The Nottingham Wildcats lose out to Sevenoaks Suns in the WBBL Cup semi-final after a dramatic matchup
The 2020 WBBL Cup champions Sevenoaks Suns will be defending their title against 2020 Trophy champions Leicester Riders come January 2021, as both teams confirmed their place following Saturday’s Semi-Finals.
Sevenoaks Suns managed to pick up a dramatic 69-67 victory after visitors Nottingham Wildcats came agonisingly close to forcing the current Cup champions into overtime.
The away side found themselves leading the champions by five points at the half, but Suns came out firing on all cylinders knocking down a pair of layups and a three pointer to put them ahead and keep the lead heading into the final period.
With under three minutes remaining in the final quarter, Suns led by 10, with a Cup Final appearance seeming increasingly likely, but Wildcats weren’t determined to go down without a fight and managed to cut that lead in half less than 25 seconds remaining.
Tia Freeman managed to throw up a three-pointer with 16 left on the clock and the Wildcats team clenched their teeth as with five seconds remaining, Suns turned over the ball and Chelsey Shumpert threw up a two-point jump shot, only to see it bounce off the rim and into the hands of Renee Busch, who led her team with 23 points, before the final buzzer sounded.
MVP Cat Carr was also a big influence in the Suns win, picking up a double-double of 14 points, 12 rebounds and seven assists.
WBBL Cup, Semi-Final
Sevenoaks Suns 69-67 Nottingham Wildcats (16-20, 34-39, 51-47, 69-67)
(Suns – Busch 23, Monakana 18, Carr 14; Wildcats – Shumpert 23, Joyner, 20, Costa 7)