The Essex Rebels claimed their spot in the play-offs this Wednesday as they secured a much needed victory over the Oaklands Wolves. Although a play-off spot is now guaranteed, the Rebels still have two regular season games remaining that will determine their final place on the league table.
The first three minutes of the game went all to the visitors, more specifically Merissa Quick, who hit Oaklands’ first 12 points in that time and went on to score the first 16 of the Wolves’ 19 total in the first quarter. Despite the quick run from Quick, the Rebels responded with a run of their own spurred on by Angel Waithe and Tia Freeman who ended the quarter and continued their run into the second, scoring 18 points between them. The half-finished with some back and forth scoring, but the Rebels entered the break up five. The second half saw the tides turn completely, as the Rebels extended their lead to 15 points by the end of the third, which grew to 24 points by the end of the game. The final score being 86-62.
Head Coach Tom Sadler had this to say after the win, “Take away the first 3-minutes of the game and we played solid throughout. I thought Angel and Tia had big games for us tonight, but more importantly we spoke about winning this game as a whole team before the start and they did just that. Everyone got on court and contributed some big minutes and I think that has been one of the best things about this team. If it isn’t someone’s game, someone else steps up. We’ve not really had that in past seasons, so to see all 10 players contribute to the win was great to see. Even though we have now got a confirmed play-off spot, we need to stay focused these last two games to try and stay in a good position on the table. So we will need to celebrate this win quickly and turn our sights to Friday and Sunday.”
Top Performers Rebels:
Angel Waithe – 25 points, 12 rebounds, 4 assists, 2 steals
Tia Freeman – 17 points, 4 rebounds, 3 steals
Lu Costa – 13 points, 4 rebounds
Top Performers Wolves:
Merissa Quick – 24 points, 5 rebounds
Beth Sarson – 7 points, 8 rebounds, 4 assists
