KESTRELS WOMEN BEAT BARKING ABBEY IN TOP OF THE TABLE CLASH
- Rivan Corbett
- 23 hours ago
- 3 min read
Solent Kestrels Women avenged defeat earlier in the season against league leaders Barking Abbey, winning 51-48 at the Solent Sports Complex on Saturday. Coming into the game, the away side had a 14-2 record and sat comfortably top of NBL Division Two Pool B going into their final two games, but with this loss the Kestrels were able to put a hold on their title ambitions.
The home crowd brought the energy, and so did both teams with a game jam-packed with fast break opportunities and good defence. 30 seconds in and already two made buckets, one for either team as both coaches aimed to disrupt the natural flow of the game by pushing the pace of the offence. Despite the long trip down south, Barking showed why they were deservedly top of table, with fluid ball movement leading to an open three for Ruby Clarke, capitalising on the slow transition defence of the Kestrels. A key strength of the home side was their ability to fight for offensive rebounds and be an annoyance underneath the basket, making life difficult for Barking to maintain their early lead.
Numerous stops on the defensive end for Solent, limiting the space within the interior for the likes of Kamilah Yakubu and Sharliyah Sutherland, helped them keep pace with Barking through the first quarter. However, a late close-range effort from Amy Canty gave the away side the lead going into the first break in play.
Sophia Miell kickstarted the noise from the Kestrels family in the stands with a quick trigger three in the corner, giving the Kestrels the lead at 13-11 to begin the second quarter. A scoreless few minutes as neither team seemed to settle into an offensive rhythm but was ended with Cecilia Victorious using her excellent footwork to score off the window. A frantic ending to the first half as neither team seemed to slow down, with fast break after fast break. When the game did slow down however, Victorious found success in the low post, using her superior height and footwork once again, to finish underneath the basket. The Kestrels went into the half 21-17 leaders, a slender gap going into the second 20 minutes.
The pace remained at a high to start the second half, both teams trading buckets, the latter of which being a trademark Faith McDowall three pointer from the corner. Kestrels continued the beautiful ball movement to give Anna Idiata Mendez a three in the opposite corner to extend the lead and get the crowd to raise their voices once again. Barking responded with a switch of defensive structure, but that didn’t stop the Kestrels offence one bit, this time Zahara Fossati-Sharples getting involved. McDowall continuing her good start to the second half, with a layup in transition to give the Kestrels a double-digit lead at 36-26.
Barking fought to the very end, catching the home side in transition and getting to the foul line, with easy points on the board to slowly bridge the gap. Mendez wasn’t making it too easy for Barking, with another corner three to extend the lead to 9 points with 7 minutes left on the clock. Missed free throws down the stretch from the Kestrels would make the win just that slightly more difficult, but they remained ahead until the final whistle.
Top Performers:
Anna Idiata Mendez – 14 points
Faith McDowall – 10 points
Kestrels Women sit 2nd in NBL Division Two Pool B on an 11-3 record, with three games in hand on the leaders Barking Abbey. They return back to the Complex at home on the 28th of February against Cardiff Met Archers, game tickets can be purchased here - D2 Women vs. Cardiff Met Archers (WNBL Division 2 Pool B) | Team Solent Kestrels