Rebels secure mid-table win over Manchester
The Essex Rebels got back on track this past Saturday with a big mid-table win over the Manchester Met Mystics. Both teams are currently fighting to keep hold of the 5th place spot in the league, with both teams coming off of losses last weekend. The win saw the Rebels jump ahead of Manchester on the table and put them back on a winning track, as five players reached double digit scoring.
After a long journey up to Manchester, the Rebels came out firing, taking a 24-19 lead after the first 10 minutes. However, the Mystics had other ideas in the second quarter, shooting the lights out and scoring 8 3-pointers to overtake the Rebels by one point heading into half-time.
A quick spurt of scoring continued for the Mystics as they extended their lead to 8 half-way through the third, but a 19-5 run for the Rebels saw them reclaim the lead heading into the final ten minutes, up 58-52. Despite still being down 8 points with 30-seconds to go in the game, Manchester never gave up, hitting a quick lay-up and then getting fouled on their two next possessions in the act of shooting, resulting in gap closing to just 2 points. In an attempt to regain possession quickly, the Mystics had to foul, sending Lu Costa to the line, making one of two free throws to put the Rebels up three and close the game out with a victory.
Head Coach Tom Sadler had this to say after the game, “I thought overall we played well today. We’ve had a lot of games now in a short period of time and a long trip on top of that can take it’s toll. But I thought the team came out and had a good first quarter. Credit to Manchester on their big first half shooting display, hitting 8 3s that quickly really put us on our back foot, but we responded in the 3rd quarter by having a run of our own and holding them to only one 3 in the second half. I thought across the board everyone contributed, and to get 28 points from our bench today shows we have depth that can step in when needed. It’s now a quick turnaround to face a really competitive Caledonia team who is on a 6 game win streak tomorrow. So we need to rest up and refocus tonight.”
Top Performers Rebels –
Lu Costa – 14 points, 10 rebounds, 5 assists
Andrea Kohlhaas – 13 points, 5 rebounds
Claire Paxton – 11 points, 8 rebounds
Tia Freeman – 11 points, 4 assists, 2 steals
Carla Bieg – 11 points
Top Performers Mystics –
Rheanne Bailey – 18 points, 6 rebounds, 4 assists
Georgia Jones – 16 points, 9 assists, 3 steals
Erika Williams – 15 points, 10 rebounds
Vanessa Akra – 12 points, 16 rebounds, 3 assists
