Basketball - Inverness school Millburn Academy become Scottish champions
Millburn Academy S1 boys team have become national champions as they won the Scottish Cup final beating Larbert High School 42-38.
The first quarter saw Millburn dominate the game, coming out firing and leading 12-4 after eight minutes.
Millburn continued this sustained pressure in the second quarter, however Larbert began to find their feet in the game - with the score at 20-12 to Millburn at half time.
Impressive defensive play from Nathan Ross, Connor Galbraith and Lucas Gunn combined with clinical offensive play from Ryley Mackie, Zane Gilbert and Lucas Peterkin allowed for Millburn to be in the driving seat at the half.
The third quarter saw Millburn become a little complacent and Larbert worked their way back into the game, taking the lead on one occasion.
It was all to play for in the last quarter with the score at 28-24 to Millburn. The fourth quarter saw incredible grit, determination and teamwork from the team in red, with Tom Beaman, Finn Regan, Sandy Fraser and Alex Bell working tirelessly in offence and defence to keep Millburn in the lead. Captain Zach MacLeod led courageously from the front, attacking the basket and grabbing rebounds at both ends of the court.
The final 10 seconds had all the drama you would expect from a Scottish Cup Final. With the score at 40-38 to Millburn, Larbert were awarded a free throw which they converted, only for the officials to disallow the basket due to a foot violation.
Larbert then committed a team foul which allowed Millburn the opportunity for two free throws. Both were missed, potentially giving Larbert an opportunity to go up the court and play for a draw or even a win.
However, Zach MacLeod grabbed and ripped the rebound before playing the ball to Finn Regan, who cooly dropped another two points to put the game beyond doubt.
It is the latest success for basketball teams in Inverness.
Culloden Academy won the Scottish Basketball Under-15 Cup after they defeated James Gillespie’s High School 83-40 in the final.
Inverness Lions Basketball Club won the Scottish Division Two title earlier this month.
Inverness Lions Under-14 girls’ team also won a Scottish title with Highland Bears girls’ team winning the under-16 Scottish Cup in February.