It was not the option that coach Gareth Murray had schemed but it was a basket that immediately delivered a delicious concoction of joy and relief. Caledonia Gladiators secured their first piece of silverware in 20 years last night, capturing the BBL Trophy with a dramatic 73-70 victory over Cheshire Phoenix.
It was secured with the last shot in the last second of a compelling final with American guard David Sloan draining a three-pointer that soared through the hoop as the buzzer sounded.
“The play was drawn up,” Murray revealed. “Then we went to a time-out and I drew it up again, just to make sure we knew exactly what we’re doing. But David was wide open and it was swung to him in the corner. And it’s nothing but net to win the game. I mean, it’s picture perfect, right? You couldn’t ask for better than that.”
Under their previous guise of the Glasgow Rocks, 10 finals brought the miserable dissatisfaction that comes with ending as runners-up. With two minutes remaining, the potential for that dreaded fate loomed once again. Cheshire, the holders, appeared poised for a repeat.
Then the veteran Prince Onwas provided hope with a three, and then tied the contest as a Murray call prised him wide open.
“That’s experience,” the Stateside recruit said. “You know you need to find ways to score when you’re in that situation.”
Murray experienced so many deflations as a player. With an opportunity to avoid overtime and poach this silverware, Sloan stepped in and stepped up. Cue an invasion of the court and a wave of approval from most among a 6,000 sell-out crowd at the Emirates Arena.
“When we went down and I was like, ‘oh no, not again’,” Murray confessed. “But we stuck with it. We made plays. And this is what we play for, right? This is what I’ve been trying to get for 20 years but I just never managed to get it across the line as a player. But now, as a first-year head coach, it’s great to get it done, on our home court.
“And that what’s what finals are about. There’s one shot to win a game and you’ve got David Sloan wide open, one of the best scorers in the league.”
Jeremiah Bailey was named the Most Valuable Player of the final after providing a team-high 16 points plus eight rebounds.
The contest ebbed back and forth, the Nix racing 6-0 ahead and as much as seven in front in the second period. Caledonia trimmed the gap to 38-36 at half time but, among 12 lead changes, they never were ahead by more than four.
Onwas keyed the closing 8-0 run. Others, including Fahro Alihodzic and Al Durham provided notable contributions, including 12 points apiece. Sloan struggled, converting just four of his 14 shots in what will be the last Trophy final in the competition’s present incarnation and the last to be held in this arena before the Gladiators flit to East Kilbride next season.
Not that his prior misses were dwelled upon in the wake of his sensational denouement.
“I didn’t live up to my standards in the game so I felt I owed everyone that as well,” Sloan said.
Amid his heroics, came reflection. He was driven, he revealed, by raw emotion.
“I lost one of my childhood friends to a heart attack this week. So I dedicated this game to him.”
And to all those who had come before him and tasted defeat.
“We got the win,” Sloan added. “That’s all that matters. Obviously, we all know the history. But history repeats itself, no matter how long it takes, and that wait is over. We got it done, and we got the job done.”
Gladiators forward Ali Fraser sat out the final with a foot injury that will see him undergo surgery today and could end his season.
Meanwhile, London Lions had to battle much harder than expected to shake off Leicester Riders, but finally gained an 81-70 win for their third WBBL Trophy in a row.
It gave the Londoners their seventh successive domestic trophy but Arbroath-born guard Hannah Robb, who had 17 points, sparked a Riders surge that tied the final in the third quarter. And Lions, paced by 33 points and seven rebounds from American guard Miki Herbert-Harrigan, ultimately required a late 10-2 run to prevail.
“We know London are an incredible team,” the Great Britain guard said. “They’re so deep, like, each player across the board can contribute. So we were more focused on us. Our goal was to make the Trophy final, but we weren’t satisfied. We want to come away happy and proud of our performance. And I think we’ve done that. We can take everything away and improve. And next time we’ll get them.”
