Caledonia Gladiators 61 Oaklands Wolves 59: Handy hails historic win for East Kilbride basketball team
Caledonia Gladiators head coach Chantelle Handy hailed their SLB Trophy win an "incredible moment for basketball in Scotland" after the club became the first women’s team in the country to lift a major trophy.
The East Kilbride based franchise defeated the Oaklands Wolves 61-59 to win the Super League Basketball Trophy final at Birmingham’s Utilita Arena.
It was a hugely dramatic finale to the game, with Oaklands Wolves having a chance to equal the scores in the final second, but the Caledonia Gladiators held out to claim the trophy.
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The victory marks the first major silverware won by a Scottish women’s team in the history of the sport – and was hailed as a major breakthrough moment for basketball in this country.
Handy said: “This victory is an incredible moment not just for our club, but for basketball in Scotland.
“I want to pay huge credit to my team for how they’ve performed across the competition. It was such a dramatic ending, but they really deserved this win today.
“It’s a great day for our club and the sport in Scotland and I want to thank our fans for the support they’ve given us across the season.”
The victory comes just under two years after the franchise’s men team won their first silverware in 20 years when they won the then BBL Trophy in 2022/23.
Owner Steve Timoney added: “This trophy win is a real breakthrough moment for the women’s game here in Scotland.
“For our club to win two trophies in just under two years is really special, and we want to build on this success in the months and years ahead.
“On behalf of the club, I’d like to congratulate Chantelle and the team on a fantastic performance.”
The women’s team qualified for the final after defeating the Sheffield Hatters 68-62 in a home semi-final at the club’s new PlaySport arena last month.
It follows an impressive period of time for the women’s team, who have enjoyed record crowds for a Scottish women’s basketball team at the club’s new PlaySport arena, with 917 supporters attending a match against Newcastle Eagles in April last year.
Last season, the women’s team became the first Scottish women’s basketball team to compete in European competition in 50 years, and won three of their four group stage matches, before losing in the knockout stages. They also competed in Europe this season.
The women’s team have been in strong recent form, winning five of their last six matches before this afternoon’s final, and currently sit in third position in the Super League Basketball.
The Caledonia Gladiators women’s team has only once before reached the final of a major competition – under its previous name of Caledonia Pride in season 2017-18 in the then WBBL cup – but they were runners up on the day.
