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Calgary, Scarborough square off in Sunday’s CEBL championship final

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Scarborough Shooting Stars’ Kalif Young, right, protects the ball against Niagara River Lions’ A.J. Davis during the Canadian Elite Basketball League Eastern Conference final in Langley, B.C. in this Friday, Aug. 11, 2023 handout photo. (CP/HO-Canadian Elite Basketball League)

LANGLEY, B.C. — As the final buzzer sounded and the Scarborough Shooting Stars claimed the Canadian Elite Basketball League championship, their MVP said his mind went blank with shock.

Isiaha Mike helped Scarborough secure the title, tallying 22 points and nine rebounds as the Shooting Stars avenged last year’s final loss to beat the Calgary Surge 82-70 on Sunday night at the Langley Events Centre.

“I have no idea (what went through my mind), I was just happy. It was kind of surreal and I’m trying to experience every second of this while it lasts,” Mike said after the game.

Scarborough went 29-for-68 from the field in the win as Cat Barber chipped in with 23 points.

“He’s an exceptional talent and he’s done great things for us all year-round. He’s a gamer,” said Scarborough coach Chris Exilus about Barber. “But there are so many people connected with this win. That’s what makes it so special.”

Jordy Tshimanga led the Surge with 15 points and 15 rebounds.

The Shooting Stars, who never held the lead in the first quarter, grabbed it early in the second and never gave it up.

The Shooting Stars finished the CEBL’s regular season with an 11-9 record, good enough for third in the East. They advanced to Sunday’s showdown with a 74-71 win on Friday over the league’s top-ranked Niagara River Lions in the Eastern Conference final.

Last season’s 90-88 loss to the Brampton Honey Badgers fuelled Scarborough throughout the season, both Mike and Exilus said.

“It means everything. To lose last year was heartbreaking but I’m not even worried right now,” said Mike.

The Shooting Stars’ championship run was bolstered by a stingy defence that did not allow more than 74 points to an opponent in the playoffs.

“We really executed our planning (on defence.) This team really understood that’s how we were going to play. Defence wins championships,” said Exilus.

The ability to bounce back from last season’s loss highlights the team’s resiliency, Exilus added.

The Surge topped the West with a 12-8 regular-season record, but went 27-for-71 from the field in the final, with Tshimanga bagging 10 points in the first quarter but then only adding five throughout the rest of the game.

“Scarborough did a great job defensively,” said Surge head coach Nelson Terroba. “They’re just a good team and well-coached. Our guys fought and I wouldn’t take another group in any other league or any other place than our guys.”

The Guelph Knighthawks, who relocated to Calgary in August 2022 to become the Surge, have had a superb season playing in Alberta. Terroba said the loss doesn’t take away from how his team has developed over the course of a season.

“Everyone has their own way of recovering and grieving,” he said. “For us, we wanted to win. We’re all disappointed. There’s no way around it. But there’s also truth in that this has been an impressive season for these young players.

“They can have pride in what they accomplished and they can accept there’s more work to do for what they want in terms of their next goals.”

The game ended on the “Elam Ending” rule where the game clock is stopped with four minutes or less in the fourth quarter. Timed play ends and a target score is set, equal to the leading team’s score plus nine. The target score for the championship game was set at 81.

The rule is named after American academic Nick Elam.

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PWHL MVP Spooner set to miss start of season for Toronto Sceptres due to knee injury

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TORONTO – Reigning PWHL MVP and scoring champ Natalie Spooner will miss the start of the regular season for the Toronto Sceptres, general manager Gina Kingsbury announced Tuesday on the first day of training camp.

The 33-year-old Spooner had knee surgery on her left anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) after she was checked into the boards by Minnesota’s Grace Zumwinkle in Game 3 of their best-of-five semifinal series on May 13.

She had a goal and an assist in three playoff games but did not finish the series. Toronto was up 2-1 in the semifinal at that time and eventually fell 3-2 in the series.

