Drayton Manor retains UBL crown
Drayton Manor High School has beaten Alec Reed Academy 55-47 in the final of the United Basketball League. The entire game was a duel between Drayton Manor’s inside dominance against Alec Reed’s ball movement and outside shooting. The first three quarters of the game was a very close encounter with Drayton Manor leading by 3 points before the beginning of the last stanza. In the final quarter 6’7’’ Brooklyn McCoy started dominating both boards and effectively disrupting Alec Reed’s penetrations to the basket. To make the matter worse for Alec Reed Academy both Anmol Singh Kaur and Aaqib Khan we not able to connect from outside leaving fearless Liam Campbell as the only effective offensive weapon. In the last 5 minutes of the game Drayton Manor propelled by the athletic Kaylen Isen and Ngdako Nkala started building a decisive lead allowing them to claim the UBL winners status the second year in row.
United Basketball League are extremely proud to have both the Navy and RAF as partners for this activity which sees school teams battle throughout the year.
Lieutenant Commander Simeon Low from the Navy was quite impressed with the competition saying: ‘The final was an excellent match, displaying superb competitive spirit and brilliant teamwork, both teams gave their all and both deserve immense credit. The Royal Navy is immensely proud to support this league as the pursuit of excellence is key to our ethos.’
Squadron Leader Cyrus Pocha of the RAF stated ‘I was extremely impressed by the standard of basketball played in this exciting Final. Both teams displayed the highest standards of integrity and teamwork and were a credit to themselves and their schools’
Emma Chambers, Director of London United has stated: ”UBL is our vision of how school sport should look like. We want talented teams full of enthusiasm competing against each other in a professional environment to encourage lifelong participation in sport for these young aspiring athletes.
Jamie Black, Head Coach from Drayton Manor High School was equally positive in his assessment:” I am very proud of my team this season. They have worked hard throughout the year especially after losing to Alec Reed early on in the season. The resilience and determination they showed in the final was superb. Credit goes to Alec Reed who also performed to a very high level. Their young developing team will be an extremely tough opposition in years to come. I am excited about the future of basketball in West London and hope that Drayton Manor can continue to meet the high expectations we have set for ourselves.
Individual awards were also presented to players to recognise their achievements this season. The full list of winners are;
All Stars team:
Liam Campbel
Aquib Khan
Joel Codner
Brooklyn McCoy
Ngdako Nkala
Most Improved Player:
David Kvashin
Most Valuable Player
Brooklyn McCoy
For more information on the UBL please click here.