MBL Playoff Recap
Talk about March Madness! This years playoffs were something to remember. Emotions from the players, to the coaches, to the fans were sky high. It was filled with clutch shots, celebrations, tears for some, and even a couple scuffles. Safe to say that the championship meant a lot to everyone. The semi-finals alone had a finals feel to it. Especially the Pagé-Sun Youth midget AAA game. Pagé had to defend their home court infront of their loyal fans, while the Hornets side embraced being the underdog. You could tell is was going to come down to the last few shots. Fast forward to OT and the unthinkable happened. With a few seconds left, Pagé needed a 3 to send the game to 2OT. They made an amazing shot from the left corner 3 and just as they and crowd start celebrating, Pagé gets called for a technical foul. That means the Hornets get a free throw and possession. With a few tenths of a second left, a comeback just wasn't possible, and Sun Youth were off to the finals in a 100-99 win. Some were in tears, many were furious, most were confused, or a mix of all of the above. It's was certainly an emotional ending to the game.
In the other Midget AAA semi-final game, Parc Ex had their way against the Brookwood squad in an 85-60 blowout win. Their guard play was the catalyst in this one with a barrage of 3's, putting everyone in the right places, and controlling the tempo of the game.
The Juvenile AAA semis were just as heated. The ending to the Pagé-Lasalle was insane. In the last few seconds of the 4th quarter, Pagé had an 84-82 lead after a trip to the line where Bhatti hit the 1st one. Mind you there is only 0.02 seconds left on the clock. #21 tried to hit the ball on the rim on the last free throw to waste the final 2 tenths of second left, but it only hit the backboard. This would give Lasalle the possession and one last chance to tie the game on the other side of the floor. They ran a perfect inbounds alley-oop play where Ho-Sang found himself alone at the rim. He caught the lob and layed it in, but the refs said the clock ran out before the ball left his hands. The Leaders were in despair as they quickly celebrated until they realized they had actually lost and Pagé just went crazy after realizing that they were off to the finals.
Then the following day we were off to the finals. This Midget AAA game between Parc Ex and Sun Youth was once again filled with emotions. Parc Ex were controlling the game in the 2nd half. They were crashing the boards which would initiate the offence and they were drilling three’s. They were just as good on the other end not, giving the Hornets the looks they wanted. Everything was going their way until scary scene occurred. On a three point shot, #1 fell right on his left shoulder and dislocated it. The fans and obviously the players were in shock. The game was delayed as the medical staff wrapped up his shoulder and did their best to treat it. Unfortunately, you could see that his guard presence was missed. Parc Ex turned the ball over a lot which led to easy fastbreak points for Sun Youth. The Hornets hit a couple shots behind the arc, got a good lead, and Parc Ex couldn’t mount a comeback. Thus crowning Sun Youth as the 2018 Midget AAA champions.
The Juvenile game was just as jam packed. The stage was set for the home team, Pagé versus the Longueuil Tornades. This was a fast paced game from the jump. Pagé found a lot of seems inside for easy buckets and when Longueuil closed down the paint, they were hitting their long distance shots. The basket just looked like an ocean for them and they had a comfortable 37-21 lead at halftime. The Tornades turned it around though and had their feet moving on defence putting pressure on Pagé. They were equally active on offence and managed to make a very tight game at the end of the game. This one came down to a few free throws. It was 76-74 for Pagé with 6 seconds left in the 4th following both teams trading baskets in the last 2 minutes. #4 for the tornades found himself at the line, but blew both free throws which would’ve tied the game. Pagé defended their home court and were crowned the 2018 Juvy AAA champs.
It was a great weekend and the MBL put on a great tournament. It was a constant rollercoaster of emotions for everyone involved. Here’s to next years playoffs! Congratulations to everyone!