How the national team battled its way to a second-ever regional title CANTERLOT, EQUESTRIA- It was never going to be easy. The men's national basketball squad was up against some of the best of the best at the most recent AOBCs, shortly before the start of the International Basketball Championships. 12 teams in Atlantian Oceania, duking it out in Equestria to see which one would take home the regional title. At the last AOBCs, of course, as part of the AOlympics, Banijan basketball was shockingly
defeated by Pluvia and the Saxean Isles, which had snapped a then winning streak of 41 games in all competitions. The quarterfinal defeat in Umbazi, of all places, stunned AO's basketball fans and showed the multiverse that the Lions were, indeed, beatable.
The national team, many with a bitter taste in their mouth from that tournament, went into this year's AOBCs with the full intention of winning the tournament. "The regional trophy is something that we consider to be a prestigious trophy." Coach Lavaga said. "There's plenty of basketball talent in this region, and there's something special about holding the championship when its won against all of your neighbors. Equestria's not that far, either- it's a good chance for fans to see us compete in the near abroad, against very talented teams in an exciting atmosphere. And, of course, it's a great way to prep for the IBCs- get rotations set, get players used to playing with each other again, etc... to make sure that AO's basketball participants are ready for this top-level competition."
We'll go through some of the key games and moments for this national team, as they lift the AOBC trophy for the second tournament in three cycles.
Group Stage Matchday 2- Banija takes on host nation EquestriaNow, of course, you'd think that the big matchup against the Busoga Islands would deserve its own section to start the tournament. But while the matchup between these two is always hyped, whatever the sport, the talent gap between the Busogans and the Banijans in this sport put a damper on festivities for Matchday 1 before they could ever really get going. While the Busogans jumped off to a quick 6-0 lead, with back to back threes from their point guard to start the game, we immediately launched a 16-1 run that we never looked back from. Which led us into Matchday 2- the world champions taking on the expectant host nation.
Two ancient sporting rivals, Banija and Equestria, taking each other on here in the group stages. It was a close, competitive game from the get go. Tionge dunking on a poor Equestrian center in the first minute of the game set the tone. While the offensive basketball was solid, it was a scrappy, physical contest. There wasn't much space for either side. Nobody was going to bully ball their way to the rim. Who could make shots, particularly contested shots, and who could find their footing in the mid-range game? That was what would decide this contest. And with a minute left, when this contest was tied at 73 points a piece, that is exactly what happened. Ebrahima Faye curling around a screen to catch and hit a 17 footer, to make it 75-73. And then, after a stop, Ezekiel Bullo hitting a dagger from the mid-range, fading away from about the free throw line. 77-73 with 15 seconds left was simply too much for the hosts to overcome- they'd get another lay-in, but Banijans hitting 3/4 free throws in those final seconds sealed the deal for the 80-75 victory.
Group Stage Matchday 4- The Vengeance matchup against Pluvia and the Saxean IslesThis was the game that was circled on everybody's calendars. Matchday 4- the national team taking on P&SI again, for the first time since this team knocked Banija out of the AOBCs, on home soil no less. Everybody on the team was talking about it. "Pluvia and the Saxean Isles made a great run last time." Akabueze, the team's point guard, told the press. "But I don't think it was just one and done- they showed the region, and the multiverse, that they meant business. So what if they didn't participate in the IBCs? They are a team that can still do some real damage on the international stage."
P&SI, despite their 1-2 start to this tournament, showed the Lions exactly what they were made out of. We hit them in the mouth, and they hit right back. The tournament's defending silver medalists showed that they were no slouches. Both teams were hitting big stops, but P&SI, most importantly, were making extremely important stops. And when Pluvia led 67-65, late in the fourth, with the ball, their aggression seemed to pay off. Their small forward attacked the basket, and Bullo had to contest. He was called, rightfully, for the foul- but it was the fifth for the Banijan superstar. He was sent walking. Israel Arefani went into the game to play the 2, while Faye slid down to the 3. Pluvia's SF hit both free throws, to make it 69-65.
The Lions flew down the court, looking to do something about this. After some quality ball rotation, Kizza Alanso found Israel Arefani open in the corner. Alanso hit the Hinteram Ghouls star, who drilled a three pointer in the corner. 69-68 lead for Pluvia- a one point game. 32 seconds left in the contest. The Lions would need to D up and get a stop. And the trademark 1-3-1 zone defense would come up big. Pluvia tried to run the clock down to get the dagger shot. But as soon as Pluvia's point guard passed the ball, Ebrahima Faye blitzed the passing lane to steal the ball, and race up the floor. A 2 on 1 with Akabueze against Pluvia's point guard, Faye passed it to his own point guard. Akabueze threw a lob that the Pluvia point guard had no chance of stopping, as Faye leaped high into the air to grab the ball and slam it home.
