Terry Bywater was named the Copa del Rey ‘Most Valuable Player’ as his CD Ilunion side beat BSR Amiab Albacete in a thrilling final which featured five GB players, including Gaz Choudhry who was named alongside Bywater in the competition’s ‘All-Star Five’.
On a weekend which saw four British head-to-heads in the Copa del Rey, GB players scored 260 points with the quarter-finals, semi-finals and final all being played across two days of enthralling competition.
Five British players were involved in the final on Sunday as CD Ilunion and BSR Amiab Albacete went head-to-head in a close game which saw CD Ilunion claim another Copa del Rey title with a 58-65 victory.
Bywater scored 12 points in the final taking his weekend total to 70 points, including a weekend-high 38 points in CD Ilunion’s semi-final win over Bidaideak Bilbao; a game which saw Bywater named MVP.
There were also two MVP awards for Gaz Choudhry as he helped Albacete reach the final along with Lee Manning, Harry Brown and Kyle Marsh.
After beating Fundacion Grupo Norte in the quarter-final, the GB four played Lewis Edwards and Sam Mack’s Iberconsa Amfiv in the semi-final. Amfiv beat Thomas Smith’s Rincon Dental Amivel to set-up another British head-to-head with Albacete.
Against Amfiv, Choudhry added 15 points to his 20 points from the quarter-final; Lee Manning posted his second consecutive 10-point haul, with Kyle Marsh following-up his nine points with 14 points. Harry Brown scored three points across the two games.
For Amfiv, Lewis Edwards scored a combined 22 points in the quarter and semi-finals, while Sam Mack added three points against Albacete.
Earlier in the quarter-finals, George Bates scored a game-high 21 points as Mideba Extremadura lost to the eventual winners, CD Ilunion.
Bates was one of four GB players playing for Mideba with Gregg Warburton scoring eight points, while Phil Pratt and Abdi Jama both added two points each. Pratt also contributed with a game-high six assists.
In the final, Bywater scored 12 points to help CD Ilunion to victory against BSR Amiab Albacete. Choudhry was the highest scoring British player, scoring 17 points in addition to posting nine assists for Albacete.
Lee Manning posted a weekend-high total of 18 rebounds and scored 14 points, while Kyle Marsh scored two points for Albacete.
In Germany, Simon Brown and Jim Palmer both ended their regular league season by ensuring places in the end of season play-offs.
Brown’s RSV Lahn-Dill had already guaranteed a place in the play-off semi-finals as one of the top-two teams, and they ended their regular season with a narrow 59-62 defeat to league leaders RSB Thuringia Bulls.
There was more joy for Jim Palmer and his Rhine River Rhinos Wiesbaden side as they beat BG Baskets Hamburg 55-91 to end the regular season on a high, booking their place in the play-off quarter-finals.
Palmer scored seven points – including a three-pointer – and posted a game-high 13 assists to help Rhine River Rhinos to victory.
In Italy, Martin Edwards’s SSD Santa Lucia were on the end of a narrow defeat to UnipolSai Briantea 84 Cantù with Edwards scoring 16 points and posting nine rebounds and eight assists.
Ian Sagar scored 15 points and claimed seven rebounds as his Special Bergamo Sport lost 82-43 to Deco Group Amicacci Giulianova.
GB top scorers
38 points – Terry Bywater (v Bidaideak Bilbao)
21 points – George Bates (v CD Ilunion)
20 points – Gaz Choudhry (v Fundacion Grupo Norte); Terry Bywater (v Mideba)
GB top assists
13 assists – Jim Palmer (v BG Baskets Hamburg)
9 assists – Gaz Choudhry (v CD Ilunion)
6 assists – Kyle Marsh (v Fundacion Grupo Norte); Phil Pratt (v CD Ilunion)
GB top rebounds
18 rebounds – Lee Manning (v CD Ilunion)
13 rebounds – Gaz Choudhry (v Iberconsa Amfiv)
12 rebounds – Lee Manning (v Iberconsa Amfiv)
