By André Springer
The Co-operators General Insurance BABA Premier League trophy is headed back to Clapham.
It might have taken five years but Burger King Clapham Bulls have been crowned basketball kings once again after narrowly defeating C.A.M Smart Assurance City United Celtics 67-65 in overtime at the Wildey Gymnasium over the weekend.
The win was their third consecutive, and gave them a 3-1 series lead in the best-of-five finals and their first Premier League title since 2019.
After the final whistle was blown, Bulls fans cheered and screamed in celebration, while others cried tears of joy.
It was sweet redemption for a Bulls team which lost 3-2 to Pinelands in last year’s final.
For head coach Ryan Leacock, it was a fitting end to a season in which winning the title was their biggest goal.
Leacock, a former national player, maintained that with the team’s talent they would be a contender every year.
He said the team had made the necessary adjustments to overcome the Celtics.
“We would have come into the game favoured to win over the Celtics, but they beat us in the regular season once and the game we won was close. Joel Hunte has given us trouble but we made the adjustments,” he said.
While admitting that his team struggled offensively in the playoffs, Leacock explained that their defense carried them to the title.
He also lauded the performance of Most Valuable Player Akeem Marsh and guards, Andrew Ifill, Rahiim Gibbons and Simeon Maynard.
Simeon Maynard of the Bulls (left) finishes this layup ahead of the outstretched hands of Theo Greenidge.
“The three of them are very high IQ basketball players. People say they are short but they have excellent ball handling skills and the decision making is on point, along with defense, [so] I knew they would play well together,” Leacock said.
At one point, however, it looked as though Celtics would force a fifth and decisive game after a strong shooting performance saw them dominate the first half on their way to a comfortable 40-28 lead at halftime.
Former Bulls player, Tehron King, scored eight points in the second quarter to help give his side the advantage.
But Marsh, the PEAK Playoffs MVP was unstoppable in the paint, finishing with 28 points and 10 rebounds to lead a Bulls comeback. The Celtic’s defense tried their best to contain the former national player, all to no avail.
His effort, allowed with those of Ifill and Maynard, led the Bulls on a 28-13 run spanning the third and fourth quarters and gave them a 56-53 lead with five minutes left in the game.
To their credit, City did not lose their cool and Theo Greenidge’s layup locked the game at 62.
With 24 seconds on the clock, Bulls missed two opportunities to go ahead, while Celtics also missed their attempt on the other end as regulation ran out.
Both teams struggled offensively in the overtime period, but a three-pointer by King gave Celtics a 65-62 lead.
After scoring one of two free-throws, Marsh then added a layup to tie the score at 65 with just under a minute remaining.
With the game hanging in the balance, a costly Celtics turnover with 27 seconds proved to be decisive.
Ifill missed his first attempt, but after securing the rebound glancing at the clock, he sank a midrange jumper with five seconds left to put Bulls ahead.
On the ensuing possession, Ifill stole the ball from Joel Hunte and heaved it into the air as the buzzer sounded to seal the championship.
For the Bulls, Kemar Benn finished with 11 points for the Bulls, while Rahiim Gibbons had 10 and Ifill and Maynard put up eight points each.
For the Celtics, King had 14 points, Greenidge with Markahli Downie adding 13 each in the loss.
