MK5D Shenley Brook End claim second CBL title in thriller

Seven minutes in, MK5D Shenley Brook End had raced to a 20-7 lead and appeared on course to add a second CBL title with minimal resistance. Then Xaverian College reminded everyone why they’d earned their place in the final.

“Every time we rebounded and did a good job tagging the roller out of their pick and roll, we extended the lead out to 10,” said MK5D head coach Adam Digby. “When we didn’t do those things, when we went away from it, they cut the lead down to three, four points. Then we dug back in and did it again.”

That tug-of-war defined the contest. Xaverian’s GB Under-16 international Kelvine Clement was magnificent, dropping a game-high 27 points with seven rebounds and three steals in a performance that almost dragged his side over the line. But Xaverian’s 2-for-29 shooting from three-point range and 13-for-25 from the free-throw line proved too much to overcome.

MK5D prevailed 65-59 victors to claim their second CBL title.

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“We got good shots for us — they just didn’t go in,” Digby said of his team’s composure when shots weren’t falling. “We’ll take that all day long because over the course of 40 minutes it’s gonna come back our way.”

It came back in the most dramatic fashion possible. MVP Kalvin Oates stepped up with 1:33 remaining and drilled a three-pointer that stretched MK5D’s lead to six and killed Xaverian’s momentum.

“It feels great. It’s unreal, really. I feel overwhelmed a little bit,” Oates said. “I’ve never been on the main stage like this before. But honestly, it was just a great day. All the fans came out, I have my family, my girl in the crowd — everyone in the crowd. It’s great.”

And what about those free throws at the end with the whole arena chanting ‘MVP’? “It felt great. A little bit off-putting while I’m trying to shoot my free throws,” he laughed.

Oates finished with 18 points including four triples, five rebounds and two assists. Ben Morris (11 points, eight rebounds, five assists) and Gianfranco Formeloza (10 points, four assists) rounded out MK5D’s scoring.

For Digby, the CBL title is a stepping stone. “Hopefully for us, EABL. We put an application in this summer — we find out in May. We want to be playing at that top level. We’ve got the guys to do it, we’ve got the club behind us. You saw our support today — the whole school, the whole trust is behind us. We want to keep bringing trophies back to MK.”

Stats.