WEABL recap – 1 February
- Updated: February 2, 2023
With a game to spare, City of London Academy have won the WEABL Southern Conference, but things are not as clear cut in the North, with Manchester Mystics and Nottingham Academy Wildcats on equal points heading into their final run of games.
Week 13 in detail.
Copleston High School 75-81 City of London Academy – Southwark
They have done it again, CoLA (8-1) are back-to-back Southern Conference champions.
The title clinching game was a gritty, six-point away win against Copleston (4-3), with the usual suspects balling out for both teams.
CoLA’s Ebere Ebrika scored 21 points and her teammates Emily O’Connell and Felicia Jacobs added 15 each.
Liv Forster’s huge effort of 29, as well as 28 points between Louisa Gibbins and Christabel Osarobo, was not quite enough to keep CoLA from edging it.
John Madejski Academy 64-53 Barking Abbey
JMA (1-7) finally have their first victory in the 22/23 campaign, beating Barking Abbey (1-5) at home.
Getting them there was Tyra Phelan, Elia Ando and Tejonah McKay, who scored 18, 16 and 14 points, respectively.
Five-foot-eight guard Grace Strickland scored 26 for BA, but to no avail. The East Londoners have now lost three on the trot and face inform Itchen College next week.
The Sheffield College 64-54 Charnwood College Riders
The Sheffield College (2-4) recorded their second win of the season over Charnwood (1-5), putting their best foot forward to secure the #3 place play-off berth in the Northern Conference.
Three of Sheffield’s starters were in double-digits – Erica Egan (19), Olivia Jokonya (16) and Steph Oliver (12) – and although it is rare for an MVP nod to go to a losing team, it would have gone to Erin Powell of the Riders and her 36-point performance.
Next week Sheffield travel to Nottingham, whilst the Riders will have to wait a week before they are back on court against the Mystics.
Manchester Mystics Academy 62-68 Nottingham Academy Wildcats
The battle for the Northern Conference rages on, as the Wildcats (5-2) draw level with the Mystics (5-2) on 15 points in the table.
What separates them now is a slightly better Mancunian defensive record that keeps the Mystics in first.
In this win for Nottingham, guards Natalie Charity and Alina Riley scored 18 points each and Yemisi Mefful backed them up with 13 of her own.
Only Isobel Robinson of the Mystics made it into double-digits, scoring 28.
