BBL Trophy Final
Cheshire Phoenix 70-73 Caledonia Gladiators (19-18, 38-36, 56-57)
(Phoenix: Austin/ Evans/ Teague, 12; Neighbour, 10; Archibald, 9 – Gladiators: Bailey, 16; Alihodzic/Durham, 12; Sloan, 11)
The Caledonia Gladiators ended their title drought as a David Sloan buzzer-beater gave them a 73-70 win over Cheshire Phoenix in the BBL Trophy Final at the Emirates Arena on Sunday.
In front of a sell-out crowd of 6,000 – the majority of whom were Caledonia fans – the Gladiators healed 20 years of hurt for Scottish basketball in the most exhilarating of ways.
With 2:22 left, Will Neighbour hit what looked like a dagger three-pointer to give Cheshire a 69-65 lead and you could sense the beginning of slumped shoulders and careless offence from Caledonia.
But like true Gladiators, the Scottish side responded with back-to-back scores from Princeton Onwas to tie the game at 70-70, setting the scene for Sloan to drain a three on the buzzer.
“I missed a couple of shots that I usually make but I’m a confidence player and as soon as that ball left my hands, I knew it was going in,” Sloan said.
“For us as a franchise though, this is amazing, to overcome the adversity and lift a championship in front of our home fans is an unbelievable feeling.”
For head coach Gareth Murray, a native of Arbroath, he has seen his share of anguish over the years as a player. But now, in front of his friends and family, he can celebrate a deserved Trophy success.
“What more can you say, to win a game like that, on the buzzer, in Glasgow, it’s picture perfect,” Murray said.
“It’s wonderful for fans that have been with us from the start, the players that have grown up through the system and are playing today, staff members that have been loyal to us, it’s incredible and again, to win it in Glasgow, in Scotland. It’s special.”
Caledonia snatched the Trophy from the claws of its previous owners, who, after tasting success last season, were unable to retain in the most heartbreaking of finishes.
Jeremiah Bailey led Caledonia with 16 points and eight rebounds, claiming MVP honours, with Fahro Alihodzic and Aljami Durham each adding 12.
Larry Austin Jr, Marcus Evans and Tahjai Teague had 12 points each to lead Cheshire.
The Phoenix controlled the opening stages as Larry Austin and Will Neighbour inspired a 6-0 start before the Gladiators got off the mark thanks to a three at the top from Onwas.
The first quarter was physical and scrappy – both teams were fighting for every loose ball and spent a lot of time at the free throw line with 15 attempts in total.
Despite the physicality, Cheshire held the lead until a basket inside from Durham with 1:30 left gave Caledonia a 17-16 lead.
It didn’t last as Phoenix regained the lead and held on to it going into the second.
As the game progressed, the court began to open up, which suited the Phoenix as a 7-0 run gave them a 28-21 cushion. This was cut short by a mid-range jumper from Durham.
Fraser Malcolm got the home town fans on their feet with back-to-back three-pointers in a half that saw the majority of points scored under the basket or from the foul line.
With neither side giving an inch, it was everything a Trophy Final should be with the Phoenix taking a slender two-point advantage at the break.
With both sides trading buckets to start the third it was the turn of the bravehearts of Caledonia to have their run.
A 6-0 spurt, highlighted by a two-hand slam in transition from Jeremiah Bailey put the Gladiators up 49-46 before Neighbour responded with a triple to knot the game up once more.
But the pride of Scotland would fight back in a fiercely competitive clash as they led 57-56 heading into the fourth.
For the 6,000 inside the Emirates, you could cut the tension with a knife as both sides traded baskets with the lead changing hands five times in the space of three minutes.
That tension, turned to jubilation for the hometown crowd.