Ipswich women tame Wolves to move to 13-2

IPSWICH BASKETBALL 91-61 WORCESTER WOLVES

WNBL DIVISION 1

COPLESTON SPORTS CENTRE

Ipswich Basketball Club’s Senior Women moved to a record of 13-2 win a comprehensive win at home to Worcester Wolves on Saturday. The win see’s the team with their destiny in their own hands as they aim to repeat as WNBL Division One league champions. With three games remining, Ipswich face both Southwark pride (10-3 3rd) and Loughborough Riders (10-4 2nd) in their next two games, both at home, before they travel to Reading for the final game of the regular season, with their closest rivals still to play each other a second time in the final week of the season…

Saturday’s 91-61 win against Worcester saw Ipswich in top form, with Harriet Welham (27), Ella Pearson (11), Danni Cazey (18) and Cameron Taylor-Willis (18) leading the offensive charge – while Esther Little was again the games dominant physical presence (18 rebounds and five blocks). The thirty point win again allowed Ipswich to give valuable experience to their young bench, with all eleven players playing good minutes as the Suffolk side secured their 13th win of the season. “I thought we were very efficient today. It’s been a very long season already, and there is still so much basketball to be played – we are usually done and dusted by now so this is just as much about mental endurance as it is physical” Said Ipswich Coach Nick Drane.

Victorious Ipswich applaud viewers of the livestream at home following Saturday's win (Photo: Pavel Kricka)

This Saturday, Ipswich host CoLA Southwark Pride, a team on an impressive eight game winning streak, including double-header victories last weekend that set’s up a showdown at Copleston this Saturday. “CoLA will always be there at the end of the season. They are very tough physically and mentally and are always well prepared – we are expecting a real battle” added Drane. A win for CoLA will put them firmly in the race for the league title, as it would move them to an 11-3 record while pushing Ipswich to 13-3. An Ipswich win would put them in a position to secure the league title the following weekend against Loughborough, one of only two teams to beat Ipswich this season. “We are not thinking about Loughborough, and we are not thinking about league titles or the playoffs at this stage. Our focus is firmly on the next game and the challenges that CoLA will present us” Said the Ipswich Playcaller.

With just three weeks left of the season, Ipswich have three games remaining. CoLA and Loughborough both play five games in that period of time. Nottingham Trent, Solent Kestrels and Reading Rockets look set for a tense finish to the season as they do battle for the 4th home seed for the playoffs while Barking Abbey, Cardiff met Archers and Thames Valley are in competition for the eighth and final postseason berth.

Saturday’s game against CoLA Southward Pride tips off at 2pm at Copleston Centre, the game will be streamed live on the Ipswich Basketball facebook page and livestats will be available via the Basketball England website.