks drained a triple to tie the game, before Sarkodee-Adoo put the Lions ahead. Kiara Stewart then levelled the playing field again with a lay-up, but Elizabeth Esan gave London another lead from downtown.

Connie Clark then stepped up, grabbing multiple boards and entering the scoring column to pull the Archers back to within a single point at the end of the first.

Hoschouer got the ball rolling yet again, making a jumper from mid-range to retake the lead for the hosts. Emma Bailey then entered from the bench to nail a pair of threes, moving ahead by six points. Spinks and Iwunze hit back for London, but they couldn’t stop Cardiff, who scored by committee to move ahead by double figures.

Clark offered a steady diet of scoring and commanded the glass as the quarter wound down, controlling the pace and ensuring the hosts went into half-time with a 10-point advantage.

When the teams returned to the floor, London offered some early fightback. Esbrand and Iwunze combined for five points to shrink the deficit. However, that’s when things took a dramatic downturn for the visitors.

For the subsequent seven minutes, London went scoreless, while Cardiff put together a 13-0 run through buckets from Yunker, Clark and Stewart. This catastrophic run meant that the Lions now trailed by 18. London chipped away at the difference, but when the penultimate period finished, they had a 16-point mountain to climb.

Hoschouer and Bailey nailed jumpers to start the final quarter, moving the hosts ahead by 19 despite some pushback from Iwunze. Esan and Esbrand eventually made shots midway through the quarter, giving the visitors a fighting chance, but it wasn’t to be.

Clark and Yunker did the job at the line  in the closing moments, securing the 14-point win for the Archers. London – who made just five of their 28 three-point attempts – remain winless in a difficult season.

Most Valuable Player: Connie Clark stood out for Cardiff, recording 15 points, 15 rebounds and six assists on her way to victory.

Essex Rebels 93 – 91 Caledonia Gladiators

A mid-table clash took place at the Essex Sports Arena on Saturday afternoon, when the Gladiators visited the Rebels.

Caledonia made a strong start, as Kirsty Brown and Kat Tudor took turns to make lay-ups, pushing the road team out to an early six-point advantage. Essex found a swift response however, through Maria Blazejewski, who nailed from mid-range before hitting a floater over traffic. Taylor O’Brien then made a pair of lay-ups, pulling the Rebels back into the contest.

Tea Adams hit back for the Glad’s, draining a three and combining with bench contributor Aerianna Harris to edge the visitors ahead consistently. Eventually however, Essex found their own scoring punch from the second unit, in the shape of Cameron Taylor Willis, who hit a three to pull the Rebels to within a single point, before Lauren Park-Lane made a tough shot, moving the hosts ahead.

Adams stepped up again, making a series of lay-ups to snatch the lead back for the Scottish outfit. Caledonia would hold the lead for the remainder of the first period, which they finished two points ahead.

Park-Lane drained a triple to start the second, moving the Rebels ahead once again. Brown pushed back for the Gladiators, but Blazejewski then completed an ‘and-1’ play, reestablishing the Rebels advantage. Blazejewski then combined with Brooke Flowers midway through the quarter, making shots from close range to pull away from the visitors.

Caledonia struggled to score for a few minutes, while Flowers forged a double-digit advantage with four minutes left in the half. O’Brien and Flowers scored at will for the rest of the third, staving off efforts from Erin McGarrachan’s efforts to widen the gap. Park-Lane made a pair from the line to move ahead by 13 and the teams split for half-time.

Upon their return the floor, Caledonia made the brighter start. Tudor and Brown combined for a pair of lay-ups, reducing the deficit. Adams then enjoyed a successful trip to the line, pulling her team back to within seven.

Park-Lane and Turner then scored seven points in a minute, surging Essex further ahead yet again, but Caledonia’s comeback efforts weren’t over. Tudor and Delaynie Bryne put together a 10-0 run, tightening the gap to just four. Harris then made it a one-point game with a lay-up and heading into the final quarter, we had a game on our hands.

McGarrachan put the Glad’s ahead almost immediately, as the fourth quarter began with a smooth jumper. However, Taylor Willis and Blazejewski came back swinging with a pair of threes, pushing the hosts back ahead by five.

Taylor Willis scored again, but Caledonia took the chance to reduce the deficit again, scoring by committee to move back to within just two. Adams then just splashed home a triple of her own, taking a one-point lead.

Flowers quickly responded at the line, tying the game, before Park-Lane made a lay-up to move the Rebels back ahead by two. Adams tied again, but  O’Brien reestablished the Essex lead from mid-range.

Blazejewski and Bryne then exchanged buckets, playing cat-and-mouse for a few minutes, with Caledonia working hard to keep the pace. With two minutes on the clock, Brown then laid it in to earn them another two-point advantage.

