Surrey Scorchers Claim British Basketball All-Stars Championship Title

Image Credit: Joe Pinchin

Surrey Scorchers won the 2018 British Basketball All-Stars Championship with a thrilling 36-33 overtime victory over Leicester Riders in the final at The Copper Box Arena, London on Sunday afternoon.

MVP Jordan Williams was his side’s standout performer, creating the plays which saw Scorchers to group wins over Worcester Wolves and Bristol Flyers after they’d lost their opening fixture 43-30 to Flyers.

In the semis Scorchers dispatched of Esh Group Eagles Newcastle 34-24 while Riders put out defending champions London Lions 36-26 to set up what turned out to be the game of the tournament.

“I feel great,” said Williams. “Coming into this tournament, in front of my home crowd, it is crazy. We have had a rough start to the season but I feel like in this tournament we came together, played as a team and we won it all.”

Scorchers, won over the crowd and battled it out with Riders for 12 gripping minutes but the two sides couldn’t be separated, needing an overtime period. In the additional 60 seconds it was MVP Williams who made multiple big plays down the stretch as Scorchers took the £25,000 title 36-33.

Coach Creon Raftopoulos said: “I am so happy for the guys. We came in here, I don’t think many people gave us a chance but it is a format of basketball that plays into our up-tempo style, so it worked out for us.

“It was a big thing to win that final. Last year we had a lot of emotions, me personally with my dad, so I wasn’t in the right frame of mind so to come here and be able to coach to a level that allowed the players to win was absolutely great.”

The British Basketball All-Stars Championship included 12-minute games, a 5-point line and a Golden Buzzer Power Play – where everything for the next 2 minute period is worth double, in an adapted game created by Matchroom with the intention of adding excitement and end to end action, as the top eight BBL teams battled it out for their share of a £100,000 prize fund.

2018 British Basketball All-Stars Championship Results

Double Elimination Stage
Worcester Wolves 6-45 London Lions
Bristol Flyers 43-30 Surrey Scorchers
Glasgow Rocks 40-45 Esh Group Eagles Newcastle
DBL Sharks Sheffield 30-24 Leicester Riders
London Lions 29-21 Bristol Flyers
Esh Group Eagles Newcastle 31-25 DBL Sharks Sheffield
Worcester Wolves 17-49 Surrey Scorchers
Glasgow Rocks 22-37 Leicester Riders
Bristol Flyers 27-36 Surrey Scorchers
DBL Sharks Sheffield 20-31 Leicester Riders

Semi-Finals
Esh Group Eagles Newcastle 24-34 Surrey Scorchers
London Lions 26-36 Leicester Riders

Finals
Surrey Scorchers 36-33 Leicester Riders (OT)

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