'This is where it's tough': Sheffield Hatters braced for biggest threat to their SLB quadruple bid
Sheffield Hatters haven’t been beaten many times this season but must overcome the last team to get the better of them on Saturday night if they are to maintain their push for a groundbreaking haul of four Super League Basketball trophies in one season.
Having lost just three of their 19 games this season, the Hatters have established themselves as the team to beat, a status reinforced by their dominant performance in the first play-off round against eighth placed Nottingham Wildcats on Friday night at the Canon Medical Arena.
“We have played them four times before and beaten them each time, so it was what we expected,” said head coach Vanessa Ellis after the 95-52 victory. “But we still had to go out and set ourselves some targets, we have to be really specific in what we are trying to achieve.”
But now it is down to four in the semi-finals, with Hatters competing against their biggest rivals: Oakland Wolves, Essex Rebels, and Caledonia Gladiators for the play-off crown in London on Sunday week.
Standing in their way in Saturday’s semi-final on their home court are the Oaklands Wolves - a team that beat them in Hertfordshire only a fortnight ago at the end of a regular-season championship that Sheffield had already won.
“This is where it's tough, you win or you go home,” said Ellis. “We will be in the top four and we have lost our away games against second, third and fourth place teams, so we need to make sure to turn up and play well this week.”
Hatters have already secured three trophies this season and only need to win the play-offs to complete the quadruple, something they have never achieved before.
“We are excited to still have the opportunity to get the quad, but it’s going to take a big push from us, but at the same time we know we are capable of it,” said Ellis.
Hatters showed their capability during the match last Friday night, never allowing the Wildcats to take the lead at any point during the game.
Ellis’ team dominated the court from the opening tip, securing a 29-point advantage by half-time by capitalising on three-point shots. The advantage only increased during the second half as their accuracy from behind the arc continued.
Grace Graham, who was signed at the start of the season, was named most valued player after scoring 20 points for the Hatters.
She said: “It is my first time being MVP so to get it in a play-off match is awesome, but it’s testament to my team-mates who got me the ball.”
On the challenge of an Oaklands that beat Sheffield in the final regular-season game two weeks ago, Graham added: “I think we are going to feel very calm and poised going into it. I have full faith that we can do it as long as we work hard this week.”