A Game of Two Halves for Rebels in Manchester

The Essex Rebels women’s basketball team took a tough road loss this past Saturday as they fell to the Manchester Mystics. The game was the second meeting between the two clubs this year, with Manchester taking the first leg. Rebels have been looking to get back to their winning ways, but have been struggling as of late. Unfortunately their losing streak continued despite a hard fought game by the Rebels.

The first half seemed to be all Rebels, as the team poured in 49 points and led both teams in all major statistics. Sharp shooting by the home team kept them close, as the teams entered the locker rooms at half with the Rebels leading by four. The second half saw momentum shift, with Manchester keeping pace with the Rebels and entering the final ten minutes with the ball game tied. Like the past few games, the Rebels just seemed to lose steam and while the away team’s shots just couldn’t drop, the home team went on a scoring run. The final buzzer sounded with the Mystics winning 90-75.

Head Coach Tom Sadler had this to say after the game, “I thought for 30 minutes we played good basketball. We can’t forget that and only focus on the final 10 were once again we just couldn’t keep our composure and tried to force shots. While we are still seeing glimpses of what made us so successful at the start of the season, we just can’t seem to put 40 minutes together and until we do we will continue to struggle. We aren’t a team that can afford to take a single possession off. Unfortunately we took ten minutes worth of possessions off and that ultimately cost us the game. We have to have a short memory however, as we have another game tomorrow.”

Top Performers Rebels:

Andrea Kohlhaas – 16 points, 6 rebounds

Lu Costa – 15 points, 11 rebounds

Angel Waithe – 12 points, 9 rebounds

Elsa Landberg – 11 points, 6 rebounds

Top Performers Mystics:

Georgia Jones – 25 points, 10 rebounds

Sophia Song – 19 points, 11 rebounds

Helen Naylor – 15 points

The Rebels look to bounce back quickly as they face London Lions Sunday as they return home. Check out the Essex Rebels social media accounts for news and information on how to watch and support your Rebels!