Spooner led the PWHL with 27 points in 24 games. Her 20 goals, including five game-winners, were nine more than the closest skater.

Kingsbury said there is no timeline, as the team wants the Toronto native at 100 per cent, but added that “she is doing really well” in her recovery.

The Sceptres open the PWHL season on Nov. 30 when they host the Boston Fleet.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 12, 2024.

The Canadian Press. All rights reserved.

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Champions Trophy host Pakistan says it’s not been told India wants to play cricket games elsewhere

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LAHORE, Pakistan (AP) — A top official of the Pakistan Cricket Board declined Friday to confirm media reports that India has decided against playing any games in host Pakistan during next year’s Champions Trophy.

“My view is if there’s any problems, they (India) should tell us in writing,” PCB chairman Mohsin Naqvi told reporters in Lahore. “I’ll share that with the media as well as with the government as soon as I get such a letter.”

Indian media reported Friday that the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has communicated its concerns to all the Champions Trophy stakeholders, including the PCB, over the Feb. 19-March 9 tournament and would not play in arch-rival Pakistan.

The Times of India said that “Dubai is a strong candidate to host the fixtures involving the Men in Blue” for the 50-over tournament.

Such a solution would see Pakistan having to travel to a neutral venue to play India in a group match, with another potential meeting later in the tournament if both teams advanced from their group. The final is scheduled for March 9 in Pakistan with the specific venue not yet decided.

“Our stance is clear,” Naqvi said. “They need to give us in writing any objections they may have. Until now, no discussion of the hybrid model has happened, nor are we prepared to accept one.”

Pakistan hosted last year’s Asia Cup but all India games were played in Sri Lanka under a hybrid model for the tournament. Only months later Pakistan did travel to India for the 50-over World Cup.

Political tensions have stopped bilateral cricket between the two nations since 2008 and they have competed in only multi-nation tournaments, including ICC World Cups.

“Cricket should be free of politics,” Naqvi said. “Any sport should not be entangled with politics. Our preparations for the Champions Trophy will continue unabated, and this will be a successful event.”

The PCB has already spent millions of dollars on the upgrade of stadiums in Karachi, Lahore and Rawalpindi which are due to host 15 Champions Trophy games. Naqvi hoped all the three stadiums will be ready over the next two months.

“Almost every country wants the Champions Trophy to be played here (in Pakistan),” Naqvi said. “I don’t think anyone should make this a political matter, and I don’t expect they will. I expect the tournament will be held at the home of the official hosts.”

Eight countries – Pakistan, India, Bangladesh, England, Australia, South Africa, New Zealand and Afghanistan – are due to compete in the tournament, the schedule of which is yet to be announced by the International Cricket Council.

“Normally the ICC announces the schedule of any major tournament 100 days before the event, and I hope they will announce it very soon,” Naqvi said.

___

AP cricket:

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Dabrowski, Routlife into WTA doubles final with win over Melichar-Martinez, Perez

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RIYADH, Saudi Arabia – Ottawa‘s Gabriela Dabrowski and Erin Routliffe of New Zealand are through to the doubles final at the WTA Finals after a 7-6 (7), 6-1 victory over Nicole Melichar-Martinez of the United States and Australia’s Ellen Perez in semifinal action Friday.

Dabrowski and Routliffe won a hard-fought first set against serve when Routliffe’s quick reaction at the net to defend a Perez shot gave the duo set point, causing Perez to throw down her racket in frustration.

The second seeds then cruised through the second set, winning match point on serve when Melichar-Martinez couldn’t handle Routliffe’s shot.

The showdown was a rematch of last year’s semifinal, which Melichar-Martinez and Perez won in a super tiebreak.

Dabrowski and Routliffe will face the winner of a match between Katerina Siniakova and Taylor Townsend, and Hao-Ching Chan and Veronika Kudermetova in the final on Saturday.

Dabrowski is aiming to become the first Canadian to win a WTA Finals title.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 8, 2024.

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