A Park-Lane lay-up tied the game again, but Bryne split a pair at the line to regain the lead by a single point for Caledonia.

In the final minute, Blazejewski  created space to let it fly from beyond the arc, resulting in a two-point Rebels lead.

Caledonia had the chance to respond, but came up short with a frustrating travel.  Park-Lane punished their mistake by hitting a a free-throw and Turner finished the job. Despite a late shot from Bryne, Essex came away with a hard-fought two-point victory.

Most Valuable Player: Maria Blazejewski led the way for Essex, recording 22 points, eight boards and a dime.

Oaklands Wolves 89 – 48 Nottingham Wildcats

The Wolves came into this weekend’s back-to-back fixtures knowing that two wins would secure Championship silverware. In their way for the first contest were the Wildcats, looking for just their fourth win of the season.

Danielle McCray got the title surge off to a great start, scoring from inside and out to open up an Oaklands lead immediately. Abbey Whitehouse hit back at the line for the Wildcats, but Shanice Beckford-Norton came back swinging, hitting two lay-ups and a free-throw to widen the margin.

Whitehouse continued to push back, combining with Jiselle Havas for a run of tough lay-ups, eventually tying the game midway through the first period. The Wolves responded quickly, with Beckford-Norton continuing the offensive onslaught, hitting multiple lay-ups and building up a double-digit lead, while Nottingham went scoreless for three minutes.

Some other key performers then joined the party for Oaklands; Tayjanna McGhee-Pleasant laid it in and Terri Battle scored from close range, earning a 15-point advantage to finished the quarter.

Battle carried the momentum into the second period, hitting another lay-up to build the lead. Sam Ashby then nailed a triple to make it a 20-point game and tightened their grip on the competition. Erin Antosh and Sevval Istanbulluoglu  then made a string of baskets, as they tried to work Nottingham back into the contest.

An extended scoreless spell then unfolfed, before Ashby and Beckford-Norton combined to widen the margin. Whitehouse and Havas hit at the line, but when half-time arrived, the Wolves led by 21.

Antosh got the second half going, making a lay-up to open scoring, but Oaklands answered back again. Bo Guttormsdottir-Frost made an impact from the bench, earning her way to the line to reestablish dominance, while turnovers continued to plague the Wildcats. Minutes later, McCray hit from mid-range and Oaklands found themselves ahead by 25.

McGhee-Pleasant then took the reins for the hosts, combining a hook shot with an aggressive lay-up and adding to Nottingham’s pain. Battle made a contested lay-up at the end of the penultimate period and heading into the fourth, the Wolves led by 31.

Oaklands piled in the points as the fourth quarter began, with McGhee-Pleasant nailing a three to build on an excellent individual display. Nottingham struggled mightily on both ends of the floor down the stretch, while Beckford-Norton, Battle and Guttormsdottir-Frost found scoring opportunities to forge a 41-point chasm.

The teams swapped buckets for the final couple of minutes, but despite Antosh’s late scoring, Nottingham could not chip away at the difference. When the buzzer sounded, Oaklands had earned a dominant W and moved one step closer to the title.

Most Valuable Player: Tayjanna McGhee-Pleasant put on a tremendous display, adding 12 boards and two assists to her 12-point scoring display.

B. Braun Sheffield Hatters 111 – 106  Newcastle Eagles

Sheffield welcomed Newcastle to the Canon Medical Arena on Sunday. With the teams level on points and jostling for second place, fans anticipated an exciting clash and that’s what they got from opening tip.

Georgia Gayle opened up the scoring column, making a tough lay-up to put the Hatters ahead. Tyia Singleton then combined a pair of free-throws with a score from close-range, adding to the advantage.  

Tierra Hodges answered back for Newcastle, hitting a three and a couple of lay-ups within a minute, earning Newcastle their first lead of the contest. Jada Guinn then joined Hodges in a strong offensive run, moving the Eagles ahead by seven.

That would be as good as it gets for the hosts however; Gayle drained a pair from beyond the arc and Nina Krisper followed up, laying it in to retake the Hatters lead.

Laura Saiki and Kendall Currence spearheaded a response from the visitors, hitting jumpers from inside and out, moving ahead. However, Sheffield found an answer for everything, with Emma Gandini and Nija Collier tying the game multiple times. Gandini caught fire and with consecutive triples, she earned a two-point Sheffield lead at the end of the first period.

Singleton, Collier and Gandini combined early in the second, hitting from three-point land to move ahead by seven. Hodges and Shannon Hatch made shots for Newcastle to chip away at the deficit, but they struggled to get over the hump and Gayle made them pay, hitting a pair of J’s to re-open the differential.

