Rebels Tame the Wildcats
Essex Rebels women took on the Nottingham Wildcats at the Essex Sport Arena. Essex were looking to bounce back after a tough defeat away to London Lions whilst Nottingham were looking to snap a losing streak.
The Rebels started the better, getting out to an early 6-0 start as Andrea Kohlhaas and Claire Paxton found themselves open from the perimeter.
The contest became tighter as Nottingham found some offensive rhythm powered by Mari Stewart. The zone defence from the Wildcats clogged the inside game of the Rebels, however, Essex continued to shoot well from beyond – the – arc.
Essex found themselves down in the first period, 16 – 22, but they knew they needed to combine stops and scores to claw back the scoreline. Sune Swart started to get going inside with a couple of scores around the rim but Stewart and Shaw for the Wildcats were on hand to help keep the score line in favour of the away team.
The Rebels were able to build on the improved 3rd quarter and a tactical change defensively helped these efforts. Paxton and Kohlhaas combined for 16 of the Rebels third quarter scoring, making some tough plays and hitting from the outside.
Essex forced Nottingham to go without a field goal in the final 3 minutes of the quarter and created a gap in the scoreline in favour of the hosts. A huge 23-8 quarter gave Essex a lead of 14.
In the final stanza, the Rebels were able to keep Nottingham at bay and manage the threat of Shaw and Stewart. Shooting well from the outside and staying organised in their zone defence allowed Essex to finish out strong.
Claire Paxton leads the Rebels with 22 points & 7 Rebounds, closely followed by Andre Kohlhaas with 19 points & 7 boards.
Coach Ross Norfolk was pleased with their performance, ” It was a great way to bounce back after our loss at Lions last weekend. We shot well from the outside and the girls played with confidence. We were able to adjust our defence at halftime which was a factor in creating stops and generating larger runs”.
Essex has next weekend off, they play host to Oaklands Wolves on the 8th of April at the Essex Sport Arena.
