The Salt Lake City Stars were crowned 2025 Winter Showcase Champions following a dominant 137-112 victory over Raptors 905 on Monday night, handing the previously unbeaten Raptors their first loss of the season. The title marks the second Winter Showcase championship in franchise history, with the first coming during the inaugural tournament in 2019. Raptors 905 opened the game quickly, building a nine-point lead in the first four minutes. Salt Lake City responded with a nine-point run of its own, and an Oscar Tshiebwe (6'8''-F-1999, college: Kentucky) layup tied the game at 17-17 with 6:22 remaining in the first quarter. The Stars seized control from there, never relinquishing the lead and stretching the advantage to as many as 16 before taking a 44-28 lead into halftime. The Stars' offensive surge continued after the break. A Justin Harmon (6'4''-G-2001, college: Illinois) layup at the 7:44 mark of the fourth quarter pushed Salt Lake City's lead to a game-high 28 points, sealing the championship win. Second-year guard Max Abmas (6'0''-PG-2001, college: Texas) led the Stars with a team-high 29 points (9-16 FGM, 6-10 3PM) and four assists. His performance earned him 2025 Winter Showcase Championship MVP honors. Seven Stars finished in double figures, with three surpassing 20 points. From the starting lineup, Elijah Harkless (6'4''-G-2000, college: UNLV) scored 25 points, while Mohamed Bamba (7'0''-C-1998, college: Texas) added 17, Justin Harmon had 11 and John Tonje (6'6''-G-2001, college: Wisconsin) finished with 10. The bench provided a major spark, led by Abmas (29), followed by Sean East II (21) and Matthew Murrell (6'4''-G-2001, college: Ole Miss) (17). Raptors 905 were led by Alijah Martin (6'2''-G-2001, college: Florida), who scored 33 points, while A.J. Lawson (6'6''-SG-2000, college: S.Carolina) added 18. The Stars return to Salt Lake City as Winter Showcase champions and will enjoy an extended break before resuming regular-season play. Salt Lake City returns to action Wednesday, Dec. 31, at 6 p.m. MT against the Memphis Hustle at the Maverik Center in West Valley City, Utah.
Courtesy of: oursportscentral.com