Coupeville Sports

Makana Stone and her pro hoops team cruised to a lopsided win Saturday in England. (Photo property Leicester Riders)

Win and win again.

That’s the goal this weekend for Makana Stone and the Leicester Riders basketball squad, which has back-to-back clashes with the Oaklands Wolves.

Consider part one of the mission a success.

With its Coupeville assassin filling up the stat chart Saturday with five points, nine rebounds, two assists, and a steal, Leicester cruised to an 83-47 win.

Now, Stone and Co. return to the court Sunday to face the Wolves again, finishing what they hope will be a flawless weekend.

With the victory Saturday, Leicester improves to 10-4 in regular-season Women’s British Basketball League play, 14-6 overall.

The Riders exploded out of the gate against the Wolves, nabbing a 20-9 lead after one quarter of play.

While the two teams played to a 17-17 standstill in the next frame, the second half belonged completely to Leicester.

A 21-13 third-quarter surge pushed the lead out to 19, before the Riders closed the game on a 25-8 tear.

Leicester spread its offense out nicely, with all eight players in action scoring, and five of those Riders reaching double-digits.

Brooklyn Mcalear and Alison Lewis topped all scorers with an efficient 15 points apiece.

Stone, who is in her first season of professional basketball, has racked up 159 points, 118 rebounds, 24 assists, and 19 steals for Leicester.

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Makana Stone fine-tunes her game in England. (Photo property Leicester Riders)

They’re #1 for a reason.

The Sevenoaks Suns sit atop the Women’s British Basketball League this season, undefeated and (so far) unmatched.

And they kept that flawless run going Sunday, knocking off the Leicester Riders 74-57 in the semifinals of the WBBL Cup.

Sevenoaks faces off with the London Lions later this month to decide the winner of one of two in-season tournaments.

For Leicester and its American assassin — Coupeville grad Makana Stone — it’s back to regular-season play.

The Riders, who are 9-4 in league play, 13-6 overall, play the Oaklands Wolves (3-11 in league) Mar. 12.

Sunday’s matchup was close through one quarter, with Sevenoaks clinging to an 18-13 lead at the first break.

But the Suns broke things open in the second frame, using a 21-8 surge to build a lead which it never gave back.

Leicester went on a late run, dropping 12 straight fourth-quarter points to narrow the margin down, but couldn’t get all the way back against the league powerhouse.

Stone tossed in six points and snatched five rebounds, while Oceana Hamilton paced the Riders with 15 points.

Sevenoaks got a double-double from Janice Monakana, who went off for 23 points and 11 boards, and a triple-double from Cat Carr, who piled up 11 points, 10 rebounds, and 10 assists.

Across her first season of professional basketball Stone has racked up 154 points, 109 rebounds, 22 assists, and 18 steals.

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Coupeville’s Makana Stone racked up 14 points and 11 rebounds Sunday in England. (Photo property Leicester Riders)

Now that’s a thumpin’.

Sparked by Coupeville’s Makana Stone, who went off for 14 points and 11 rebounds Sunday, the Leicester Riders drilled host Gloucester City 105-55 in Women’s British Basketball League action.

The victory lifts the former Wolf ace and her pro teammates to 9-4 in championship play, 13-5 overall.

Leicester came out on fire and never let up in the tilt, jumping out to a 29-17 lead after just one quarter of play.

It was the second frame which sealed the deal, however, with the Riders torching the nets to a 21-3 tune, stretching their advantage to 50-20 at the midway point of things.

From there Stone and Co. cruised in for the lopsided win, popping for another 25 points in the third quarter before topping the 100-point barrier with a 30-point explosion across the final 10 minutes.

Alison Lewis banked in a game-high 24 points to pace Leicester, with Brooklyn Mcalear adding 21, while Stone tossed in a steal and an assist to her double-double.

On the season, the Coupeville progeny has amassed 148 points, 104 rebounds, 22 assists, and 18 steals.

Leicester returns to action next weekend with a game Sunday, Mar. 6 against the Sevenoaks Suns, who sit atop the WBBL at 14-0.

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