It was another great day of basketball at the Jr.NBA Manchester Finals as the best of the Girls from the North West gathered at the National Basketball Performance Centre to go head-to-head. With the teams excited and ready to go, the day got underway with the Eastern and Western Finals where the teams battled it out for a chance to get their hands on some Jr.NBA Finals silverware!
In the Eastern Final, Saddleworth School (Chicago Bulls) faced Trinity CE (Miami Heat) in a fast-paced Finals match-up. The Bulls got off to a strong start, jumping out to a 4-0 lead but the Heat fought back in the second to go into half time up 10-4. Despite the Bulls pushing the offensive pressure in the second half, the Heat didn’t fold, keeping their composure and extending their lead to win the game 19-8 and booking their place in the Jr.NBA Finals this afternoon.
In the Western Final it was another successful day for the San Antonio Spurs in Manchester, as Rainford High (San Antonio Spurs) defeated Prenton High School (Oklahoma City Thunder) 19-7 to advance to the Jr.NBA Finals. Spurs went down early in the first, but dug deep to gain momentum and the lead by the end of the quarter. In the second half, Spurs locked down defensively to ensure their lead was maintained as they continued to extend their advantage through to the final buzzer
J R. N B A 🏆
— Basketball England (@bballengland) May 1, 2019
What a game! @Rainford_High (San Antonio Spurs) defeat @prentonhigh (Oklahoma City Thunder) 19-7 in the Western Finals to advance to @jrnba Finals! Spurs playing some impressive basketball 👏
View gallery HERE 📸 https://t.co/Bs3M0PNqnM#TogetherWeAreBasketbALL pic.twitter.com/xfNKbK5akP
Our midday Shooting Competition broke up the Finals action with the best shooters from each team going for glory. It would be Trinity CE’s (Miami Heat's) Dominique Feurtado, who would come away with the Shooting title for her school with an impressive 36 points.
After lunch, the 3rd/4th Place Playoff game got underway between the Chicago Bulls (Saddleworth School) and the Oklahoma City Thunder (Prenton High School). Despite both teams giving their all and battling hard for a chance to get 3rd place, the game seemed to be a pretty one-sided affair, as the Bulls got out to an large lead early on that the Thunder struggled to recover from. Much to their adulation, the Thunder made some big plays late in the final minutes of the final quarter but the Bulls continued to push the lead, eventually finishing with a 30-4 victory and a Jr.NBA bronze medal.
J R. N B A 🏆
— Basketball England (@bballengland) May 1, 2019
We have a winner! @SaddleworthSch (Chicago Bulls) defeat @prentonhigh (Oklahoma City Thunder) in style to win third place at the @jrnba North West Girls Finals! 🙌🥉
View gallery HERE 📸 https://t.co/Bs3M0PNqnM#TogetherWeAreBasketbALL pic.twitter.com/HGzIoBYzdw
In the penultimate game of the day, the San Antonio Spurs (Rainford High) faced Trinity CE (Miami Heat) in the North West Girls Jr.NBA Finals. The excitement might have been too much, as both teams struggled to convert in the first half with only one basket being scored by each team in the 1st quarter. The score remained the same for most of the first half until the Miami Heat eventually took a 1 point lead heading inot halftime. The Heat then found their scoring rhythm in the third, extending their lead to 7 points going into the final quarter. However, Spurs never gave up and fought hard to the final seconds, but it was too little too late as the Heat kept the pressure on the offensive end to win out the game 15-6 and become the North West Girls Jr.NBA Finals Champions.
Today's North West Girls Conference Finals concluded the Jr. NBA Manchester Finals. Tomorrow the Yorkshire Co-Ed Finals will take place in Leeds. For selection of images from today's action in Manchester, please use the button below.
