Vanessa Ellis has commended Sheffield Hatters’ players for raising their standards to counter all the teams that have tried to knock them off their perch this season - and has asked for two more performances of that ilk to finish a historic campaign.

Hatters welcome Oaklands Wolves to the Canon Medical Arena on Saturday night in a Women’s Super League Basketball play-off semi-final with a place in the final in London next week at stake. Hatters have already won the Cup, the Betty Codona Trophy and regular-season title as they seek an unprecedented quadruple.

“One of the players asked the other day: ‘why does everybody play well against us?’” said head coach Ellis.

“I said ‘You always have to overcome that when you’re the best team’. People want to raise their game and beat you.

From downtown: Grace Graham shoots a three-ball in Sheffield Hatters' play-off quarter-final win over Nottingham Wildcats.

placeholder image — From downtown: Grace Graham shoots a three-ball in Sheffield Hatters' play-off quarter-final win over Nottingham Wildcats.

“It’s that sporting mentality. Everybody wants to beat the team at the top.”

After a comfortable stroll against an over-matched Nottingham Wildcats in the quarter-final last Friday night, tonight’s opponents are a step up in class and inflicted a rare defeat on the Hatters in the regular-season finale two weeks ago.

“It’s helped that we’ve got this tough game, that’s how we have to look at it, because if you don’t play well against a team like Oaklands you’re not going to win,” said Ellis.

“You just have to stick to your standards, not get distracted, stick to what we know and can control.

“People will make it tough for us but that’s where you have to use the training we’ve done and make sure we stay disciplined.

“If we play well I’m confident we should get the win. We’ve got to go out there and do our job.”