As the players made their way out onto the court, we could see the tension forming on Head Coach Mark Elderkin’s face. After an incredible season with only two losses, the Newcastle team went into the final confident of winning.
As the ball tipped off, Loughborough won the first possession, but even from that first moment, Newcastle fought for the ball at every chance they got. Newcastle’s Robert Reed opened the scoreboard with the first 3 of the night, earning cheers from the bench.
With Loughborough playing at home, the atmosphere felt hostile towards the away team, but as the first quarter was coming to an end, the Newcastle fans became louder and louder, which made the players feel more supported.
After many rebounds and faults, the first quarter finished with a steal from Sam Trunley that JaRon Thames converted into the first dunk of the night, amongst cheers and screams from his teammates. Newcastle was up 23-15, but nobody knew what this game would take us.
Newcastle was up 23-15, but nobody knew what this game would take us.
With almost a 10-point lead, Newcastle took possession for the first time in the second quarter with Finn Cork scoring the first bucket of the quarter. 12-point lead. This was the moment where everything could change. Loughborough were feeling threatened by Newcastle’s defence and couldn’t seem to find the rhythm of the game.
These two teams know each other very well. They’ve already played twice during the BUCS regular season, in which the purple side came out on top both times, so this was time for revenge.
With 5-minutes to go until half-time, Loughborough called a time-out after two free shots given to Bradley Dean, who put them in without any problems. Newcastle found themselves very comfortable with a 12-point lead before this time out, whilst Loughborough were struggling to find their shots and communicate with each other.
Sixteen seconds before the half-time whistle, JaRon Thames committed an offensive foul, giving Loughborough the last possession for the quarter. But despite the home team's efforts, Newcastle was up by 7 points.
It was all here for play in the second half. Newcastle’s pressure on Loughborough made the home team crumble under pressure during the first half, but the halftime break helped them to regain some control of the game.
The third quarter started with the 5th personal foul against Newcastle, which Loughborough’s 21 failed to convert, giving Newcastle a break from the home team’s offence. Four minutes into the quarter, and it was the first time Loughborough were on top of the visiting team (45-44). They were slowly getting back into the match, and that meant that problems started to show up on the Newcastle side.
They were slowly getting back into the match, and that meant that problems started to show up on the Newcastle side.
Too many shots went wide, and too many fouls were committed. Newcastle’s bench was getting more tense as the minutes passed, and that caused Newcastle’s head coach to call the first time out of the game for their side. After this break, the side in white began making shots, with Trunley and Dean scoring back-to-back triples, putting Newcastle back on top to finish the third quarter.
One more quarter, and they could take the trophy home. One more quarter, and they could end the drought. But if there’s something we know about Loughborough, it's that they don’t go down without a fight. And that’s what they did, fight. Unfortunately, Loughborough’s number 9 went down with an injury and couldn’t continue the game. And that was the deciding factor of the final.
Two minutes to go in the quarter, and the score was very close. Just one point between a victory and a loss. After a 3-pointer by Loughborough’s Victor Ndoukou, the match went crazy. Each team wanted the win, and you could see the efforts in every play. 78-76, and Newcastle’s Cam Scheinfield scored the two-pointer that gave them hope.
With 35 seconds left on the clock, Sam Trunley did the unexpected. Half a turn to find the space and put in an incredible two-point basket that equalled the score. 78-78 and Loughborough had the last possession of the game. We were going to overtime (OT).
Newcastle took the first lead in overtime. 80-78. This was a crucial statement. Lose the flow of the game? You’re getting stepped on by your rivals. Scoring points and getting rebounds? You’re winning the gold medal.
With two and a half minutes left, Newcastle were leading by 3 points. Everyone in that sports hall went through every emotion in those 5 minutes. It was incredible to see how much each team wanted the win. They fought every point and hustled for the ball even if it was out of bounds.
After a questionable travel call by the line referee, Loughborough got possession again but failed to convert a three-pointer. 84-84 and Newcastle got the ball again. This time, Sam Trunley showed why he’s one of the best shooters on the team. He scored a brilliant three-pointer in response to Loughborough’s offence and put Newcastle up by 3 again.
The last minute of the OT was just a contest on who had the guts to score more 3-pointers. It was brilliant to witness it live. The crowd was deafening. Cheering for every point like it was the end of the world. Time-out called by Newcastle after Loughborough equalled the score again, and everyone knew that this was going to a second OT.
Time-out called by Newcastle after Loughborough equalled the score again, and everyone knew that this was going to a second OT.
This is what we expected coming into this game. A good fight. Two of the best university teams in the country are fighting for glory. The key to winning was to play good defence and avoid committing any fouls, but Loughborough did the exact opposite.
They looked like a completely different team than what we’d seen during the rest of the game. Disorganised and lacking communication. And Newcastle used that to their advantage. They went up by two during the first seconds of the second overtime and kept going up as the time went by.
39 seconds left on the game, and JaRon Thames somehow found a space between three Loughborough players. 99-95. This was it, the deciding factor. Whoever had the greatest hope was the one who was going to take it home.
Three seconds left. 101-99. Three points were separating Newcastle from the gold. A personal foul against Sam Trunley could give Newcastle the win. First free shot goes in, and so does the second. He turns and celebrates. 103-99. He knows they’ve won.
He knows they’ve won.
Full-time whistle goes off, and hell breaks loose. Newcastle University are the National champions. They’ve broken the streak that Loughborough has had for the last 7 years. And what a way to end it than with two overtimes.
JaRon Thames was the match MVP, and with 28 points, 12 rebounds, and 6 assists, there was nobody who could stop him. Not too far from him were Sam Trunley with 25 points and Bradley Dean with 20 points.
This statement has put Newcastle back on the radar as the best team in university sport. Speaking to assistant coach Naz Abu-Ramadan, he said that ‘the moment we went to overtime, I knew we were going to win this.’ This shows how much faith he puts into his players, and that’s what helped them take the title home.
Mark Elderkin confessed that there were ‘six or seven moments where it looked like it had slipped away and we just refused to quit’. According to him, it was a deserved double overtime since both teams put on a good fight from the beginning.
I can only say that the castle has been defended for another year.