Riders Reach Trophy Final, big weekend in WBBL Championship

The 2019 WBBL Trophy Final was set over the weekend, while there was plenty of action in the WBBL Championship.

Leicester Riders remain on course to defend their Betty Codona WBBL Trophy title after overcoming Sevenoaks Suns in an overtime thriller. The Riders set up a showdown with Durham Palatinates following a 70-65 triumph with 21 points in the win from Brea Elmore before beating Essex Blades 86-81 in the league to keep the pressure on the league leading Suns.

"To beat Sevenoaks at home, in overtime, was massive for us," said Holly Winterburn. "The performance really was a result of our hard work, both on and off the court. We had to come together and fight right until the very end and I'm proud of my team."

Cardiff Met Archers boosted their Play-Off hopes with a timely win as they defeated Nottingham Wildcats 58-60 away from home. Sarah Wagstaff top scored with 17 points with Stef Collins adding 13 as the Archers improved to 4-11, while the Wildcats dropped outside of the top four.

Ta'Yani Clark produced an impressive all-round display with a triple-double in Sevenoaks' bounceback win over Durham Palatinates. Clark finished with 13 points, 17 rebounds and 11 assists to help her side move to 13-0 with the 54-70 success.

Oaklands Wolves continued their recent momentum with an impressive 77-66 success over Newcastle Eagles with both sides now at 6-9. Roya Rustamzada starred with 25 points and 10 rebounds as well as six steals in another league win for the Wolves.

The weekend went from bad to worse for Newcastle as they also suffered a 70-56 loss away at BA London Lions with Mark Clark's side able to close the gap. Ijeoma Ofomata led the way with a game-high 23 points in the win for the hosts.

Westfield Health Sheffield Hatters remain third after they defeated the Lions 75-59 behind 24 points from Cup Final MVP Sarah Toeaina, while Manchester Mystics moved into fourth with an 85-66 victory against Caledonia Pride as Sam Roscoe fired in 29 points.