Brixton Topcats Ladies 53, Leicester Riders 35

Brixton Topcats Ladies team finished their debut season in the Women’s British Basketball League on Sunday with a convincing 53-35 home victory against Leicester Riders at Brixton Rec.

The Topcats were up against some strong defensive players from Leicester. Both teams were busy under the basket in the first quarter as the game started off with plenty of physical activity. Topcats came through stronger, with a 14-6 lead come the first buzzer.

The second quarter was a stroll for the Topcats - quite literally. Attack after attack simply strolled down the court at the Rec with some brilliant dribbling and ball control from the home team.

The away coach complained continually to the refs about possible fouls:

“She made that foul on purpose, ref!”

You don’t say. Welcome to the WBBL.

Calling time outs seemed to be the only response from the away bench each time that the Topcats were able to stretch their lead. Ball games aren’t won alone on time outs. The trick is to carry through the instructions from the Coach, something that Leicester failed to do.

Both benches were showing plenty of experience in trying every trick from the coaching manual. The refs signalled to both coaches after each time out that it was time to restart the match. It was cat and mouse to see which team huddle broke first and returned to the court.

Some big Brixton three pointers just before half time set up a home lead of 35-15 come the break.

The half time action itself was quite telling. The Topcats remained on the bench, taking a breather and taking on board what they had just achieved.

Leicester meanwhile spent ten minutes during the break practising and setting up possible game plays. Practise makes perfect, or take a break wins? We were about to find out as the second half soon got underway.

The away bench suddenly became very lively. Players and coaching staff increased the noise at the Rec to try and inspire the players on court. The Riders now had a new sense of purpose.

The refs called EVERYTHING. Coach Vears picked up a technical foul from the bench for the Topcats. The fightback was underway for the Riders with the lead being reduced to 11 points and a scoreboard of 37-28 at the buzzer.

Brixton Topcats got their game moving once again for the final quarter. The third quarter blip was forgotten as the home team took control once again.

With five minutes remaining on the clock, this was make or break for the Riders with the score now at 46-31. The away team gambled their chances by trying for some big three pointers. They didn’t hit the target.

The Riders simply ran out of time. Topcats wound down the clock and played a good possession game.

The full time buzzer showed a final score of 54-34 in favour of the Topcats.

This has been a tough debut season in the top tier of the women’s game for the Topcats and Coach Vears. The squad has changed with the coaching staff showing a determined attitude to win, rather than simply represent.

Many lessons have been learnt in such a short burst of a season. Brixton Topcats will return stronger when the new WBBL tips off at the Rec come the autumn.