Tuesday 14th January saw the Inters basketball team take on Castle Rushen High School in the final. The lads had been looking forward to this match for some time now and were all very eager to take the shield home.
The first quarter saw a good start, with both teams demonstrating desire and ambition to set the tone for the game. It was Castle Rushen who found their rhythm first to end the quarter ahead. The second quarter saw both demonstrate great skill, ability and knowledge of the game with fast transitions of play, strong drives to the basket and the use of multiple set plays to try gain the advantage. Castle Rushen, however, managed to stretch their lead out by 6 baskets. The 3rd quarter was where it really got interesting. Ballakermeen began to find a strong rhythm and battled back to bring the score within 3 points. Both teams, the benches and the coaches were very tense within this stage as both teams struggled to convert many points due to strong defense on both sides. The 4th quarter was all to play for. Both teams set out strong, driving hard to the basket and scoring points for their sides. However, there can only be one winner, and unfortunately Ballakermeen had to settle as runners up. The final score 49-44 to Castle Rushen.
Both teams demonstrated some excellent basketball, and this game could have easily gone either way, it truly was thrilling to watch. A very special mention to James A, who was selected by the officials as player of the match and received a t-shirt sponsored by NBC basketball camps UK. Thanks to both teams, the officials and the supporters who came to watch the game.