After sitting out with an injury, Makana Stone returned to action Saturday in England. (Photo property Leicester Riders)
Back where she wants to be.
After being sidelined for two games due to an injury, Coupeville’s Makana Stone returned to hardwood action Saturday in England.
The former Wolf and her Leicester Riders teammates took a break from regular-season Women’s British Basketball League action, facing off with the Newcastle Eagles in the semifinals of the WBBL Cup.
And while the final result wasn’t what Stone and Co. might have hoped for, as Newcastle rallied for a 50-45 win, Coupeville’s progeny got a chance to get back in the flow of things with 22 minutes of court time.
That’s a huge improvement after an injury limited her to just four minutes total across her team’s last two games.
The loss, which came in the semifinals of the WBBL Cup, eliminates Leicester from title contention after it opened the tourney with three-straight wins.
The Riders are 8-3 overall, and 5-2 in league play, which they return to Sunday when they face off with the Durham Palatinates.
Saturday’s game was a close one from start to finish, with Newcastle busting out to a 16-9 lead after one quarter of play.
Leicester trimmed its deficit down to 27-23 by the half, before using a 16-7 surge in the third quarter to claim the lead.
The Riders couldn’t hold on, however, as Newcastle closed on a 10-2 run over the final five minutes.
Oceana Hamilton slid a pair of free throws through the net with 2:45 to play, giving Leicester its final lead at 45-44.
Newcastle netted a go-ahead three-ball, before closing the game with three free throws, while the Riders missed their final four shots of the day.
Stone was the lone Leicester player to score off the bench, rattling home four points to go with two assists, a steal, and a rebound.
Hannah Robb paced the Riders with 14 points, but her team combined to shoot just a hair under 28% from the floor, making just 19 of 68 shots.
On the season, Stone has racked up 61 points, 52 rebounds, 13 assists, and seven steals.
Coupeville Sports 
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