Nailsea Defeat Newport in Overtime (98 - 96) to Become 2007/08 Divison 2 Champions!!

April 28, 2008 on 8:56 am | In General

On Friday 25th April, Nailsea Basketball travelled to Newport in what would be a fitting end to the 2007/08 season. Having placed second in the Division behind Newport, and handing the home team their only defeat of the season a few weeks prior, Nailsea arrived confident and ready for the final of the play-offs. The game was back and forth throughout, with both teams holding up to a 9 point lead over the other at some points in the game. The half time score saw Nailsea up 48 - 41, but with a lot left to do if they wanted to secure their second championship trophy.

By the end of regulation time, Nailsea were down 2 points with only 4 seconds remaining on the clock. Two clutch free-throws from game MVP Dan Roach secured the team’s second overtime period of the season, ironically against the team they had taken to overtime a few weeks before in the regular season competition. The regulation time score ended 87 - 87, and the pressure was on for both teams. A 5 minute overtime period did little to separate the teams, but a final shot from top-scoring Jon Moore (21 pts) put Nailsea up a point with 97, before Dave Beesley was sent to the line to secure a final free-throw and a 2 point cushion. Newport were unable to capitalise on a final possession, and the game ended 98 - 96 in Nailsea’s favour.

Game Stats:

The game was characterised by Nailsea’s varied and high pressure defense, with a mix of man-to-man and zone D being played to keep the home team on their toes. Scoring was lead by the inside presence of Jon Moore with 21, while game MVP Dan Roach and Nick Ball provided 15 points each with some hot outside shooting.

Nailsea have now won the Division 2 playoffs and have put themselves in a good position for a hopeful promotion to Division 1 next season. Decisions regarding league structures will not happen til later in the summer.