Sheffield Hatters secured their first Women’s Super League play-off title in a decade with an 83–73 victory over Oaklands Wolves at London’s O2 Arena.
Despite leading by 14 points with under a minute to go, the Hatters had to withstand a dramatic late surge from league leaders Oaklands. Sam Ashby scored seven points in just 24 seconds – including five in a lightning-fast nine-second burst – to close the gap and set up a tense finale.
Ashby then missed two of three free throws that could have cut the deficit to six with 11 seconds left. At the other end, Tyia Singleton calmly converted two from the line to seal a memorable 10-point win for Sheffield.
Oaklands had dominated the regular season, beating the Hatters in both league encounters and in the Super League Cup final. They started strongly, racing into an eight-point lead and holding a 10-point advantage at the end of the first quarter. Their lead extended to 12 in the second before Sheffield responded with 12 unanswered points, levelling the score 32–32 at half-time.
Singleton gave Sheffield their first lead early in the third quarter, with both teams trading baskets in a high-paced spell. Destinee Walker’s four late free throws gave the Hatters an eight-point cushion heading into the final period.
A deep jump shot from Georgia Gayle – who was named Final MVP – stretched the lead to 12, but Ashby’s game-high 23 points kept the Wolves in contention until the final buzzer.