Makana Stone snagged 12 boards Sunday in London. (Photo property Leicester Riders basketball)
Into every hoops career, a few losses must fall.
Despite Coupeville’s Makana Stone delivering her best rebounding performance as a pro, the Leicester Riders basketball squad suffered its first loss of the season Sunday.
Facing off with the also-undefeated London Lions, the Riders fell 85-53 on the road in Women’s British Basketball League action, evening their regular-season record at 1-1.
Counting a string of wins in the season-opening WBBL Cup, Leicester is 4-1 overall.
Stone, coming off the bench to play 34.5 minutes — third-most of any Riders player Sunday — hauled in 12 rebounds, her best showing in a Leicester uniform.
The former Wolf star also tallied two points, two assists, and a steal.
Chelsea Jennings and Brooklynn Mcalear paced Leicester with 16 and 13 points, respectively, while London’s Holly Winterburn led all scorers with a game-high 21.
The Riders got in a hole early, trailing 22-16 after one quarter of play, and were never able to catch back up with the Lions.
A 44-33 deficit at the half was slightly reduced to 57-48 heading into the fourth, but London proved a tough foe to topple down the stretch.
Closing the game with a 28-5 run in the final frame, the Lions made the game appear to be more of a blow-out than it truly was.
In her debut professional season Stone has racked up 28 points, 41 rebounds, eight assists, and two steals across her first five games.
She and her Leicester teammates return to action next Sunday, Oct. 17, when they play the Sheffield Hatters.
Coupeville Sports 