Krisper hit a three to create a double-digit lead, then Gandini and Collier piled in the points to make it a 16-point game. Saiki scooped in a lay-up for Newcastle, but when the teams left for the locker rooms, they trailed by 14.

Guinn and Saiki started the second half with a bang, scoring from mid-range to edge the Eagles back to within single digits. Hodges offered some additional fightback, but Krisper then became red-hot, scoring seven points in two minutes to widen the gap with dynamite shooting.

Saiki secured a couple of buckets to move closer, but Gayle hit back continuously, taking care of business from the line and letting it fly from range to keep Sheffield ticking. Gandini moved the ball in style, finding open scorers at will, while Hatters tightened their grip on the contest.

Newcastle weren’t done though; Saiki and Swann nailed shots at the end of the quarter and the visitors found themselves behind by three.

The Eagles continued their comeback efforts as the fourth quarter began. Jada Guinn earned her way to the line and pulled the lead back into Newcastle’s ownership. Krisper stepped up again, tying the game and propelling Sheffield back on top at the charity stripe.

Harrison and Gayle made baskets, moving ahead by five with as many minutes left on the clock. Currence came back swinging though and after three consecutive makes, she tied the game for the buoyant Eagles.

Singleton and Harrison made shots from the line to push the Hatters in front, but Newcastle wouldn’t go away. Hodges and Guinn drove hard and made major shots to keep the visitors in the game, but it wasn’t to be. Harrison earned consecutive trips to the stripe and eventually created a five-point differential.

When the buzzer sounded, Sheffield had secured the win and created a slim gap in the table between them and their opponents.

Most Valuable Player: Georgia Gayle led the way for Sheffield, logging 26 points, six boards and six dishes.

London Lions 54 – 86 Oaklands Wolves

A match-up of top versus bottom took place at Barking Abbey School on Sunday afternoon, as lowly London matched up against Oaklands, who were just one win away from Championship and Cup double.

It became quickly apparent why the Wolves had one hand on title gold, when they started the game with a 14-0 run. Tayjanna McGhee-Pleasant set the tone for the Wolves, before fellow starters Bo Guttormsdottir-Frost, Lavinia Da Silva and Shanice Beckford-Norton hit jumpers to establish an early stronghold for the away team.

After four minutes, London got on the scoresheet. Chinwu Iwunze opened their account with a driving lay-up but that only seemed to poke the beast. Terri Battle entered the fray for a tough lay-up and the Wolves scored by committee to widen the gap.

Monique Esbrand hit from mid-range and Mia Jaye Sarkodee-Addo came off the bench for a lay-up, as London tried to reduce the deficit. However, Oaklands held control and when Danielle McCray joined the party with a lay-in, they finished the opening period up by 19.

Sarkodee-Adoo remained stubborn as the second quarter began, hitting a mid-ranger to create some positive momentum. Elizabeth Esan provided some assistance, scoring to reduce the deficit further, giving the Lions a fighting chance.

Da Silva responded for Wolves, making a lay-up to edge them further ahead, before Beth Sarson came off the bench to drain a triple and assert the road team’s dominance. Esbrand scored consecutive jumpers to generate a Lions spark, but couldn’t create a dent in the deficit. McCray laid one in and Beckford-Norton matched it, creating a 16-point lead to finish the half.

Esbrand remained in high spirits when the second half began, nailing from inside and outside of the paint, to set the tone for the Lions. However, as is so often the case, the Wolves were not phased. Their offence did not waver, as Guttormsdir-Frost and Da Silva scored steadily to keep them ahead.

London then went scoreless for a while and the Wolves took advantage; McCray converted at the line, Da Silva splashed from mid-range and Battle drove the lane to remain in control of the contest. As the quarter wound down, Beckford-Norton, McGhee-Pleasant and Sarson scored with ease, making it a 21-point contest heading into the final frame.

Esan made a lay-up early in the fourth, but London seemed to have hit the wall, committing avoidable turnovers and missing makeable shots, as Oaklands punished them further. With the title in sight, the visitors kept the pedal to the metal. Da Silva made an ‘and-1’ play, Guttormsdottir-Frost cut for easy looks, Beckford-Norton drove for crafty lay-ups and McCray hit from under the basket, putting this one beyond doubt.

When Sarson made the final lay-up with 13 seconds remaining, the party started for the Wolves. They had added a Championship title to Cup gold, capping off an immense 24/25 campaign in truly dominant fashion and setting up a short-but-eventful drive back down the M25.

Most Valuable Player: Headlining an impressive team display, Shanice Beckford-Norton dazzled. She fell painfully short of a triple double, with 17 points, 11 boards and nine assists on her way to a Championship medal.

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