BC Nokia, who entered the men’s Korisliiga finals as the underdog, already leads the final match series 2–0.
BC Nokia kept the Helsinki Seagulls, who won the Korisliiga regular season for the second time in a row, under control, especially on the defensive end, and already took a 2–0 lead in the finals on Friday after defeating the visitors at Harjuniity school 85–60 (38–31).
Patrick Tapé and Both Gach were the most efficient with 19 points. Great credit for the win also belongs, for example Antti Ahonen. He replaced Gachi, who already had two fouls in the third minute, and soon sunk two threes, raising the mood in the atmospheric hall.
– We don’t have a culture of winning in the team, but it doesn’t show. We played harder than the opponent again. We encouraged each other, we were selfless, we talked a lot among ourselves about what to do, Ahonen summarized.
The second quarter of BC Nokia was difficult, and the Seagulls tied the game 31-31. The hero of the semi-finals Lake Okko regretted the weak offensive game.
– We would have been leading at the break even a little better. But then the third quarter was weak, I don’t understand what happened there. Otherwise, we were too slow in the attacking game. Especially that side needs to be fixed on Sunday, Järvi said.
“They made it easy for us to play”
Seagulls center Chuba Ohms was not able to play as a football player, and the visitors’ basket game remained muted. In second place, Seagulls got only 18 points, Nokia’s corresponding figure was 42.
Gach, who scored only five points in the opening half, became the hero of the third quarter. Also captain of BC Nokia Niko Mattila shone. After half an hour of play, the score was already 65–42.
– The guy somehow stuck his head in a bush in the quarter. They made it easy for us to play. Antti played good minutes again, and the bench helped anyway, Mattila summed up.
Seagulls Järvi shines faith in the future.
– By winning the remaining three home games and once here, we are champions. Nokia defended intensively and hard again, we have to find remedies for that. Get the ball moving faster, Järvi said.