Victory for the Rebels Women’s Team in Cardiff, While the Rebels Men Fall Short in Milton Keynes
This weekend saw both the Rebels women’s team and men’s side on the road for their respective away fixtures. The women’s team travelled to face the Cardiff Met Archers in a Super League Basketball clash, while the men took on the Milton Keynes Breakers in a key British Championship Basketball matchup on Saturday 22 November.
Cardiff opened the scoring at the Archers Arena with a two-point layup from Amelia Scharpf, but the Rebels were quick to flip the script in the Welsh capital. In what has become a familiar sight this season, Natalie Chou and Claire Paxton combined for three three-pointers. Strong defensive work from Rhema Ogele helped the Rebels end the first quarter with a commanding 13–29 lead.
More of the same followed in the second quarter, as the Rebels continued to showcase their strength in depth as Paige Meyer and Maria Blazejewski added to the scoring pressure, and the hosts struggled to cope with the Rebels’ blend of sharp passing and physicality in the paint. The Rebels headed into halftime with a commanding 28–49 lead.
Rebels dominance continued after the break, as scoring was spread across the squad and the visitors capitalised on transition opportunities. Cardiff had no answer for the Rebels’ intensity. A clinical fourth quarter sealed a 53–94 victory for the Rebels, highlighted by three-pointers from Chou, McDerment, and Meyer. Across the game, the Rebels demonstrated their two-way efficiency, racking up 26 points from turnovers and 21 from fast breaks.
After the match, Head Coach Ashley Cookson said,
“There was real excitement coming back from the national team break. The group returned energised and connected, and you could feel that in the way we played. Everyone contributed, everyone impacted the game, and that’s the identity we want to keep building.”
Quinesha Lockett led the Rebels in scoring with 17 points, while Meyer and Chou each dished out six assists. But it was Rhema Ogele who delivered a standout all-round performance. Ogele contributed 15 points, five assists, five steals, one block, and five rebounds showing her importance at gelling together a Rebels side with big aspirations this season.
Later in the day, the Rebels men tipped off against the Milton Keynes Breakers, aiming to bounce back from their recent defeat to the Worthing Thunder.
A competitive, back-and-forth first quarter ended level at 15–15, with Miles Brown quickly finding his scoring rhythm to put up 10 early points for the visitors.
The Rebels looked positive heading into the second quarter with strong play from Michael Amako and Kyron Martin helping them edge ahead 22–27. But the hosts responded as Xavier Wilson calmly converted both free throws before a Jonas Dietrich jumper sent Milton Keynes into halftime leading 31–27.
The third quarter proved decisive. The Breakers exploded with a 17–0 scoring run before the Rebels could reply. Three-point efforts from Tom Child and Amako weren’t enough to counter the hosts’ offensive surge.
Trailing by 16 heading into the final quarter, the Rebels battled hard in the closing minutes. Brown briefly reduced the deficit to three with a trademark three-pointer, but the Breakers regrouped and closed out the game, securing a 72–65 win.
After the match, Head Coach Joe Hart commented,
“A frustrating start to the third quarter left us in a hole that was really difficult to get out of. We showed some resilience down the stretch, but some mental lapses let the game get away from us unfortunately.”
Despite the defeat, Brown delivered another impressive outing, finishing with 25 points. He will look to continue his strong form as the Rebels host the Newcastle Knights next Saturday at 6:30 PM. The game forms part of a special Jersey Night double-header, following the Rebels women’s team’s clash with the Oakland Wolves.
Tickets for Jersey Night are on sale now—don’t miss out!
