Last Thursday night, the Men’s C-league division came to an end with the Natty Shredders (5-3 reg. season) versus the Oppas (4-4 reg. season). These two teams had met twice during the regular season, with Natty Shredders pulling out a very close victory both games. So this match was highly anticipated leading into the playoffs. From the initial jump ball, it was clear that this game would be won or lost on the defensive side of the ball. Both teams’ offenses went back and forth attempting to score, though to no avail, with the defenses remaining stout. After a rough start, Natty Shredders scored their first point in the 14th minute of the first half, and that seemed to ignite the team. However, Oppas seemed to have no intention of going down without a fight.
Much like the Super Bowl, this championship game was heavily defensive and seemed like neither team could gain a clear advantage in scoring. Every lay-up, jump-shot and 3-pointer was met with opposition as the squads battled to gain the lead. Daniel Lee, of Team Oppas, tallied a team high of six points, contributing several key buckets to keep his team in the game. Although the score was very close at times, Natty Shredders was able to maintain control of the match and ultimately come out with the victory. In the end, the final score was 24-16 making for a very close match. Nathaniel Orquia scored a team high of nine points in the win with Bryce Voegele close behind with seven points of his own. What a way to end a very interesting C-League basketball season.