Caledonina Pride take a fall amid latest defeats

Pride reached last month’s WBBL Cup Final and then posted their fifth league win of the season in Cardiff, but they have since lost three in a row. Having produced an heroic effort to push unbeaten league leaders Sevenoaks Suns to the limit at Oriam, they failed to do themselves justice at the weekend.

Pride had defeated Mystics in the Cup quarter-finals on their previous visit to Manchester in November, but the home side emphatically won Saturday’s rematch 86-55.

Following a tight opening quarter, only summer signing Claire Paxton made it into double figures with 11 points for Pride as Manchester stormed away to lead by 13 points at half-time and by 27 going into the final ten minutes.

It was slightly closer on Sunday as Nottingham Wildcats repeated their Cup Final victory over Pride, winning 74-55 after leading all the way. American Rosie Reynolds scored 21 points (16 in the first half) and added eight rebounds and four assists, although she was outshone by Nottingham’s Ashley Harris, who contributed a “double-double” of 24 points plus 21 rebounds. Pride welcome new league leaders Leicester Riders to Oriam this Saturday evening.

Meanwhile, on a quiet weekend in the Scottish League, Edinburgh University’s men beat Pleasance Basketball Club 76-40 in the final match of the regular season. The result saw the teams swap places and condemned last season’s Division Two champions to bottom spot in the top flight following a ninth straight loss.

In the women’s championship, Edinburgh University’s four-month unbeaten run finally ended by default when the Cup winners opted not to contest last night’s final fixture at St Andrews University. That left the students in third behind Lady Rocks and champions City of Edinburgh Kool Kats.

At the other end of the table, Polonia Phoenix tumbled to an eighth straight defeat in 2018 when they lost 71-52 to Division One winners St Mirren.