Betsy Macdonald hit 21 points in Durham’s Cup final defeat to Sevenoaks in January
Durham Palatinates coach Lee Davie believes his trio of former Leicester players could be the key to beating the Riders in Sunday’s WBBL Trophy final.
Dee Hayward, Claire Paxton and GB forward Mollie Campbell joined Durham from Leicester this season.
“Those players make a difference,” said Davie. “Mollie is a physical defender around the basket and Claire gives me a legitimate outside [shooting] threat.”
Leicester were victorious when the two sides met in the final last year.
Paxton was the leading scorer with 18 points as they held off Durham’s late surge for a two-point win.
“It’s funny how it works out,” said Leicester coach Jesper Sundberg, who has taken his team to second in the league this season despite the loss of those three key players.
Sundberg added he had wondered whether the game – at the Emirates Arena in Glasgow – would go ahead because of the spread of coronavirus.
“It’s where we want to be, not just because it’s a final but because we all love playing on the big stages where it most matter,” he said.
WBBL Trophy winners
- 2015: Sheffield Hatters
- 2016: Sheffield Hatters
- 2017: Sevenoaks Suns
- 2018: Leicester Riders
- 2019: Leicester Riders
