R A T S!

Five Schools Unite to "Raise Pupil Achievement Though Sport" - The RATS Project

Sheffield Hatters Win Womens' Final

2nd May 2006


Rhondda Rebels 67 (13,32,43)
Sheffield Hatters 79 (25,45,59)

Hatters upset the form-book to clinch the EBL Division I Women's Championship with a dominant performance, on Sunday.

League and National Cup winners Rebels had gone into the game looking to complete a perfect season having won all 24 domestic games during the campaign.

Three of those wins had come against the Hatters, their only losses of the season, but it was Betty Codona's side who took the season's final piece of silverware with a fine all-round display.

The Welsh side clearly missed American guard Laurie Koehn who had led the league in scoring with 24.5 points per game.
Hatters' Sarah Naylor led all scoring with 24 points, backed-up by Stephanie Gandy who collected the game's only double-double, finishing with 22 points and 11 boards.

The foundation for Sheffield's win, their tenth play-off success since 1989, came in the first period as they opened up a 25-14 lead at the first break, and that advantage never went into single figures again.

Gandy did most of the damage during the first half as Hatters extended their lead to 13 at half-time. She hit 20 points during the first two periods, and was the only Sheffield starter not to collect at least two fouls while many of her team mtes suffered from early foul trouble.

A defensive third period saw only 25 points, but again Hatters edged things, outscoring the Welsh side 14-11 to take a comfortable 16 point lead into the final period.

The game was effectively over by the midway stage of the fourth period, as Sheffield's lead grew to 20, and although Rebels - who were led by 22 points from Rosalee Mason - narrowed the gap in the final stages, Sheffield ran the clock down to prevent a Rhondda clean sweep.

Rhondda: R Mason 22, A Congreaves 19, G d'Hondt 10, M Lender 8, S Kaznica 6, I Zekite 2, S Lewis (DNP), J Pearce (DNP), J Gooch (DNP), L Staley (DNP)

Sheffield: S Naylor 24, S Gandy 22, L Little 11, K Crowley 7, K Zagoma 7, H Naylor 5, A Hay 2, A Jamieson-Shaw 1, L Hutchinson, S Kirk (DNP), A Watkins (DNP), L Underwood (DNP)