Westminster and Medway Park to meet in D2 playoff final
4th April 2011It will be Westminster Warriors versus Medway Park Crusaders in the Division Two Men's playoff final after both sides won on the road on Saturday.
Crusaders shocked regular season champions Bradford Dragons with a 98-73 victory, while Warriors won 72-63 at Tees Valley Mohawks.
In the north east, a close fought fight game saw Westminster advance after recovering from a 23-14 first period deficit.
The visitors won the second quarter 17-14 to only trail by six at half-time, and a physical third quarter saw good defence from both sides as Warriors took their first lead going into the final break 51-50 ahead.
The final quater was a tight affair with the game going back and forth, and a Will Spragg three cut Warriors' lead to 62-61 with 1:35 on the clock.
Lekan Popoola made it a three point game with a pair at the foul line, and neither side troubled the score again until Luke Baker drained a pair with 31 seconds on the clock to make it a five point game
A steal by Westminster was the icing on the cake as Mohawks had to foul to stop the clock and with Warriors making their free throws, they wrapped up the win.
Mohawks coach Steve Butler was clearly disappointed: "It was a very good game of basketball and our crowd was fantastic throughout, but we got tired in the second half and didn't execute on the offensive end of the court," he said.
"We played good defence but credit goes to Junior Williams and his team who fought for everything just like my guys did, but they got the run of the ball towards the end of the game and it really could have gone either way. With Medway winning against Bradford it shows just how competitive this league has been this year.
"Good luck to coach Williams and coach Vear in the playoff final; I'm sure it will be an excellent advert for the sport of basketball."
Ralph Bucci led all scorers with 27 points and ten boards, with Spragg adding 11. Yannick Bulambwe led Warriors with a 23 point, 11 board double-double, with Jonathan Johnson adding 15 and Popoola 12.
Meanwhile, in Bradford, the game started at an incredibly quick pace with both teams looking to push the ball. Bradford point guard Daumants Pabreiza caused the visiting Crusaders big problems with his dribble penetration, but overall the tempo really suited Crusaders, who like to play fast, but the quarter ended 25-23 to Dragons.
After the game Crusaders coach James Vear said he wasn't worried at that point: "Although we weren't hitting our shots in transition I knew the tempo suited us and we would eventually start to knock down shots."
Crusaders started the second quarter much better shooting-wise, and at the other end they started to make it more difficult for Bradford, as young defensive ace Andy Chiguri did a good job on Pabreiza. Offensively, Crusaders now looked like they were playing with freedom and star US forward OJ Reed started to find his range knocking down two quick three pointers and a couple of tough shots in the low post.
Going to his bench Vear then found Tom Raymen, who gave the Crusaders a real offensive spark, knocking down a three and making two great passes for easy scores, taking the guests up 46-40 going into half time.
Crusaders certainly matched Bradford's intensity in the third quarter, controlling the battle of the boards, allowing them to keep fast breaking and get easy scores. Reed continued where he left off in the first half scoring from inside and out, and Steve Vear started to find his range as well as the Medway side continued to pile on more pressure.
The pressure intensified as Bradford got into foul trouble with three starters on four fouls, including Rihards Sulcs. Crusaders had no problems with intensity in the third quarter, winning it 27-16 and they went into the final quarter up 73-56.
Down 17 Bradford came out in the fourth applying full court pressure, looking for the turnovers that could turn the game. Initially it looked like it went Bradford's way, but after a few plays Crusaders settled down, keeping the lead in double digits all the way to the end. Playing hard on defence Bradford now had to take risks, which led to some fouls, and as the game neared its conclusion two of Bradford's starters fouled out, and taking control the clock Crusaders saw out the win 98-73.
Coach Vear said after the game: "The guys played some great basketball today. In a game that has so much at stake they played with freedom and never seemed rattled. OJ played a near perfect game scoring 36 points and grabbing 18 rebounds. He loves playing up there as he had a similar game back in January.
"Bradford are a great team and they deserve their place at the top of this year's league. Coach Mellor plays a style of basketball I really admire, and I wish them all the luck next year.
"I am so happy for the club making its first major final. Credit really needs to go to everyone who puts in so much hard work off the court. Most of the credit needs to go to the players as they are the ones who have put in the most work.
"Playing Westminster in the final I think will be a great final for the fans. We both play an exciting style of basketball and expect it to be a great final. They have some very good players especially Yannick [Bulambwe], who I think has turned into one of the best players in the league over the past few months.
"Over the next two weeks we will work hard in practice and focus on the things we need to do to win the final. I know the guys are not happy in just making the final; they want to now win it and really show everyone how good our team is."
Dragons' Coach Chris Mellor said, "We played OK in first half but after the interval Medway killed us on our boards and converted a high percentage of their shots whilst we couldn't buy a basket. At this stage of the season their roster is much deeper than ours. They are a quality team and worthy winners."
For Dragons, Daumants Pabrieza top scored with 18 points and Tom Martin and Rihards Sulcs made 12 points each. Reed led all scorers with 36 points, with Steve Vear adding 18 and Akeem Abdul 12.