Richmond’s Cup defence ended at the final hurdle as they were beaten by Manchester Mystics in a 64-62 thriller on Saturday at the NBPC in Manchester.
The North West programme picked up their fourth U16 Girls’ Cup success at the end of what was a captivating showpiece, with both teams going toe-to-toe for the duration.
In a game with a number of worthy candidates, MVP honours went to Manchester’s Mojan Malek.
The talented guard finished with a game-high 22 points, adding 10 rebounds, four assists, three steals and three blocks. It was a stat-stuffing outing worthy of recognition, with Anya Williams (19 points and nine rebounds) and Tiana Walker (Eight points, seven rebounds, five assists and five steals) both playing well in support.
“As coaches, we were really excited for the game, very calm to begin with and the girls had really good energy before the game,” Manchester Mystics assistant coach Natalie Feurtado said.
“Usually, the girls can be quite quiet, but all week we’ve been calm with them and they’ve been locked in and ready to go.
“The game kept us on our toes, just when you thought you had a lead, Richmond came right back into it. It was a constant change of trying to see what our advantages were, the areas we could exploit.”
Speaking about MVP Mojan Malek, she added: “She comes through. She’s a good player, and we are a good team. [We’re] relentless in wanting to go that extra step further, finding looks and ball movement.
“I think we did a really good job offensively, especially as a team passing and moving the ball – looking for those cuts and when they’re not on, [looking for] the next option. Kudos to Mojan.”
After three entertaining quarters between a pair of well-matched foes, Manchester looked to have done just enough as they entered the final frame up 57-49, only for Richmond to battle back once again.
A single-possession game for the majority of the last 10 minutes, the killer basket would elude the Knights. Despite winning the frame 13-7, they’d finish agonisingly short come the final buzzer.
Williams scored five of her side’s seven points in the fourth, providing vital offence as the game threatened to drift away from the eventual winners, with Williams doing a bit of everything to keep her side ticking over.
Richmond were unfortunate to come out second best in a clash that really could have gone either way. Chayana Collins (15 points, nine rebounds) top scored despite fouling out in the fourth, and Ada Akyol added 12 points.
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