Sevenoaks Suns make it three in a row with victory in the benecos Play-Off Final
Sevenoaks Suns marked the close of the fifth WBBL season with victory in the benecos Play-Off Final.
benecos WBBL Play-Off Final
Sevenoaks Suns 60-55 Leicester Riders (21-15, 29-33, 42-41)
Sevenoaks Suns made it three WBBL Play-Off titles in a row with a thrilling 60-55 victory over Leicester Riders in the benecos Play-Off Final, in front of 9,000 fans at The O2.
The result mirrors last year’s end of season finale and sees
the reigning WBBL Championship winners improve their major finals record against
the Riders to three wins and one loss.
Leading scorers – Janice Monakana 23, Cat Carr 13, Tayani Clark 9 (Suns) – Brea Elmore 17, Holly Winterburn 11, Dee Hayward 9 (Riders)
Turning point – Down by 10 points, early in the third quarter, the Suns turned the game on its head with a 13-0 run to take the lead. Incredibly, Sevenoaks held the Riders scoreless for over four minutes during the run. After a back and forth final quarter, the Suns made yet another decisive run – scoring seven straight points – with just 90 seconds remaining on the clock.
Key stat – In a game of fine margins, the Suns second unit were able to outscore the Riders bench by 16 points – thanks entirely to the output of Monakana.
Game hero(es) – Monakana proved the difference between the two sides: the Finals MVP netted a game-high 23 points off the bench. Clark also caught the eye for the victors with nine points, 16 rebounds and five assists. Carr also showed her class, netting the majority of her 13 points in the fourth quarter.