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NBL DIVISION ONE MEN CHAMPIONSHIP FINAL
Torlane Arrows Derbyshire (24, 48, 67) 83 Bevington 25, Gayle 21, Ellmer 13
Finsoft Ealing Tornados (17, 34, 60) 81 Deppisch 23, Jivens 21, Hull 16The Derbyshire Arrows completed a League & Play Off double in amazing fashion as a basket from Jamie Davidson, who converted on a pass from Shawn King, saw the Arrows snatch a remarkable victory at the Coventry Sky Dome by 83–81.
The Arrows started in positive fashion with baskets from Simon Bevington and 3 pointers from Kingsley Ellmer (2) and Garnet Gayle to lead 15–5 in the early going before baskets from Pete Deppisch & Jivens cut into the Arrows lead as they closed the quarter ahead at 24 – 17.
The rivals traded baskets early in the second quarter, however a Gayle inspired 11–2 run which saw Derbyshire reach the interval with a 48 – 34 advantage.
The third quarter progressed smoothly for the Arrows who increased their lead at 67 – 50 with less than 3 minutes to go in the quarter, before Ealing responded with a 10-0 burst..
The final quarter will long be remembered, it began with a David Waite basket, but then a 13 – 2 Tornados run saw them remarkably take the lead for the first time in the game at 73 – 71 with less than 5 minutes to play. The Tornados still held a 78 – 76 advantage with only a minute to go.
A Kingsley Ellmer trey seemed to give the initiative to the Arrows but Rahman replied in kind to give the Tornados a lead at 81 – 79. Bevington - scorrer of a game-best 25 point tally - squared the match with 20 seconds to go from the free throw line, however Ealing still controlled the ball.
The Tornados committed a foul off the ball, which turned the possession over to the Arrows, Gayle in bounded to King who dribbled the length of the court before feeding Davidson for the game clinching basket. Even in the dying seconds Deppisch’s “3 pointer” rimmed out to send the Arrows into wild celebration.
Arrows player–coach Gayle was deservedly named the finals “Most Valuable Player”, for his 21 points and inspirational leadership. The victory must have seemed particularly sweet for him as he had been on the losing side in the last 2 Play Off Finals in Division 2.
The Arrows who had already celebrated Championships in successive seasons now have the coveted Division 1 Play Off Trophy to add to their growing reputation. The Arrows face an application panel on the 25th May in a bid to secure Conference status for next season. The Arrows will be seeking local support in this venture.
Division Two
Bristol Bombers (1st South) (18, 27, 40) 58 Ahmed 12, Till 11, James 11
Dudley Bears (1st North) ( 4, 27, 46) 63 White 34, Cole 9, Hall 6The Division Two Men’s Final was won by Dudley Bears, in a rather ill-tempered affair against Bristol Bombers.
At 0-18 down after the opening exchanges, there looked to be no way back for the Northern Division Champions, but they fought back to level the scores at 27-all at the end of the half. The Dudley defence kept the usually prolific Bristol scoring machine in check, and a sparkling performance from Carlos White saw him record more than half the Bears’ points, with a game-high 34, that took the Black Country side to the Championship title.
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