Keyes stars as Ipswich claim fifth U18 Women’s National Cup crown

By Sam Neter on January 25, 2026

Image Credit: Basketball England

Ipswich claimed their fifth U18 Women’s National Cup title with a 75-56 win over Nottingham Wildcats, matching CoLA’s record haul in the competition, on Saturday at the University of Worcester Arena.

Vermont-bound Maisie Keyes delivered a dominant MVP performance, flirting with a quadruple double to finish with 18 points, 12 rebounds, nine assists and seven steals.

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“It’s amazing. We’ve got a great team, we’ve got three younger ones in [the squad] today and they all stepped up,” said Keyes.

“I think it’s amazing for us to come out here today, show what we can do and have such a big result that we needed heading into the last half of the season.”

Holly Ensoll had a 14-point, 14-rebound double-double, while Jahveina Whyte had 15 points, seven rebounds and seven assists, while 13-year-old Natalia Lawicka announced herself with 14 points including a pair of triples.

Ipswich controlled a competitive first half to lead 39-33 at the break before grinding through a scrappy third quarter. They pulled clear in the final period despite Ophelia Larder-Lee’s game-high 28 points for Nottingham.

Head coach Harriet Welham added: “It’s epic. This feeling will never get boring and we’ll never take it for granted. We’re just a [club] in a small town in Suffolk and we’re winning national championships. It never gets old.”

Box score.

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