A first centre pass for Sirens was quickly won by Lightning, leading to the first conversion of the game for Cholhok. The next few minutes of the game saw a contest between the two teams with Lightning narrowly coming out on top. Nicola Smith played a vital role in this turnaround with some great deflections. Quick feeds into the league’s top-scorer Cholhok kept Lightning and Sirens neck and neck for the first ten minutes of the game.
Goal-for-goal, both teams worked tirelessly to find an advantage but a pick-up from Smith under the post allowed Lightning to add a vital point to the scoreboard. Cobden could be heard at the circle edge spurring her teammates on. Her own battle against previous Lightning player Hannah Williams was one to watch as they both darted across the court. Lightning increased their lead after a tight start to the game with Cholhok putting up point after point, finishing four points ahead of Sirens.
Dixon showed a real presence on court at the beginning of the second quarter, making some swift plays and a conversion. The other end of the court saw Cobden creating challenges for Sirens as she seemed to be everywhere at once. Her great physicality and leaps frequently disrupted the flow of the game and kept Sirens at bay.
Back-to-back conversions for Cholhok increased Lightning’s lead to six. Some strong feeds into the circle by both Joseph and Dixon as they both supported Cholhok well to the delight of Lightning fans. The home team finished the second quarter ahead of Sirens but looking to expand on that further in the second half.
Half-time: Loughborough Lightning 34 – 29 Strathclyde Sirens
The third quarter began with one change from Vic Burgess with Roddy replacing Smith as GD. A long feed into Cholhok from Dixon showed great accuracy with another conversion coming as a result. Lightning managed to pull ahead of Sirens even further with a ten-point gap forming after the first five minutes.
Sirens’ shooter Goodwin made a big difference on court with an impressive display of talent in the circle. Lightning’s midcourt ran rampant across the court, constantly working to either keep possession or disrupt their opponents. Ella Clark replaced Mary Cholhok as GS, marking her 100th appearance for Loughborough Lightning. Quarter three finished with an eight-point gap between the sides.
Quarter four started with Smith returning to court as GD. A clean conversion from Clark delighted the Lightning fans at SDW Arena. Three back-to-back conversions for the fan favourite only added to the applause. A quick play from Baylis to Joseph and finally into Dixon kept Lightning trudging ahead.
Cool and composed, Clark anchored the team, keeping a constant stream of points coming in. Another change from Burgess came with 4 minutes remaining on the clock as Niamh McCall replaced Rhea Dixon at GA. A long shot from McCall marked her appearance on the court, swiftly followed by yet another conversion. Lightning took the win with a comfortable lead over Sirens.
Full-time: Loughborough Lightning 73 – 56 Strathclyde Sirens
A home win to the joy of fans, Lightning assistant coach Lauren Nicholls commented on the team’s performance...
“We knew it would be tough, people always want to come and take a chunk out of the champions. We knew we’ve got to be able to step up each quarter and that’s what we did. I’m proud of what the girls did out on court today.”
Hannah Joseph was named Long Tall Sally player of the match after a valiant display as captain.
Lightning will face Surrey Storm in round 16 of the NSL on Saturday 1 June. Already qualifying for the semi-finals alongside Manchester Thunder and London Pulse, tickets to Lightning’s 2024 home campaign are still on sale now and can be purchased here.
Starting line-up:
GS: Mary Cholhok
GA: Rhea Dixon
WA: Hannah Joseph
C: Bella Baylis
WD: Beth Cobden
GD: Nicola Smith
GK: Annabel Roddy