Manchester Basketball are through to the Super League Basketball Women’s Cup Final in Manchester!

They beat Oaklands Wolves 78-72 in a thrilling Semi-Final at home. Maaja Bratka and Tiarra East were the stars of the victory, scoring 23 and 22 points respectively.

Bratka had 8 rebounds on the game to finish with an index rating of 29. She went 7-9 from the field in a delay-effective display. Meanwhile, East dished 6 assists to pull the strings of the Manchester offence.

But Manchester’s biggest achievement of the game was slowing Oaklands high-powered offence down. The Wolves entered the game averaging 82 points per night, but the hosts held them to 41% shooting and 72 points.

Manchester’s perimeter defence held Oaklands to 5-25 shooting from deep, and their leading scorer, Danielle McCray, had 18 points. They put on the clamps out of the half, holding Oaklands to just 8 points in the third quarter to surge into the lead.

They took an 11-point lead in the fourth through this incredible defensive effort. Veera Pirttinen drained two free throws at the end of the third to put her side in a strong position to see the game out and get through to the Final.

Oaklands weren’t done fighting, however. Shanice Beckford-Norton hit two threes to get the visitors back in the game, and the Wolves threatened to snatch the lead late. Manchester were forced to dig deep, up three with a minute and a half remaining.

Pirttinen showed off their clutch gene, nailing a series of free throws down the stretch to extend Manchester’s advantage. With seconds left, Bratka got the game over the line, and Manchester earned its hard-fought spot in the Final.

Manchester will play either the Sheffield Hatters or the Caledonia Gladiators in the Final, which will be at the AO Arena, Manchester, on Sunday, March 22.

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