The West Yorkshire Hawks Women faced one of their sternest challenges of the season on Saturday, going down 41–81 to a clinical City of Birmingham Rockets side in front of the Hawks Women’s biggest home crowd to date at the Hawks Nest.

In a game that marked a milestone in fan support for the team, the energy in the arena was electric despite the result. The Neon and Navy showed resilience and determination throughout, battling hard against a well-drilled Rockets team stacked with offensive firepower and depth.

After a sluggish offensive start, the Hawks worked to limit the visitors’ scoring options. But the Rockets found their rhythm early, opening up a 12-point lead by the end of the first quarter. Both sides dug in defensively during the second, but the visitors still extended their advantage, heading into the half with a commanding 40–19 lead.

True to their character, the Hawks emerged from the break with their strongest spell of the game. They pushed the pace and tried to unsettle the Rockets’ defence, but the visitors kept their scoring momentum going to stretch the lead to 29 points heading into the final period.

With the game effectively decided, both teams rotated their squads in the fourth. The Rockets gave valuable minutes to their entire roster, while the Hawks continued to experiment offensively in search of combinations that could pay off in future fixtures.

Top scorer for the Hawks was Sonia Maria Matei with 15 points, showing her growing importance to the squad.

Reflecting after the game, Hawks player/coach Millie Oates said “We knew that was going to be a tough game. Rockets are one of the best teams in the league. It certainly didn’t go the way we wanted it to today and I know both myself and the team are frustrated but we need to take the lesson and continue on our path to growing as a team across this season.”

The Hawks will look to bounce back next weekend as they hit the road once again to face the Milton Keynes Breakers. Tip-off is at 2pm on Saturday at Bletchley Leisure Centre.