Helen Freeman ended a busy season in Germany with victory as the three-time Paralympian helped RSB Thuringia Bulls claim the RBBL Championship title, beating RSV Lahn-Dill in the best-of-three play-off final.
After a dramatic overtime victory in game one the previous weekend, Freeman and RSB Thuringia Bulls knew a win in the second game would secure the Championship title against Simon Brown’s and Ian Sagar’s RSV Lahn-Dill.
With nothing to separate the two teams at the end of the first quarter, Freeman’s two points came at a crucial time in the game; with Freeman scoring the final points of the second quarter to give Thuringia Bulls a five-point lead at the half-way stage.
Thuringia Bulls extended their lead to seven points in the final two quarters, securing a 45:52 victory and another league title for Freeman.
It may not have been the conclusion Simon Brown and Ian Sagar would have hoped for but it’s a season that has included success for Brown and Sagar. They were both part of the RSV Lahn-Dill side that beat Thuringia Bulls in the final of the recent Champions Cup.
Spain
The season may be over in Germany but the GB athletes playing in Spain have got a few more weeks left of action with one more weekend of league fixtures before the Copa del Rey at the beginning of June.
Gaz Choudhry was the top-scoring British player during the penultimate weekend of fixtures, recording a game-high points total of 26 points in BSR Amiab Albacete’s 85:46 win over Abdi Jama’s Amivel.
Lee Manning scored 18 points and topped the game’s standings for both assists (six) and rebounds (20) – his latest total rebound haul puts him top of the league’s overall standings for the 2020/21 season heading into the final weekend.
Ben Fox added 13 points and Kyle Marsh 12 with Harry Brown also in action as Albacete recorded their 16th win of the season. Abdi Jama scored seven points for Amivel.
George Bates, Billy Bridge and Phil Pratt helped Mideba Extremadura beat Fundacion Aliados 56:71 but their title hopes are, sadly, over after Bidaideak Bilbao BSR were confirmed as Division de Honor champions following their 79:82 victory over Terry Bywater’s and Gregg Warburton’s CD Ilunion.
Bates scored 18 points for Mideba in their penultimate league game, while Pratt recorded eight points, six assists and five rebounds. Billy Bridge scored four points as Mideba head into the final weekend second in the table.
CD Ilunion will have a final weekend double header having played a game less and Bywater and Warburton will be looking to end the season strongly after narrowly losing out to champions Bidaideak Bilbao BSR.
Warburton’s nine points included a three-pointer which sparked a final minute fightback from Ilunion, but, despite the Madrid-based club closing the gap to three points, Bilbao held on to win 79:82.
There was British interest on both sides of the court as Iberconsa Amfiv and Servigest Burgos went head-to-head. Lewis Edwards and Sam Mack were both part of the victorious Amfiv side, with Edwards scoring 14 points in Amfiv’s 65:47 win.
Lee Fryer was Burgos’ highest-scoring player with 13 points with Fryer and Will Bonner both among Burgos’ starting-five.
James MacSorley scored two points for BSR ACE Gran Canaria in their 89:8 victory against Getafe BSR.
