Coupeville’s Makana Stone continues to light up the European basketball scene. (Photo property Leicester Riders)
She’s bonafide.
Makana Stone became Coupeville’s first professional athlete in decades (maybe ever?) Saturday, making her debut with the Leicester Riders of the Women’s British Basketball League.
And she got a win to put the cherry on top.
With Stone coming off the bench to pop for six points, haul in five rebounds, and dish out an assist, the Riders bounced the Oaklands Wolves 57-48 in Wales.
The game was the first of at least three games Leicester will play in the 13-team WBBL Cup.
The Riders clash with Gloucester City Sunday, then play Cardiff Met Sept. 29.
If Stone and Co. finish atop Group C, they advance to the semifinals of the tourney.
The regular season kicks off Oct. 3.
Saturday’s game marked a bit of a twist for Stone, as she came off the bench for the Riders after being a starter for almost every game while playing four years of high school ball and five college seasons across two countries.
She ended up playing almost 17 minutes, second-most of any bench player, and finished with a +/- rating of 12, best of any Leicester player, starter or bench.
Stone poured in all six of her points in the fourth quarter, as the Riders stretched a three-point lead after three frames out to nine by the end of the game.
A jump shot which tickled the twines at the 7:43 mark was her first official professional points, then was quickly followed by a layup, and a pair of pressure-packed free throws.
Anna Lappenkuper and Hannah Robb paced Leicester with 14 and 11 points, respectively.
Coupeville Sports 
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