Long 2 pointers not enough for Rebels
The Essex Rebels took to the road this past Saturday to face the Sheffield Hatters. The Hatters, who sit comfortably in the third spot on the league table, were sadly mourning the loss of their club founder Betty Codona OBE, a pioneer and leader of women’s basketball in the country for 60 years.
Sheffield started the game with a tremendous effort on the offensive end, pouring in 35 points, while the Rebels struggled to find their footing. A big issue for the Rebels, came in the form of thirteen turnovers which led to 18 points for the Hatters. With no real handle on the ball, and Sheffield scoring almost every possession, the Rebels entered half-time down 50-33.
The second half started with a long 2-pointer, and pull up from Ashleigh Munns, followed by a powerful post move from Lu Costa to cut the Hatters lead to 13. However, the home team had a quick response, scoring on four straight possessions to maintain strong control of the game. Despite Ashleigh Munns’ 14 points in 8 minutes to help get the Rebels to within 12, the Hatters matched them throughout the fourth quarter and ended the game with a win 89-74.
Head Coach Tom Sadler had this to say after the game, “It didn’t look like we were on the same page at all in the first half. We were trying to force passes, not running back on defence, missing shots and no one crashing the boards, and Sheffield capitalised on that. Then we start playing in the second half but miss 9 foul shots and start trying to force shots. After a few weeks and a couple of games where we looked to be heading in the right direction, this game just looked like square one again and we need to bounce back quick to stay in the play-off race. However, more importantly, I want to offer our condolences to Sheffield. I had the honour of meeting Betty a couple of times over the past few seasons and she was always incredibly kind and generous. Her dedication to the game and legacy is not one that will be forgotten anytime soon in the basketball community.”
Top Performers Rebels:
Ashleigh Munns – 18 pts, 3 assists
Lu Costa – 17 points,
Angel Waithe – 12 points, 2 steals
Top Performers Hatters:
Georgia Gayle – 18 points, 9 assists, 5 rebounds, 3 steals
Ebony Horton – 15 points, 7 rebounds, 5 assists, 3 steals
Helen Naylor – 13 points
Hannah Shaw – 12 points, 7 rebounds
Marl Stewart – 12 points
