Westfield Health Sheffield Hatters basketball team remain on course for league and cup double

Westfield Health Sheffield Hatters continued their battle for glory on two fronts with a pair of excellent victories.
Hatters player Helen Naylor in action.Hatters player Helen Naylor in action.
Hatters player Helen Naylor in action.

In the WBBL Championship, Hatters enjoyed a cracking 104-57 vwin over Essex Rebels on home turf.

The comfortable triumph leaves Sheffield placed second in the league table, on 12 points, the same as leaders Sevenoaks Suns who have played a game fewer.

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Earlier, Hatters booked their ticket to the WBBL Cup semi final with a 95-74 road success against Caledonia Pride.

In the league, Hatters win against Essex took their record to an impressive 6-1.

Hatters jumped out of the blocks in style and raced their way into a double-digit lead within 5 minutes. They never had cause to look back.

Hatters had 50 points in the paint and also 39 on the fast-break. They didn't need to shoot well from range with this kind of production elsewhere. There were a trio of big performances with Helen Naylor shooting beautifully to harvest 22 points (9 of 13), while Sarah Toeaina had a towering 17 points, 10 boards and 6 assists. Meanwhile there is no stopping Ali Gorrell with 19 points. 7 steals, 6 rebounds and 5 assists.

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In Scotland, Sheffield edged closer to their first WBBL Cup final with Naylor again the star, adding 25 points. The Hatters made a fast start as they doubled up the home side in the opening quarter to lead by 14.  Sheffield's advantage peaked at 25 points as they pushed on to a comfortable victory.

All five starters for Sheffield shot at least 50% in a clinical display..

Naylor also had six rebounds and five assists, while Luiana Livulo shot 8 of 10 from the floor for her 21 points and added eight rebounds with three blocks. Alison Gorrell added 18 points.

Cup semi-final draw: Leicester Riders v Newcastle Eagles or Sevenoaks Suns; Manchester Mystics v Westfield Health Sheffield Hatters.