Banija survives opening game of the IBCs as basketball's 'group of death' gets underway
A Banijan player prepares to in-bound the basketball against the backdrop of the Donnacona supporters section
BOTLEY, DONNACONA- That was certainly one hell of a basketball game. Going into the tournament, after the draw, there was an audible groan that could be heard from the Banijan basketball verse. Not because the opponents weren't exciting- in fact, it was quite the range of opponents that were drawn that ensured this would be an exciting group stage. Donnacona is probably the best unranked side at the tournament, and we have them? We're playing Equestria twice, who we seem to be barely able to beat in anything? What about Delaclava as another unranked side, one of the highest-ceiling unranked sides here? We probably have the two unranked teams with the highest ceilings both in our groups. Equestria has one of the multiverse's best basketball leagues, and, of course, that also means we have to play against Valladares as well. And Southwest Eastnorth(which is a long way of just saying Center, I guess?) rounds off the group.
This won't be a walk in the park for the Lions. No- it's going to be a brutal slog to get to the knockout stages. It's always tough in this sport. Six teams in the group, just two to enter the knockout stages. Thank the heavens we're Pot 1, I guess, but if we want to accomplish our goals, it's going to have to be earned. Isaiah Lavaga spoke about that himself. "We've never been shy about what we want to do- if you want to be the best, you have to beat the best, and we'll play whoever they tell us to play. Undoubtedly this is the tournament's group of death- there can be no denying that. Some people might say that's a handicap. Of course, that means there are no guarantees about even getting to Equestria- outside of Matchday 10, I guess. It's a tough group with an unforgiving format- six come in, only two move on.
But the teams who do move on, out of this group and into Equestria, will be some of the best prepared for a deep run there. They'll have certainly been battle-tested. They'll have played a number of close games, they'll have played high-quality opponents. They'll have experienced a lot of the ups and downs that can come in a long group stage- better preparing them for the brutal nature of single-elimination tournament basketball. Everyone here knows our goals. That's the benefit of being in a group like this. The risk, of course, is obvious- much better chance we're watching the knockout stages from the comforts of your couch. Do I have a preference? It doesn't really matter what my preference of group is, since I don't pick them. This is the group we have, and we're going to make the best of it. Our goals do not change- just the path to get there will be that much harder."
Let's dive right into this game. It was a tight one in front of the rocking venue of Hudbank Arena. There was a lot of energy, as the basketball crazed nation was ready for their first foray, as Donnacona, into the International Basketball Championships. Amadou Secka got a big, warm cheer from what is normally his own home crowd. And now, right basketball. Donnacona got the better of Banija for basically the entirety of the first half. They jetted out to a 7-0 lead, with a pair of buckets followed by a three point play from Luka Kjaer. Kjaer did basically whatever he wanted for large parts of the game- Saihou Uster couldn't do much of anything to slow down the man who Donnacona ran the offense through. The home team led for the entire first half, keeping the Lions at bay. They took a 46-40 lead into halftime, with their fans thinking upset.
A 46-40 lead at the half, in favor of the home side. And they continued to build on their advantage in the third quarter. With about 5 minutes left in the quarter, after Kjaer hit his first three pointer of the game, the Banijans were forced to call timeout. Down 54-45, with this loud, raucous building really getting into the game, this one was starting to slip away from the Banijans. Nobody wanted to start 0-1 and put themselves into an early hole. The Banijans came out of the timeout with a small ball lineup. Akabueze at the 1. Secka at the 2. Uster playing small forward, Ezekiel Bullo playing power forward, and Nabongo at center.
Not a lineup you can run out there forever- but sometimes, going small situationally can provide your team a spark. And boy, did Lavaga's move pay off. They came out absolutely blistering. On that first possesion, Akabueze found Secka slicing towards the rim, who was able to finished a contested lay-in with all those defenders around him. Coming down the floor, a lazy pass from the Donnacona point guard was stolen by Saihou Uster. He raced down the floor, in a 2 on 1 with Akabueze, and he fed the ball to the young point guard for the easy lay-in. 54-49. The next possession suffocated the Donnacona players, ensuring that they'd end up jacking up a contested three at the end of the shot clock. The long rebound went to Ezekiel Bullo. ON the other end, Amadou Secka ran a pick & roll with Nabongo, who rolled down to the rim. He found him with the brilliant bounce pass, and then Nabongo both finished at the rim and was fouled. One made free throw later, and it was just a two point game.
But the Banijans were not done. After another brick from the Donnaconna offense, they were coming down the floor once again. Nabongo came up to the free throw line, and got the basketball. As the defense closed on him, he quickly turned and flung the ball out to Saihou Uster, whose man had drifted away from him towards Nabongo. The star defender rose and nailed a three pointer. For the first time all game, the Banijans had a lead, up by one, 55-54. And yet, they were not done, even there. The following possesion saw Amadou Secka get to the rim, once again, and this time got fouled.
A second three point play, as he swished his free throw, and the Donnacona coach was forced to call a timeout. A 13-0 run to turn a 9 point deficit into a 4 point lead. The two teams were extremely close the rest of the game- neither team would lead by more than 5 after that run. The Banijans took the lead for good at the 7 minute mark in the fourth quarter. And even as the game winded down, it came down to clutch plays from their veterans to seal this win. 20 seconds left in the game, up 78-77, shot clock winding down- and there is Labanzi Nabongo, hitting a fadeaway to make it 80-77. There was Wassa Itraba, stepping up for a lockdown defensive possession against Luka Kjaer, as Uster had been dominated by his opponent all game. There was Bartaba, getting the rebound with 6 seconds left, and quickly getting the ball to Mr. Automatic from the free throw line, Amadou Secka.
And then,with 5 seconds left, Secka, ice running through his veins, draining both free throws. And that was the final score- 82-77. A tough, hard-earned opening victory of the International Basketball Championships for the Lions. Secka said he was happy with it. "Oo, what an environment we just played in!" He said. "But a good win for us. We weren't at our best, for sure- Donnacona had us figured out for large stretches. But when it mattered most, we stepped up, we did what we had to do. All wins look the same in the table- we're 1-0. I'm excited to get back to Busukuma for our home opener after this. What a fun one that will be!" We'll see how the Lions fare when they take on Southwest Eastnorth at the Kabaka's Court in Round 2.
