For the first time in their history, the Hamilton Honey Badgers were crowned champions of the Canadian Elite Basketball League (CBLE) on Sunday in Ottawa.
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The Honey Badgers held off an impressive comeback from the Scarborough Shooting Stars to win 90-88 in the Grand Final.
The winners led 81-64 when the ‘Elam Ending’ kicked off and allowed 24 runs to just seven afterwards. Caleb Agada gave the Honey Badgers a huge sigh of relief when he landed a free throw to end hostilities.
However, it was Christian Vital who was named MVP of the final at the end of the game, he who collected 17 points.
It’s a bitter conclusion to a stellar first season for the Shooting Stars, who were inducted into the league at the same time as the Montreal Alliance and the Newfoundland Growlers.
By virtue of the win, Hamilton’s team will represent Canada in the 2022-23 Basketball Champions League Americas season, which will feature 12 teams representing seven countries. The 2021 LECB champions, the Edmonton Stingers, will also take part.