Ravens Basketball Club doubled its championship title holdings in the Pepsi Street Playoff Series when they won the Series’ Open Division final a night after their Division Three team bagged the top spot in that competition.
Sunday night’s final saw Ravens prevailing over Courts Pacesetters 74-54 but not before the teams transformed the Burnham Court into their own battle ground, continuing their rivalry in the deciding Game Three of the best-of-three final.
The intensity of playing to win was evident as players on both teams in their first few possessions attacked the basket at each opening.
As in the previous game, the teams also traded baskets from beyond the arc within minutes of the tip-off. Ravens’ Ryan Stephney was the first to let loose from long range, but this was answered shortly after by Pacesetters’ go-to man around the arc, Naylon Loncke.
Ravens’ Rodwell Fortune also got into the action from three-point land, landing one of his own, prior to a 6-0 run by Ravens, which took them ahead before the end of the half.
But they were reeled in once again by the Pacesetters and the lead continued to shift during the exchange of baskets in the first half.
Another run by Ravens took them 37-32 ahead at the half way mark, but the halftime period did not go without dispute as the Pacesetters looked to be as close as possible to Ravens’ total going into the third quarter.
The dispute, which arose from Ravens’ final shot of the half, almost brought the game to a premature end. Some of the Pacesetters players argued with table officials that the halftime whistle had already sounded before the Ravens’ player got off the shot.
After the officials ruled that the basket was good, some of the players on the bench who are instrumental in the Pacesetters lineup and played a key role in the first half, refused to return on court for the second half, contending that if the last two points scored by the Ravens were not withdrawn from the scoreboard they would not continue.
This prompted Pacesetters’ coach Bobby Cadogan to look towards the bench for his substitutes who were willing to play to continue in the second half.
The Pacesetters team appeared to be at a disadvantage as their lesser experienced side went up against the full force of the Ravens, but the change worked in the Pacesetters’ favor as the younger team ran circles around the Ravens led by Travis Burnett, who didn’t hesitate to take on the Ravens players in the paint and come out successful.
The offensive burst drove the Pacesetters 51-49 ahead of the Ravens entering the final period.
However, with four minutes remaining in the game, Ravens re-established themselves in the lead (55-53).
But the Pacesetters had another surprise in store as their coach sent two of the players who called it quits at halftime, marksmen from beyond the arc, Loncke and Stephon Gillis back into the fray.
This strategy did not play out well for the Pacesetters as they were now the ones being out-played. Ravens increased its lead to double figures and even afforded time to entertain the supporters when they dished the ball to their guard Stephon Henry.
Loncke landed another basket from downtown as his team tried to pull itself back into the game.
But Ravens had already stolen the show and Henry ended the game with some dribbling theatrics.
Four players attained double figures for Ravens, namely Fortune with 14, Stephney 13 and Ryan Gullen and Henry with 12 points each.
Burnett and Loncke were the lead scorers for Pacesetters with 13 and 10 points respectively.
