NBL Division Two Nottingham Wildcats 31 Ipswich 140 Ipswich Basketball Club’s senior women won by 109 points as they travelled to Nottingham to face the face the Wildcats, beating them 140-31 with another powerful performance, writes Oliver Williams.
The scary thought for the rest of the competition is, it would seem, Ipswich are actually getting better!
For the first time this season, the Suffolk side got to play as league champions. Having secured a historic league and cup double by the end of February, some people may have expected Ipswich to take their foot off the gas.
However, they seemed to do quite the opposite, coming out with a relentless intensity on defence resulting in non-stop points in transition. By the end of the first quarter, Ipswich held an amazing 41-5 lead.
Things didn’t get any better in the second quarter for Nottingham. All of the Ipswich players were being used in a balanced rotation without any let up. By half-time it was 75-10.
The third quarter saw a little more resistance from Nottingham who enjoyed their best period of the game. However, this did not stop Ipswich from further extending their lead, racking up another 30-point quarter.
The fourth quarter saw Ipswich re-establish their defensive dominance, winning the period 35-8. Ipswich recorded their second three-figure victory of the season winning the game 140-31.
After the game, Ipswich coach Nick Drane said “The girls are relentless. We have to keep playing our style of basketball, at our pace and at our level.
“We don’t won’t to be winning games by 100 points, but if you are going to be ready for the play-offs, then we have to keep our momentum and this aggressive mind set.”
Ipswich were led by 43 points from Harriet Welham, while Maya Price added 25 points and 22 rebounds. A stat that perhaps demonstrates the unselfish nature of this team best of all is that Esther Little, Ashleigh Pink and Danni Cazey all recorded triple-doubles.
Ipswich also welcomed back captain Amy Linton, who has been out since January. Drane said: “It is great to have Amy back. We missed her a lot. She brings so much to the team as a leader and a player.”
Ipswich play their final away game of the season when they travel to Worcester this Saturday.
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