GB edged out in thriller

By Paul Carter

The men’s wheelchair basketball competition came to a dramatic conclusion at Manchester Regional Arena, with the USA holding on to beat Great Britain by 60 points to 58 in a tense and thrilling tournament finale.

With spectators already filling the stands to capacity, media, officials and squad members from other teams all crammed into any available space to try and catch a glimpse of what proved to be one of the most entertaining matches in Paralympic World Cup history.

There was very little to split the two sides early on with both sides trading the advantage, but it was GB who went in at halftime with their noses in front by three points.

Signs of fatigue did seem to kick-in in the third quarter, and GB noticeably began to fade as the game went on.

USA then pulled away into a ten-point lead, and looked to be running away with the game.

However, the GB team, driven on by veteran Simon Munn, refused to be beaten and pulled back to within one shot of their rivals in the dying moments of the match.

With just one second left on the clock, and with USA ahead by two, Pete Finbow went for a last-gasp three pointer that would have sealed a one-point win for GB.

The shot looked destined for the basket, but went agonisingly long, handing the gold medal to the US team, and leaving GB to take the silver.

GB coach Murray Treseder, who told Disability Now a day earlier that he was not confident going into the final, said that he was “so proud” of his players, and felt that similar performances in Beijing would give them a chance of making “the quarter-finals at least”.

He said: “We are far better than we were earlier in the week and that obviously looks good for the future.

“In terms of talent we are about seventh in the world. But I’m sure we can get to about third or fourth with the right attitude and a bit of luck in the team.”

Speaking of Simon Munn, who was top scorer with 28 points and 18 rebounds, Treseder said: “He’s a marvel, isn’t he? He’s the ultimate warrior.”

The GB women’s side also claimed a medal, as a much improved performance saw them replicate last year’s performance in this competition by claiming the bronze medal, with a 57-34 win over Brazil.

After the previous day’s disappointing 49-34 semi-final defeat to China, coach Gary Peel had called for improvement from his side, who duly responded with a much more polished display against a Brazilian side they will face again in their pool in Beijing.

Peel said that, after the disappointment of the day before, it was important that his team showed they could bounce back.

He said: “They did well today because they stuck to the plan. The gameplan ran perfectly today. Even when [substitutes] came in, it ran perfectly. When we played yesterday against China, it didn’t work very well.

“They stuck to it and they understood what I was trying to tell them. It only needs one or two people to do their own thing on a basketball court, and we get problems,” he added.
Clare Strange, who scored 10 points for GB, said she felt that the team performance made the difference.

“We were a better team than yesterday. We stepped it up from yesterday, played the game and took it away from them. It was a good win.

“We are disappointed we didn’t make the final. Our aim was to finish in the top two, but we are pleased we nailed the bronze.”

There was drama off-court, when the scoreboards had to be switched off after one caught fire and began belching out smoke, forcing match officials to revert to the backup scoreboard on the sidelines.

“I’ve never seen anything like it,” said Peel.