Match Report: Ipswich play waiting game as season nears conclusion

Ipswich's 18-4 record would have been good enough to win the regular season championship last season, but it might only be good enough for third place this year. The Suffolk side completed the regular season on Saturday with a hard fought 68-58 win on the road to Loughborough. However, unlike just about every other high-level sports league in the world, the season finishes on different weekends for different teams. Ipswich have completed their season. Brent have a double header to play next weekend, including a Sunday showdown at CoLA, for whom it’s the final game of the season. At this stage, the only thing that is guaranteed is that is mathematically impossible for Ipswich to finish first. CoLA and Brent can both still finish first, second or third… That’s how close it is. It would have been fun for this to all be decided on a tension filled ‘final day of the season’, especially as it is so rare for something like this to occur – but while the spectacle might not be what it could have been, this does give Ipswich a weekend off before the playoffs start on the 5/6th April.

The maths is complicated, but it’s safe to say that Ipswich will be waiting and hoping that the stars align, and they end up with the #2 seed, which would mean a home draw in the first round of the playoffs and should they advance, a semi-final at Copleston on the weekend of the 12/13th April.

The Loughborough game saw an understrength Ipswich lead from tip to buzzer, with the team rallying in key moments to ensure a winning finish to the regular season. It was another fine three-point shooting display for the National Cup holders, connecting on thirteen in the game, with Cerys Leach making a season high six from beyond the arc. However, it was a total team effort, with Harriet Welham, Louisa Gibbins, Hannah Gray, Maisie Keyes and Danni Cazey all making a contribution to the teams win. So now they wait…

To make matters even more intriguing, playoff seedings for the 8th, 7th and 6th place finishes are also going down to the final weekend of the season. What we can guarantee is that Ipswich will be at home in the first round of the playoffs, likely to be Sunday 6th April, though this date is yet to be confirmed.

For now, put this date in your diary and watch this space!