The postseason is fast approaching for Leicester Riders in a tightly packed Women’s British Basketball League Championship.
The Riders have two pivotal games remaining in their League season, which could see them land in second, third or fourth in the standings.
Here’s how things are shaping up for the Riders ahead of their final two games…
The state of play
The Riders currently sit third in the standings with a 15-3 record, tied with the Caledonia Gladiators and a win behind the undefeated London Lions, who have two games in hand.
The Riders are battling for seeding with the Gladiators and the Sheffield Hatters in fourth, who are their two remaining fixtures.
Sunday’s game against the Gladiators will decide the tiebreaker between the sides, which may prove vital come season’s end. Leicester currently possess it with a four point win against the Scots last week, so a win against Caledonia would lock up the two seed for the Riders.
A loss however, would risk the potential of Leicester falling to the four seed, with a showdown against the Hatters awaiting. Sheffield is a win behind the Riders with the tiebreaker, so the winner of that matchup would take the three seed for the postseason.
Riders’ recent form
Leicester enter this game having won nine of their last 10 games in the Women’s British Basketball League Championship.
They have responded to their only hiccup, a road loss to the Hatters, with three straight wins, including an important victory against the Gladiators in the clutch last time out.
The Riders have beaten the Essex Rebels, who knocked them out of the Trophy in January, the Newcastle Eagles twice and the Gladiators on their recent run, coming out on top against the better teams in the Championship.
The win against the Gladiators made a statement to the League as they approach the 2024 Playoffs.
The numbers
The Riders have established themselves as one of the elite offensive threats in British basketball, putting up the second most points in the League this season with 75.9 per game.
They have done so with efficiency inside, knocking down 49% of their two point looks, led by Rayevn Peeples who is connecting on 65% of her shots in close.
Peeples has been pivotal for the Riders establishing themselves on the glass this year. She ranks first among all players in offensive rebounds, and second in total rebounds per game, while sending away an average of 1.1 blocks, third best in the League.
Defensively, led once again by Peeples, the Riders average the most blocks of any team with 4.3 per game. Katie Janusewska has been key to this from the wing, putting up 0.8 blocks per game.
But the leading scorer of the Riders’ high-powered offence is Taylor O’Brien. The two-time Player of the Month has put up 15.7 points per game in her rookie season. She comes off the back of scoring 13 of the team’s 59n points against the Gladiators, and will look to lead the Riders to a crucial road win in Caledonia.
