Caledonia Gladiators held off the Manchester Met Mystics in their WBBL clash at the Paisley Lagoon centre to claim a 65-57 win .
The Gladiators got off to the better start in the game as Abbie Wolf and Erin McGarrachan helped the hosts onto a five-point lead early into the game.
Chantelle Handy also made her presence felt on the court as she sunk a flawless three-pointer to aid the Gladiators’ control in the game.
Kat Kirstop made an instant impact in the game when she came off the bench in the opening quarter as she led multiple attacks into the Manchester zone.
The Mystics came into their rhythm towards the end of the first quarter, with Kirsty Russell landing an important three pointer. It wasn’t enough to knock off the Gladiators though as the first quarter ended with the hosts leading by 14-11.
Manchester took the lead for the first time in the game in the second quarter through Sam Keltos after she weaved through the Caledonia defence for the layup.
The Mystics didn’t maintain their lead for long though as Abbie Wolf battled hard in the paint before landing two points to tie the game at 18-18.
Both sides traded the lead for the majority of the second quarter, but it was the Gladiators who took the lead going into the half-time break. Kursop and McGarrachan produced points late on to take an important 33-27 lead into the break.
The Gladiators maintained their hold on the lead in the third quarter as Chantelle Handy bagged a huge three pointer instantly.
Robin Lewis extended the Blues’ lead into double digits as she landed two shots from the line.
The Gladiators started to run away with the game in the third quarter as they took a 23-point lead over the Mystics with huge contributions from Handy and McGhee.
Caledonia took a 54-36 lead into the fourth quarter, which they maintained thanks to the influence of Handy, McGarrachan and Kirsop.
Manchester’s Calli McMillan helped rack up some points in response to the Gladiators’ dominance as they shortened the deficit down to eight points towards the final minute of the game.
The Gladiators did well to hold out in end though as they bagged a 65-57 win to bag their fifth win out of six this season.
Get your tickets for the latest Caledonia Gladiators fixtures as the BBL side face Sheffield Sharks on Friday 23rd December – TICKETS – and the WBBL side take on Oaklands Wolves on the 14th January – TICKETS.
Report by Sam Scouller