11 seconds on the clock. Pluvia out of timeouts. Their point guard flew down the court with the ball, Akabueze with him every step of the way. He threw up a heavily contested three with about five seconds left, that barely hit the rim. The rebound was tipped out to Pluvia's shooting guard, who launched a shot himself- but the shot was tipped by Kizza Alanso. Tionge grabbed the tipped basketball out of the air and threw it down the court, watching the seconds tick down to zero. In incredible, stunning fashion, the Lions got a measure of revenge for their AOlympics lose to Pluvia. "Man- one HELL of a game." Coach Lavaga told reporters in his post-game press conference. "All respect to Pluvia. They're well coached and drilled, and I see why they got a silver three years ago. Games like this- it's why the fans tune in, right?"
AOBC Championship Game- ValanoraValanora won their first regional title at the AOlympics, defeating the previously mentioned Pluvia and the Saxean Isles the last time around to earn the crown of 'champions of Atlantian Oceania'. So defending regional champions against the defending world champions, in what was surely a hyped matchup at the Celestial Gardens in Canterlot. Both teams here with IBC caliber rosters, both placing a premium on winning this regional title. And the familiarity running deep- with Kizza Alanso, Koman Shomari, Ebrahima Faye, and Ezekiel Bullo all playing professionally in Valanora. That's four rotation players for Banija, three of them starters(all besides Shomari).
To get to this point, Banija finished the group stages at 5-0, following up the gut-wrenching one point victory over Pluvia with a defensive masterclass against Tropicorp, only allowing 56 points as the Lions coasted by 27 into the knockout stages. We blew out Mlima Kijani by 28 points in the quarterfinals, and battled with Baker Park in the semifinals. A ten point win even underscores how close this game actually was- it was a two point game with just two minutes to go. But in those last two minutes, we made plays to get buckets, and then hit our free throws at the end- while our defense clamped down and Baker Park's offense went completely cold. The 87-77 victory put Banija back into the AOBC Final, with a strident Valanora, who had just beaten the host nation, Equestria, and who also stood as the defending champions.
The first half saw a lot of Valanora's speed and quickness give them an early advantage against the Lions. They'd like to jump out- in front of passes, sprint into transition, and take advantage of their own quick passing ability to take early leads against the Lions. They kept us off balance for the majority of the first half, leading basically the whole time as we couldn't quite find our rhthym. They took a 45-40 lead into the half, although even that was somewhat misleading- Odion Ozoemena hit a halfcourt buzzer beater as time expired to end the first half, to make it just a five point game, when it should have been an 8 point game.
But the pressure's of a final are immense. It's all about those moments- who can step up in the biggest moments, when the game is on the line, to take over. And to start the third quarter, that moment came for the Banijans. IT came in the form of one of the best players in all of basketball- a man by the name of Ezekiel Bullo. A block by Tionge on the back end on the very first possesion of the third quarter led to an Ezekiel Bullo dunk, who slammed the ball home with ferocity. The next three offensive possesions by Banija were all about iso ball for their superstar. A fadeaway jumper that he hit on one possession, simply forcing his way to the basket against the much smaller Lars Berg for a contested lay-up, using his left hand to finish. He did the same thing on Banija's next possession, except this time he hit an and-1, as Ian Aadland was late sliding over to provide help. A 7-0 personal run to start the quarter by Bullo to give the Banijans a 47-45 lead.
But that run was not done. A steal by Akabueze had the Lions flying down the court on the next possesion, with the point guard finishing himself for a layup to make it 49-45. And after yet another miss by Valanora, a perfect three ball by Kizza Alanso capped off a 13-0 run to start the third quarter, forcing head coach August Andreasson to call a timeout. 52-45 to Banija at that point- and Valanora would never lead again. It's not like the game wouldn't get close- far from it. Valanora would keep pulling it close, but could never do quite enoguh to get a lead, as Banija was barely able to do enough to survive against this elite opposition. Bullo hit the dagger to make it a 5 point game in the closing seconds, the small forward finishing the championship game with 27 points.
And that's the story of Banija's run to becoming champions of Atlantian Oceania.
Other News- The Banijan basketball team improved to 6-0 at IBC 33, with a 98-65 road win over an unranked Hantuonia, as Banija's offense retained its sizzling hot form throughout these group stages. It is about as tight of a group as it gets behind Banija, with a trio of 3-3 teams sitting in places 2-4 in group play, and a 2-4 sitting in fifth. Coach Lavaga said he was 'pleased' with the team's offensive output. The team will play its third straight road game on Matchday 7, against Omerica. A victory away to the 2nd seeds of this group would see Banija likely clinch at least a berth in the knockout stages, the first step of many goals to achieve for this Lions squad.