Medway Park Crusaders Win D2 National Championship

Medway Park Crusaders won the 2010/2011 Division 2 National Championship on Sunday, beating Westminster Warriors 75-72 at the Amaechi Centre, Mancester, in a game marred by controversy in the closing moments.

With Medway up by three, 75-72 with two seconds remaining and possession of the ball, they inbounded from half court to Steve Vear who was evidently fouled immediately and lost possession of the ball out of bounds. No whistle was blown, and after the ball had bounced out of bounds, the final buzzer sounded.

With both Medway and Westminster standing on the court in confusion waiting for a call to be made, the referees announced the game was over and Medway Park began the celebrations.

OJ Reed was named MVP after pouring in 28 points, 14 rebounds, 5 steals and 4 assists, Steve Vear had 10 assists along with 9 points and Akeem Abdul added 12. Lekan Popoola led the Warriors with 18 points whilst Luke Baker added 14 and Yannick Bulambwe 13.

Medway Park Head Coach James Vear said after the game:

“I am so proud of the guys. Today we battled for 40 minutes and really showed how much we wanted it. I’m sure it wasn’t a great game to watch for the spectators but it was one of the most competitive games I have ever been a part of.”

He also discussed the controversial call in the closing seconds of the game:

“I know there was a bit controversy regarding the call at the end of the game. I think most people thought a foul had been called and Steve would have gone to line where he needed to knock down one of two to finish the game off. I know Steve pretty well and I’m sure he would have made at least one of two, so I don’t think it had any effect on the outcome.”

Full game stats and play by play can be found here. You can also read the full game recap from England Basketball.

Notes

• Interesting to note there is no mention of the final seconds of the game in the EB report.
• If I’m Westminster I’m annoyed that a whole season’s work came down to a bad call by the referees, if I’m Medway Park, I’m annoyed that there will always be a question mark over their title. Yes, it’s unlikely that Vear misses both free throws and Westminster hit a hail mary, but it’s still possible and should’ve been allowed to be played out like that. Refs can miss calls during a game of course, but this is a situation whereby the buzzer has sounded, they’re all there discussing what to do and had a chance to take some time to make the right decision. Disappointing.
• For any aspiring young point guards, make it a priority to go watch Steve Vear play. His vision is ridiculous-would’ve had a ton more assists if it wasn’t for teammates being fouled/not finishing.
• OJ Reed is an impressive player. Can do a little bit of everything and definitely play at a higher level than D2, a steal for Medway this season.

Did you attend the game? Thoughts? Drop a comment!