Rebels Continue Winning Ways
The Essex Rebels continued their winning ways as they finished their weekend with a win against the Oaklands Wolves at home this Sunday. The Rebels, who were coming off a massive win against league leaders Leicester Riders on Friday night had a quick turnaround to their return to the floor. This was the first meeting between the Rebels and the Wolves on the season, with all previous meetings going in favour of the Wolves, but ultimately the Rebels being victorious on this outing.
The first ten minutes of the game saw the Wolves jump out to a good lead, as the Rebels struggled to get their legs moving. Clearly impacted by the hard fought game they had played less than 48 hours earlier. The Wolves were quick to all rebounds and saw their American Amari Carter catch fire, to finish the quarter up by 6 points. Early foul trouble put Rebels standout DeAngelique Waithe on the bench for the majority of the first half, only playing 6 minutes in total and leading to a big loss on the boards. The second quarter saw the Rebels go on a scoring run of their own and a massive 3 point shot on the buzzer by Captain Andrea Kohlhaas put the Rebels up two going into the half-time break.
The second half was a battle between both teams, and all those who watched could see the intensity and determination of all involved to leave the game with a win. It was an intense final two minutes, as the Rebels were up by three points, before the Wolves hit two foul shots and stole the inbounds pass and made a lay-up to go up by 1 point with 30 seconds to go in the game. The Rebels called a time out, but were foiled by the Wolves who intercepted a pass to regain possession, forcing the home team to commit two quick fouls to send the Wolves to the foul line in an attempt to recover the ball. Fate was on the side of the Rebels however, as the Wolves missed both free throw attempts and the Rebels were quick to advance the ball up the floor, where DeAngelique Waithe missed a lay-up but go her own rebound and was fouled on the put back attempt. Angel continued to be clutch from the line, making both foul shots and putting the Rebels back on top by 1 point with 5.6 seconds left on the clock. The Wolves set up a play, but in the end, it was the Rebels defence that sealed the deal for the home team, as they came up with a rebound and held the Wolves to just 12 points for the entire quarter.
Head Coach Tom Sadler had this to say after the win, “I’m so impressed by how the team stuck it out today. We knew they were sore and tired from Friday’s game, but after a slow start they dug deep and really played with intensity and heart. We talk a lot about how this team plays together and plays for each other and today was a great example of that. They could have easily packed it in and blamed being exhausted, but they didn’t. They held themselves to the high standard they set for the season and they got the job done. Overall, it was a great weekend and I am so proud of this team.”
Top Performers for the Rebels:
DeAngelique Waith – 18 points, 6 rebounds
Lu Costa – 15 points, 19 rebounds
Carla Bieg – 14 points, 5 rebounds
Andrea Kohlhaas – 13 points
Top Performers for the Wolves:
Amari Carter – 30 points, 6 rebounds, 4 assists
Greeta Uprus – 17 points, 10 rebounds
The Rebels take to the road for the next month, with six straight away games, before returning home on April 11th.
