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The women were home for the first time since their historic Super League Basketball Trophy win as they faced off against a strong Sheffield Hatters team. A close game saw the Gladiators take the last second lead to secure their win in front of a busy home arena this Valentine’s Day weekend. A huge win for the Gladiators in the Super League Basketball Championship as they take the narrow victory against one of the top teams in the League, keeping their momentum from their historic win.
The first quarter saw Sheffield showing the Gladiators’ home fans why they are a top team this season as they took a quick 7-point lead in the first quarter. The Hatters were eager to forget the last time they stepped onto the court at Playsport and show the Gladiators that they are one of the teams to beat in the later stages of the league and playoffs.
The second quarter saw the Gladiators fight their way back into the game, cutting the Hatter’s lead to just 4 points entering the half-time break. The Hatters continued to push their lead early in the second quarter, taking an 11-point lead with just over three minutes left in the half. Strong plays from the Gladiators saw them cut this lead to 4 in the final 3 minutes of the quarter, behind strong play from Delaynie Byrn and Kerry McGhee.
The Half-Time Score was 36 – 40 to the Sheffield Hatters.
The start of the second half saw the two teams trading baskets, however, the Gladiators would tie the score within the first two and a half minutes of action at 43 – 43. The Gladiators would take their first lead since the first quarter. With both teams increasing their defensive efforts, the game would remain scoreless for the next 3 minutes before the Gladiators would convert a three-pointer to take the 5-point lead. However, the Hatters would retake the lead in the last second of the third quarter with a three-pointer from Emma Gandini. The score entering the final quarter of play was 50 – 51 to the Hatters.
With momentum on their side after retaking the lead the Hatters would again begin to increase their lead against the Gladiators. The game would remain close throughout the quarter, with both teams trading buckets. The Gladiators would take the lead with just under 4 minutes left in the fourth behind big buckets from today’s MVP Kat Tudor and Mathilde Domenger. With some clutch scoring from the Gladiators, the home team would take the three-point win this weekend at Playsport.
Today’s MVP was Kat Tudor with some clutch three-pointers in the fourth quarter to help secure the win.
