Bears celebrate as they claim silver in National Play-offs

Published: 09:44, 07 June 2016

Warwickshire Bears are presented with their silver medal.

WARWICKSHIRE Bears Basketball Club are celebrating after claiming a silver medal in the National Play-offs last weekend.

The Bears beat Vikings WBC 59-57 in a nail-biting Division Two semi-final before they were edged out 60-57 by Swindon Shock in the final.

“We’ve been involved in two amazing games with both being won in the last seconds of the game,” said coach Tom Masterson.

“I’m immensely proud of our team and their achievements this year. All our teams have been brilliant this season.”

The semi-final saw the game poised at 55-55 with just 32 seconds left to go. Both teams showed great composure as the clock ticked down, but a buzzer beater by the Bears earned them a dramatic win.

Ben Haigh (24), Dan Gill (18) and Derek Hall (12) all reached double figures.

In the final, with the score at 60-57, a late three-point effort from the Bears hit the ring and Swindon ran down the clock to claim the gold medal.

Gill and Haigh led the scoring once more with 24 and 19 points, respectively.