Rebels finish regular season undefeated at home
The Rebels secured an 85–72 victory over Manchester Basketball, as the women’s team closed out the Super League Basketball Championship regular season with a perfect home record in their final game.
A huge effort from Ashley Cookson’s side has seen the Rebels unbeaten at home in the Super League Basketball regular season, winning nine out of nine matches.
Having lost the reverse fixture in Manchester, the Rebels put on a dominant and professional performance to secure a third-placed finish in the SLB standings before heading into playoffs.
The first quarter was hotly contested, with the visitors putting together a seven-point scoring run to gain an early advantage, after Paige Meyer put the Rebels ahead with a lay-up in the opening thirty seconds. Manchester’s ability to convert shots from range proved to be the difference, as Frannie Hottinger, Irene Oboavwoduo and Tiarra East all sunk three-pointers to make the score 18-20 before the second quarter.
After a short break, the Rebels came out firing, with Maria Blazejewski sinking a three-pointer to give her side the advantage. Maaja Bratka and Eva Karasaite led the point scoring for the visitors, but a resolute Rebels defence prevented them from establishing another foothold in the game. A combined 15 points for Quinesha Lockett and Paige Meyer in the second quarter saw the Rebels head into halftime with a 44-33 lead.
Much like in other performances this season, the Rebels put in a professional display while protecting their lead. Claire Paxton sunk a pair of three-pointers – as well as one from Paige Meyer – to help the home side keep a significant point buffer on the visitors. Manchester refused to give up, as Maaja Bratka put up nine points in five minutes, but were unable to retake the lead.
A nervy closing ten minutes saw Manchester twice come close to levelling the scoreboard, with Veera Pirttinen making consecutive three-pointers to reduce the deficit to six points and Frannie Hottinger’s lay-up later making it seven with under two minutes to go. The Rebels kept their heads and saw out their lead, with Paige Meyer and Rhema Ogele both converting two attempts from the free-throw line in the final minute as the final action of the regular season at the Essex Sport Arena.
For the first time since joining the Super League Basketball—formerly the WBBL—the team has secured home-court advantage after finishing third, heading into the SLB Playoff Quarter Final. Sixth-seed London Lions will visit the Essex Sport Arena this Saturday, 2 May, with tip-off scheduled for 4pm.
Tickets are now available here, so be sure not to miss out on the biggest game of the season so far!
TOP PERFORMERS
Essex Rebels
- Maria Blazejewski – 23 points – 8 rebounds – 2 assists
- Paige Meyer – 21 points – 6 rebounds – 6 assists
- Quinesha Lockett – 20 points – 4 rebounds – 1 assist
Manchester Basketball
- Maaja Bratka – 27 points – 7 rebounds – 2 assists
- Veera Pirttinen – 10 points – 2 rebounds – 4 assists
- Frannie Hottinger – 10 points – 6 rebounds – 2 assists
By Nicholas Melton
