Again an incomprehensible thriller! Karhu Basket extended the Korisliiga decision

Helsinki’s Seagulls and Karhu Basket served basketball lovers a real treat at Kauhajoki. At the same time, the men’s Korisliiga championship streak stretched to the sixth game.

The reigning champion of the Men’s Basketball League, Karhu Basket, showed in front of its home crowd that it does not sell its leather cheaply. It rose in the last quarter to fight for victory against the Seagulls from Helsinki and decided the game in the first overtime.

Karhu Basket’s winning numbers were 79–76. The actual game time ended 71–71 (35–29). Karhu Basket narrowed the match wins to 2–3, when four wins are needed for the championship. The championship is on hiatus for the Seagulls, who are hunting for the first championship in their club history, next time next Tuesday in their home hall.

In the fifth final, the beginning of the match was tentative and, to the delight of the home crowd, Karhu Basket was the more active party. It was able to finish the points with better power and led after the first quarter by five points. In the second quarter, the Seagulls rose Okko Järven took the lead and Karhu Basket became passive on the offensive end. The people of Helsinki took it clearly 23–12.

Henri Kantonen brought Karhu Basket within three points of the visitors at the beginning of the third period. The people of Helsinki were knocking By Jeffrey Carroll leading points at a steady pace, but Cameron Jones and Kantonen kept the home team’s will to fight.

The Seagulls went into the last quarter with a five-point lead, but just like in the previous final match, Karhu Basket tightly chased this lead. Neither team agreed to give up a single cent, but fought for every ball until the end.

Kantonen, his team’s best scorer, who finished with 20 points, brought the home team to 65-65 when there were three minutes left in the game and the rest of the time progressed at an even pace. In the end, the solution had to be sought in overtime.

In overtime, Karhu Basket turned the game around in the first minutes, when the Seagulls’ throws mostly hit the irons. Lassi to Nikkarinen was offered a last-second chance to pull the Seagulls level, but his three-point shot missed.