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BBC News
21-05-2025
- Sport
- BBC News
Paternostro hails 'true champions' Riders
Head coach Rob Paternostro says his Leicester Riders players proved themselves "true champions" by winning the Super League Basketball (SLB) play-off title after a season of near eased to a 105-74 victory against Newcastle Eagles in Sunday's SLB showpiece event at London's O2 Arena to end a three-year trophy was Leicester's last chance this term to end that barren run, having finished runners-up in the league table after crashing out of the SLB Cup and Trophy at the semi-final stages earlier this season."We played some great basketball this season but we weren't able to get over the hump in the other competitions," Paternostro told BBC East Midlands Today."So when we beat Sheffield in the second-leg classic play-off game, I felt like it was our time."I was so proud of the guys and happy for the guys because they deserved it, worked so hard this season and didn't let the losses in the semi-finals affect them."They always bounced back and that is what true champions do." Three years without silverware is the longest the club had gone without getting their hands on a trophy since Paternostro won his first with the club in SLB Championship trophy was the 18th major honour he has won in his 17 years as Riders Hunter, voted most valuable player in the play-offs, and Zach Johnson finished up as joint top-scorers with 23 points each in a final that Leicester dominated from the East Midlands club were 11 points up at half-time and by the time that was blown out to 20 in the third quarter, Paternostro saw his side "locked in" and in a "good position" to get the job done. "As we left Leicester, we felt the guys were really prepared and knew everything about the opponent," Paternostro added."When I look back at all these trophies, it's not just about the ball going in the basket, or the great assist or the slam dunk, it's about the people that we had that were hard workers and good team-mates who were able to shine on the big day."
BBC News
18-05-2025
- Sport
- BBC News
Riders crush Eagles to win SLB Championship game
Leicester Riders dominated Newcastle Eagles to win the Super League Basketball Championship final by 31 points at the O2 Arena in Riders side eased to a 105-74 victory and drew level with their opponents as the league's two most successful ever Johnson and Jaylin Hunter scored 23 points each as the Riders completely took the game away from the Eagles in the second named the final's Most Valuable Player, scored the free throw that broke through the 100-point mark with over three minutes left to have now won seven play-off finals, all under head coach Rob Paternostro, having finished this season second in the league. Newcastle came into the game hunting their second trophy of the season, having won their eighth SLB Trophy in month, they were runners-up in the European North Basketball League but fell just short in their attempt to add a first European title to their domestic Steutel's side finished the league season fifth in the table, 18 points behind the Riders, and beat last season's champions London Lions in the Riders overturned a 10-point semi-final, first-leg deficit to beat Sheffield Sharks by 20 points in the return to book their spot in final would prove much smoother for Paternostro's the Eagles briefly leading in the opening minute, the Riders took control and built a commanding 12-point lead in the opening the end of the third quarter that lead had been extended to 20 as the Riders took full control, and they scored 30 points in a clinical 10-minute period as they cruised to victory in the packed O2 for their first championship win for three years.
