Essex Rebels enter Women's Super League Basketball play-offs with home advantage in 2026

Essex Rebels secured a perfect home record and third place in the regular season to enter the 2026 Women's Super League Basketball play-offs at home.

Perfect home record secured Essex Rebels enter the Women's Super League Basketball play-offs this weekend with an unbeaten home record. The team achieved their best-ever finish of third place since joining the league in the 2018-19 season. They won all nine home matches at their University of Essex venue. Their 85-72 victory over Manchester last weekend secured a home quarter-final. ## Play-off opponent confirmed Essex Rebels will face London Lions in the quarter-finals after sweeping the regular-season series. They defeated London Lions twice during the regular campaign. Their most recent meeting ended in an 86-66 home win for Essex. London Lions also eliminated Essex in the 2024 Betty Codona Trophy final. ## Player reflects on home advantage Point guard Paige Meyer emphasized the importance of playing at home during the play-offs. "It's an exciting time with play-offs ahead of us. Being able to play at home, have your home fans there to support you, really means a lot. Securing that spot and knowing we'll play at home is a big advantage," she told Sports Extra. Meyer, who joined from South Dakota Jackrabbits, also noted the challenge ahead. ## Momentum builds ahead of play-offs Essex Rebels have won their last four games heading into the play-offs. Their recent winning streak includes an 86-66 home victory against London Lions. Paige Meyer highlighted the team's growing confidence from securing wins in the final weeks. "We've talked about the momentum we want going into play-offs, so securing wins these last few weekends helps us feel confident going into play-off time now," she said. ## Historic season for the club Finishing third is the highest seeding Essex Rebels have achieved since joining the league in 2018-19. Hosting the first play-off game marks another major milestone for the club. Paige Meyer described being part of the team’s progress as fun and exciting. "It's been a lot of fun to be a little part of the history that's maybe being made here and it's exciting to see what kind of standards are set for the following years," she added. ## Club's youth development focus Essex Rebels operate a thriving girls' basketball program with 60 regular players. The program spans age groups from Under-12 to Under-18. Anjuli Symonds, club director, stressed the importance of growing the girls' pathway. "It's really important for us to grow the girls' pathway, the same as the boys," she said. The senior women's team also reached the play-offs, providing inspiration for young players. ## Play-off ambitions and goals Both Women's Super League Basketball finals are scheduled for 17 May at London's O2 Arena. Essex Rebels are targeting a spot in the finals. Paige Meyer called the O2 a stage they aspire to reach. "That's a stage, a goal, that as a team we'd love to have - it would be an incredible achievement for the team and the club, but we're definitely taking it day by day and game by game," she explained.