BBL Trophy Ultimate
London Lions 68-82 Cheshire Phoenix (16-22, 35-40, 55-61)
(Lions – D. Williams 24, Cugini 12, Robinson 12; Phoenix – Austin Jr. 23, Wright 18, Ochereobia 12)
Cheshire Phoenix have received the BBL Trophy for the fifth time within the membership’s historical past, however first since they received it 4 occasions in a row as much as 2004, after beating London Lions 82-68 on the Emirates Area in Glasgow, dwell on Sky Sports activities.
Larry Austin Jr. was awarded MVP after a rugged double-double of 23 factors and 10 assists, with Cheshire scoring 9 factors instantly from his 5 offensive rebounds, as he scored six of these himself on put-backs.
Lions have been the defending champions, and the sport was contested virtually 20 years to the day when Cheshire beforehand beat them within the ultimate of this competitors, with most of the enormous variety of travelling Phoenix followers prone to have recollections of that occasion too.
Cheshire set the tone early as Levi Bradley hit a three-pointer that sparked a 9-0 burst as Lions have been scoreless for 4 minutes, and the run was capped by a pair of put-backs from Mike Ochereobia – Phoenix ending with 15 offensive rebounds and 17 second likelihood factors.
Austin Jr. made a tricky ‘and-one’ play quickly after, and when Namon Wright hit a three-pointer early within the second stanza the lead was double-figures at 26-16.
Phoenix by no means trailed from there, however couldn’t fairly shake the Lions off as Dirk Williams completed with a game-high 24 factors, and it was nonetheless shut as a two-shot sport heading into the ultimate quarter.
However Cheshire put the clamps on when it mattered most and didn’t enable London a rating for the opening 5 minutes of the fourth, pouring in 13 factors themselves, with Austin Jr. driving to the basket for the primary two scores earlier than Wright did likewise together with an ‘and-one’ as an exclamation level, the rating reaching 74-55 because the celebrations might start early.
Talking to Sky Sports activities within the rapid aftermath, Head Coach Ben Thomas commented:
“I’m simply so comfortable for everybody concerned. The gamers, they performed a tremendous sport as we speak; defensively we have been excellent, particularly within the fourth quarter. I’m made up for the followers, we introduced so much with us and so they can take pleasure in it tonight.
“We knew that if we might deny their wings and actually put stress on the ball then we’d give ourselves an opportunity, and I assumed the fellows actually purchased into that.”
MVP Larry Austin Jr. added:
“We received some {hardware} and it’s nice! Our followers travelled and it was like a house sport for us. We’ve obtained numerous feelings proper now and we simply must soak all of it in.
“I used to be simply being aggressive. Defence is what will get me going, I like to rebound and be bodily. However it’s a crew effort tonight, all of us locked in on the defensive finish and it’s all we have been speaking about.
“Our mindset was to be the more durable crew, whoever needed it essentially the most was going to win tonight, and I imagine we have been the more durable crew.”
