The Garson Celtics took the championship title in this year's Laurentian Basketball Development League, with a 65-60 victory over the Walden Warriors.
The Celtics roared out of the gates to start the season, winning the team's first six games en-route to a 7-3 regular season record, giving them top spot and a first round bye heading into the post season. The Celtics topped the New Sudbury Hornets 75-64 in the semi-final, setting up a tilt with the Walden Warriors in the finals.
The Celtics had beaten the Warriors on two previous occasions heading into the championship game. The Warriors jumped out of the blocks early and posted a 10-point half time lead, thanks to a solid defensive rebounding performance, according to a press release.
The Celtics were able to sway the momentum back to their side early on in the second frame and bring the score back to even. The teams would trade leads back and forth before the Celtics' Jon Page hit a three-point shot following a defensive stop to put them ahead to stay. The final buzzer sounded and the Celtics claimed the championship 65-60.
This year marked the second time the league was run and it steadily increased in popularity. With its own website, generating more than 40,000 hits in two years, this league is an indication of youth basketball in Sudbury thriving, the press release stated. Both seasons of the LBDL have been sold out with a maximum number of participants involved. The demand appears to come primarily from the high school students.
“This is a great opportunity for high school players to develop while playing at a faster pace,” said Shawn Swords, Laurentian's men's basketball coach and LBDL convenor.
With the 2009 edition of the Sostarich, Ross, Wright and Cecutti LBDL finished, the champion Garson Celtics will be honoured at halftime of one of the Voyageurs basketball games this season. To see complete details of the LBDL season, visit http://lbdl.teamopolis.com/.
