The ‘new look’ Endeavour Ipswich Basketball Senior Women started the season in ruthless style with an emphatic 118-42 win over a young and inexperienced Solent Kestrels team.
Ipswich started the game at breakneck speed, opening up a 26-0 lead before their opponents found the basket, and the relentless attack didn’t let up, with the Suffolk side taking a incredible 46-7 advantage into the break at the end of the first quarter.
For the rest of the game it was clear that Coach Drane would use the advantage to hand debuts to no less than four new faces to the WNBL, with Cerys Leach, Maia Wiseman, Kara Bassil and DeAnna Carrington all making their first appearance for the senior team, while academy players Katie Yorke and Lauren Liddamore also enjoyed extended playing time – again demonstrating the depth of talent coming through the Ipswich Basketball Academy.
However, it was the combination of Olivia Forster, Yazmin Edwards and returning club captain and legend Harriet Welham that was the true difference with the trio combining for seventy-two points.
Elsewhere, the returning Danni Cazey looked to be as good as ever while Christabel Osarobo and Louisa Gibbins both looked solid.
“We know there will be tougher games ahead. Huge credit to Solent for making the trip and not throwing in the towel despite a huge roster overhaul and a number of injuries. For us, it was great to dust away some cobwebs and get the girls out there playing together”.
Ipswich were led by Harriet Welham’s 26 point, nine rebounds, seven assists and seven steals. Liv Forster was super-efficient with 25 points, 11 assists and nine steals while Yazmin Edwards added twenty-one points, fourteen rebounds and seven steals and the three of them ran riot.
Cerys Leach had an impressive senior debut with seventeen points, on five made three point shots.
Ipswich travel to the heavily favoured Thames Valley next Sunday for the first road trip of the season.