Saturday the 6th of September was a day of reckoning for basketball aficionados all over South Africa. The Basketball National League had reached the final day of the 2014 season and this was a day that we had all been waiting for with great anticipation. 2 great teams were on hand to see us to the close and we were in for a basketball spectacle. There were two games on the cards and both promised the fans a great time; first we had the 3rd place playoff between the Egoli Magic and Soweto Panthers. Both teams lost in the semi finals and looked to end the season with a win. The game was very close from the start, with both teams exchanging good blows. As always captain Lesego Molebatsi was leading from the front and did his best to ensure his team takes a 37-32 lead into halftime. The second half was much of the same as both teams continued to run at each other. The game finished with the scores at 71-69 to the Magic; this meant that they finish the season at third place. It was then time for the main event, the rumble for glory, the finals of the 2014 season between the Tshwane Suns and Duzi Royals. Regular season records had now been thrown out the window and it was all to play for in the game that mattered over all others. This was definitely going to be a game of two different styles of basketball and both teams were expected to leave it all on the floor. Tshwane was looking to do their best to defend the title they had won last season and the Royals looked to complete a fairytale season on a great note. The Suns were the 1st to throw a punch which saw them take a 11-0 lead in the 1st quarter, it was with 3 minutes to go in the quarter when the Royals finally scored their 1st points. The Suns definitely looked locked and ready to have their defense neutralize the Royals as they had done with most other teams. Even though the Royals won their regular season encounter, it was in a game which saw them score below their season average and that was due to great defense by Tshwane; this game had early suggestions of that happening again. The scores stood at 14-3 to the Suns at the end of the quarter. The Royals looked shaken and took long to get into the game and Coach Joaquim Rodriques sent out different players to try and figure out the Suns, but to very little avail. With Corey Stern (201-F, college: Texas St.) and Tsakane Ngobeni contained, Nkululeko Mthalane and Sakhile Sithole tried to bring the Royals back, but the Suns kept countering their moves. Great defense was definitely the story of the game as the Suns were able to contain the Royals to a total of 50 points. Captain Neo Mothiba (199-G/F-82) was once again the catalyst to the Suns offence as he made some great baskets to put the game out of Duzis reach. The Suns went on to finish the game with 65 points, with 4 players scoring in double-digits while Gedeon Mulamba (196-PF-87) finished with 13 very important rebounds. This meant that they had successfully defended their title and have officially repeated as champions. This was definitely a great twist in the tail for an incredible second season of the Basketball National League. Though the league is now going into recess, there is a whole lot more of basketball still to be played, with the Inter-provincial tournament being announced to be staged in Johannesburg later on this month. Stay tuned for more details thereon. Courtesy of: bnlsa.com
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