POSTED BY: Eurobasket Center
Both teams had suffered a loss to the other. Both have high-calibre players. Truth be told, Fever looked better on paper, as most of their players are former national team players with international exposure. However, Lady Heels had the edge on fitness, and that, plus the overwhelming desire to win, is what propelled them to the top.
In the opening quarter Fever garnered a slight lead but by just a single point so no one was getting too comfortable. The crowds saw each team trade point for point, and then, just before the buzzer sounded for the first quarter, Fever's team captain, Lauri Webster, sustained an injury which incapacitated her for most of the game. The injury seemed to take the wind out of Fever's sails.
In the second quarter Lady Heels edged Fever, and it happened in the blink of an eye. First Sarrah Kidd scored a couple of lay-ups with assists from Dionne Anglin, and before long Lady Heels had secured the lead. Then Keisha Anglin's three-pointer from downtown plus Lady Heels' strong defensive placed them in a better position, with the score at 12-6 in their favour.
At this point Fever's top player was taking a sabbatical on the bench, and coach Shawn Pitterson realised that he had to act, so he made a couple of substitutions. Kamilla Nagy took to the court, and her quick action brought her team's scoring average up from 6 to 14 with little apparent effort.
The score was 20-16 going into the third quarter, and this is where Domino's turned up the heat and burned their opponents. Lady Heels' Benecia Thompson, along with Kidd and Anglin, stepped up, and Fever just could not catch up despite Theresa Hamil's netting a couple of three-pointers. But perhaps the biggest blow was that Nagy had to leave due to work commitments.
At that point it was easy to see the writing on the wall. Lady Heels were out-rebounding their opponents 67-44 and forcing turnovers at almost every corner. In fact, Fever seemed to miss point after point at the basket.
The fourth quarter started at 31-22 with Lady Heels in the winning position. Ellen Downey opened the scoring, and between her and Courtisha Ebanks, along with Kidd, Fever just didn't stand a chance.
Benecia Thompson's 13 points, 17 rebounds and 5 steals helped to seal Domino's Lady Heels' victory. Sarrah Kidd added 13 points, 10 rebounds and 6 steals, and Anglin 8 points, 24 rebounds and 3 assists.
Theresa Hamil, despite an injured ankle, led for Esso's Fever with 15 points and 8 rebounds while teammate Nagy added 11 points and 8 rebounds.
Dominio's Lady Heels coach, Collin Anglin, praised his team. 'We executed our game plan to perfection, which was to minimise our opponent's top player, Kamilla Nagy's, touches on the ball. In addition to that I instructed the players to attack the basket, which heightened our offensive play while getting the other team's players into foul trouble. The players also stepped up when Dionne Anglin had to sit out.'
Dominos Lady Heels secured the National Women League Title on Sunday Night at the Digicel Court. Photo: Robert Blackman
