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.
With the Cup champions confirmed to defend their title, all eyes turned to the Leicester Riders and Cardiff Met Archers game later in the afternoon to see who they would meet come January.
The 2020 Trophy champions Riders ended up managing to pick up a whopping 40 point victory over the visiting Welsh side, 67-27.
The Riders all but cemented their Cup Final spot early in the game, taking a 16 point lead after the first quarter, and then extending it to 24 by the time half-time rolled around.
A somewhat struggling Cardiff side began a promising comeback in the third quarter, ensuring Riders only extended their lead by four, and raising hopes of a potential comeback in the final period. But with Riders out-shooting the Archers 52% to 13%, the Welsh side’s efforts were futile and they were sent crashing out of the Cup at the penultimate round, setting up a Sevenoaks and Leicester Cup Final.
