BC Nokia won the first final of Korisliiga against the pre-favorite Seagulls.
20:42•Updated 21:12
First-timer BC Nokia in the Korisliiga finals surprised Helsinki Seagulls, who entered the final series as favorites, in the first final match at Töölö Kisahalli. The people of Nokia won with 69–63 points.
Nokia effectively stopped the defending Champions’ passing game, especially in the first three quarters. At the end, the Seagulls turned up the heat, but it fell short.
The Seagulls were expected to come out strong on their home field, but it turned out differently. Nokia led at the beginning 9–2 and after the first period 16–12.
In the second quarter, Nokia led 28–18 at its best. The Seagulls already came within two points, but Niko Mattilan a last minute three gave Nokia a 33–28 lead at the break.
In the decisive semi-final, he sunk five of the threes in the first ten Lake Okko scored only two points in the entire first half.
After the third quarter, the difference was already 16 points at 55–39, and right at the beginning of the final quarter, the difference was 18 points. A little later Nokian Tucker Richardson and Both Gach made a great alley-oop that made it 63–47.
After that, however, the Seagulls gained momentum. Järvik also succeeded in a couple of threes and the difference narrowed to five points. The Nokians kept a cool head and went for the opening win.
– This was certainly a surprise to everyone, but we were known. The key was on the defensive end, we tried to make it as difficult as possible for them to throw, Nokian Fiifi Aidoo said.
From Nokia, Both Gach scored 20 points. Patrick Tapé and Niko Mattila both scored 10 points. The Seagulls’ top scorer was Chuba Ohms with 15 points.
– We had a really bad start. They got our game mixed up. In the last episode, we got a bit of a plot twist on how to attack their defense, the Seagulls Lassi Nikkarinen told.
The finals continue on Friday in the much-discussed Harjuniity Liikuntahalli, where Nokia finally got permission to play, although it cannot accommodate the 1,200 spectators required for the finals. Four wins are required for the championship.