Gayle force comeback propels Sheffield to first Playoff Final victory since 2015

Sheffield Hatters have won their first Women’s Playoff Final since 2015, and their first piece of silverware since 2019, after defeating the Oaklands Wolves 83-73 in an entertaining affair at the O2 Arena in London.

Georgia Gayle had a huge fourth quarter to be crowned the game’s MVP and co-led the Hatters with 19 points along with Destinee Walker, whilst fellow American Tyia Singleton also produced an impactful 14 points.

“It’s huge especially for me,” said Gayle.

“I feel like when we were first back to winning trophies ages ago I was the young one on the team so I never really had the biggest role but now being the leader, being the captain this is huge for me.

“This is probably the best thing in my career to happen so far.”

For the Wolves, Sam Ashby ended as the game’s top scorer with 23 points while Lavinia Da Silva and Danielle McCray also finished in double figures in scoring.

Momentum shifted towards the end of the second quarter when Sheffield overcame an early double digit deficit to tie the game at 32-32 at the break.

The game’s intensity turned up a notch after halftime as both teams went back and forth and traded baskets in a tightly contested third quarter before some solid execution allowed the Hatters to create a handy 53-45 lead heading into the fourth.

Two huge threes from Gayle and another from Shauna Harrison to begin the final quarter opened up a 15 point gap for Vanessa Ellis’ side which they never relinquished, as Sheffield maintained their lead the rest of the way to claim a ten point win and their first Playoff Final victory in a decade while also denying Oaklands from winning their first Playoff Final in history.

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