The Essex Rebels and the London Lions will both hope to continue their impressive campaigns with a victory in their Super League Basketball Women (SLBW) Playoff Quarter-Finals fixture.

Date: Saturday, May 2nd     Tipoff: 4pm     Venue: Essex Sports Arena

After both significantly improving on their 2024-25 SLBW championship campaigns, the Essex Rebels and the London Lions will be desperate to cement a place in the next round of the competition.

Unlike the Sheffield Hatters vs Nottingham Wildcats matchup, this will be a fiercely contested affair with two teams who prioritise quick offensive actions.

Essex chalked up 13 wins and a third-placed finish in the standings, while also handing Sheffield one of their three defeats on the season.

London may have recorded fewer victories than their opponents (8), but Kyla Nelson has done a magnificent job in her first season as the Lions’ head coach to transform their fortunes.

The Rebels will head into this fixture as favourites, especially with the talented duo of Paige Meyer and Nat Chou leading their offence. However, the Lions possess weapons on both sides of the ball that have the potential to devastate any team in the league — most notably, Annika Shah.

Key Players:

Essex Rebels: Paige Meyer

The Rebels have their most versatile roster in recent history, but Paige Meyer is the heartbeat of this team and will be integral to any postseason success.

Meyer is a playmaker, scorer, and defensive disruptor moulded into one body. This season she has averaged 14.1 points, 4.7 assists, and 1.8 steals per game, while shooting 58.9% from the floor. London will have to be at their best to contain the Rebels’ star player.

London Lions: Annika Shah

To say that Annika Shah has burst onto the SLBW scene would be the understatement of the century. Shah has established herself as one of the most devastating scorers in the entire league, and despite being a smaller guard, has a resilient mentality that makes her stand out on this roster.

Shah has averaged an outstanding 19.8 points and 5.2 assists per game — the second-highest ranking in both categories out of the entire league.

Prediction: Essex Rebels

Player of the Game: Paige Meyer (Essex Rebels)