ROAD WIN IN THE CAPITAL SEES KESTRELS CLOSE IN ON LEAGUE LEADER IN WNBL DIVISION 2
- Feb 18
- 3 min read
The Kestrels completed a 63-47 over the London All Stars on the South Bank of the country’s capital on Saturday and closed the gap on league leaders Barking Abbey. Led by Faith McDowall's 19 points, the away side were consistent across all four quarters to come out on top.
A slow start from the tip however, with the All Stars going ahead early and building on it, with an 8-2 lead halfway through the opening quarter. Fatumah Lwazi opening the scoring, with two buckets inside the first few minutes to trigger that run, the first a lovely one-footed runner and the other a steal in transition leading to a simple layup. Effective Kestrels defence halted the home team’s momentum, forcing stops on one end and being clinical on the other, a quick McDowall bucket followed by a trademark Sophia Miell three-pointer created a run of their own and an impactful response. Before they knew it, the Kestrels had forged themselves a lead, sat at 15-10 at the end of the first quarter.
Both teams struggled to open the second quarter, with missed buckets on both ends, but it was Ottilia Rossert that finished from a scrappy in bounds to begin the scoring. The momentum, however, very much remained in the hands of the away side but the Kestrels would miss simple buckets to extend the lead.
McDowall continued to be a nuisance for the All Stars, using her pace in transition to find gaps and simply outrun the defence to score two consecutive buckets. The Kestrels team then kept pushing the pace of the offense to stretch the defence of the All Stars, and the lead began to build – Daisy Murfin, Ruthie Bentley and Miell all contributing at the end the half, resulting in a 32-19 lead.
McDowall and Lwazi traded buckets once again, just like they had to start the game, but it was the Kestrels, as a team, that felt the more comfortable. Bentley added energy to the offense, fighting for every rebound and was rewarded with 4 points in a minute, both close-range efforts. The home side switched the defensive approach to limit the Kestrels scoring out of the half court sets, utilising a 2-3 zone to double the players receiving the inside passes and forced mistakes, bridging the lead to a manageable 46-37 to close out the third quarter.
The Kestrels bench came on and made the impact that coach Kiely Reed would have asked of them, holding the lead to start the final period and even extending it to an 18-point margin. From there, the All Stars ran out of time to overcome the Kestrels’ lead, despite Lydie Goodwin’s hard work down the stretch. Earleesha Jackson topped off an impressive 63-47 win with a finish off the window.
Top Performers:
Faith McDowall Dodd – 19 points
Ruth Bentley, Sophia Miell – 9 points
Watch the game - WNBL D2 London All Stars Vs Solent Kestrels
The Kestrels now have three games left to play in the regular season and sit just two wins behind Barking Abbey, with four teams still within a shout of winning the NBL Division Two Pool B title.
With an away fixture on the 21st at London Thunder, Kestrels Women return back home on the 28th of February against Cardiff Met Archers, tickets for that game are available here - D2 Women vs. Cardiff Met Archers (WNBL Division 2 Pool B) | Team Solent Kestrels
Following that fixture, both the Men’s and Women’s sides close out the regular season with a home double header (7th March), and we need all the voices of the Kestrels Family to back them. Tickets for those games are also available here; https://www.solentkestrels.co.uk/tickets
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