The 2015 CBA Championship game was set up perfectly. The battle of opposites; pitted against each other to determine the best team in the league this season. Bowling Green: The offensive juggernaut, consisting of former NCAA and NAIA Division-I players, from various parts of Kentucky and Tennessee, known for its high-tempo style of play, which helped them lead the league in scoring for a third consecutive season this year. Fort Wayne: The defensive machine, consisting of rugged, blue-collared players from Northern Indiana, known for their structured, disciplined defensive play, and causing the best of teams to get flustered and be thrown off their game plan through their league-best defensive squad. And the hyped matchup lived up to its billing, as the two teams battled until the final horn sounded. Early in the game, both teams struggled shooting from the floor, coupled with strong defensive performances by each squad, leading to a low-scoring 22-18 lead for Bowling Green at the end of one. Bowling Green, though, slowly found a way to extend the lead over the next two and a half periods, through dominant performances by Teraes Clemmons (6'6''-G/F-91) (21 points) and Kalen Kimberland (6'0''-PG-90, college: Lindsey Wilson) (20 points), as they led most of the third quarter by double-digits, with their greatest lead of 13 points midway through the fourth quarter. But at that halfway juncture of the final period, the momentum changed when Bowling Green's Damarius Smith (6'4''-F-91), who had been guarding Fort Wayne's Antonio Cannon (5'11''-PG-92, college: Indiana Tech) all game and limited him to only six points up until that point, was injured on an awkward fall on his ankle. While Smith was tended to by the medical staff on the sideline, Cannon took over and scored 16 points in four minutes, to not only erase the double-digit deficit, but also give Fort Wayne the lead with less than two minutes to go in the game. After both teams exchanged several baskets and the lead, it came down to the final possession, with the game tied at 95-95. Bowling Green's DeAntra Scott (6'4''-F-90, college: Lindsey Wilson) (23 points), leading the ball in to the front court with less than five seconds remaining, dribbled past Fort Wayne's Antonio Wilson, and hit a pull-up jumper milliseconds before the buzzer sounded, to not only stun the pro-Fort Wayne crowd, but give Bowling Green their first ever championship trophy, as they emerged victorious 97-95. Bowling Green, led by head coach, Nathan Thompson, joins Middle Tennessee (2014) and St. Louis (2013) as league champions in the three-year history of the CBA. The Hornets finished the season 8-3, including going 3-0 in the post-season. The Flite, who lost their first ever game at the McMillen Center (6-1), finished the season with a 7-5 record, including going 2-1 in the post-season. Bowling Green will look to defend the title next year during the 2016 CBA season, set to begin in March 2016, while Fort Wayne will look to avenge the heart-breaking defeat and earn their first ever title one year from now.
Courtesy of: playcba.com
|
whIBpsIj
