GAME PREVIEW | REBELS WOMEN vs OAKLANDS WOLVES
ESSEX REBELS WOMEN VS OAKLANDS WOLVES | WBBL | 4:00PM TIP-OFF | 60TH ANNIVERSARY CELEBRATION SPECIAL
Essex Rebels Women are set to face off against Oaklands Wolves in what should be an unforgettable occasion as we begin celebrations of the University of Essex’s 60th Anniversary at the Essex Sport Arena this Saturday.
Essex Rebels have had an encouraging start to the season following a tough opening fixture to the reigning WBBL champions London Lions where the Rebels put up a strong fight in a 101-73 defeat, with new signings Darcy Rees and Dayzsha Rogan impressing for the Rebels.
Cookson’s team bounced back strongly though with a convincing victory away to Nottingham Wildcats, securing their first win of the season with a final score of 66-93. Dayzsha Rogan impressed again, but it was Kat Tudor who was the standout performer for the Rebels with an exceptional 28 points, 7 assists, and 2 steals in the game.
Standing in their way this weekend are Oaklands Wolves, who had a tough season last year finishing 10th in the WBBL, recording only 5 wins in total. However, they have had a much more encouraging start to this season this year, winning 2 out of their first 3 games, having beaten Nottingham Wildcards emphatically last weekend 113-82.
WHAT COACH COOKSON HAS TO SAY:
“We are very excited to get back in front of our home fans and to celebrate the 60th anniversary at the University of Essex. The team has been working very hard over the break to build upon our chemistry and continuing to develop our identity.”
OPPOSITION FOCUS
WHO ARE OAKLANDS WOLVES?
Oaklands Wolves are a professional basketball team and academy based out of St Albans, Hertfordshire, playing their home games at Oaklands College.
Oaklands Wolves entered the WBBL in 2016 and finished 10th in their inaugural season. The team qualified for the WBBL Playoffs for the first time during the 2018-19 season, finishing 8th in the league with a 9-13 record, however, they haven’t finished higher than this since.
NEW RECRUITS
Oaklands Wolves have made a significant number of additions to the squad after their disappointing season last year, that have led them to be touted as the team to watch for this year’s campaign.
Notable new recruits include French forward Fabienne Zere who was a dominant force for the Birmingham Rockets last year in the WNBL. Shaquera Wade, Caterrion Thompson, and Allison Day have also joined from the US, bringing a host of NCAA D1 experience to the team, and Austrian international, Julia Köppl, has signed who brings a strong league pedigree having played in the WBBL previously with Sevenoaks Suns.
FORM
Oaklands Wolves will be delighted with their start to the season, currently sitting 4th in the league with a 2-1 winning record.
Oakland Wolves opened the season with an away win to Cardiff Met Archers, winning 79-55, followed by running last year’s playoff finalists, Leicester Riders, close in a 92-78 defeat at home. They bounced back by crushing Nottingham Wildcats 113-82 last weekend with standout performances across the team, as six players went over double figures in points.
LAST TIME OUT
In the penultimate game of the season last year, Rebels were able to tame the Wolves with an 86-68 win at the Essex Sport Arena. Rebels’ legend Andreas Kohlhaas led the team with 17 points, with Tia Freeman and newly capped GB international Megan Haines pitching in with 15 points each.
PLAYER TO WATCH
Look out for Jorjah Smith who re-signed for the Wolves following a fantastic season last year where she finished 5th in the overall league scoring table, averaging 18.4 points, along with 5.4 rebounds and 3.5 assists. This summer Smith returned to Australia where she became an NBL One Champion with Norwood Flames, firing her side to a title with 12.7 points per game off 35.3% shooting from behind the arc.
FUN FACT
Essex Rebel’s Renee Busch will be facing off against former Sevenoaks teammate, Julia Köppl. Interestingly, at Sevenoaks Suns together, Renee and Julia won nearly everything there is to win in the British Basketball Women’s league, so it should be an exciting matchup!
ESSEX REBELS D3 MEN VS ANGLIAN RUSKIN UNIVERSITY | NBL DIVISION 3 | 6:30PM TIP-OFF
Following what we hope will be a record-breaking game, the Essex Rebels D3 Men take on local rivals Anglian Ruskin University , pitting the top two teams in the NBL Division 3 league table against each other.
The D3 Men have had a fantastic start to the season, winning their first three games of the season, and will be hoping to continue this run on Saturday.
Tickets are still available on Eventbrite. Don’t miss out on this unmissable game and secure your tickets to help us break the league attendance record!
