Barnet Basketball Festival returns in superb style

Last weekend marked the event’s third year, and this rendition was bigger and better than ever.

Will Farquharson

They say third time’s a charm, well that certainly proved to be the case on Sunday as the annual Barnet Basketball Festival returned to the Copthall Leisure Centre. A total of 331 people came through the doors last weekend – a record for the festival – and they wouldn’t go home disappointed. A day that began with a Junior Skills Clinic for aspiring hoopers ended with a resounding victory for the Barnet Bulldogs over the London Elite, sparking plenty of optimism for what promises to be an exciting season ahead.

Community is what the Barnet Basketball Festival is all about. With the help of Barnet Council and coaching provider, Wuma Sports, youngsters were able to test their skills free of charge as part of the junior clinic. Senior Bulldogs joined in too, giving boys and girls the chance to elevate their game alongside some of their idols.

Next up were the Under-16s. They would face off against London Elite’s youth side, ultimately falling short in a hard-fought contest. There was plenty of energy on and off court, with a rowdy crowd getting behind the young pups.

“We’re very happy with the support from the fans this weekend, I think this year’s going to be a very exciting year,’ General Manager and captain Chuck Duru said.

For the second year running, Wingstop supported the event – offering free food for fans and prizes for the winners of competitions running throughout the day. With excitement in the building growing, it was time for the main event.

Having missed out in the Junior Showcase, the senior Bulldogs would look to exact revenge over London Elite’s mens side. They started the game with a point to prove, racing into an eight-point lead by the end of the first quarter.

Whilst only pre-season, the matchup was a physical affair, with the Elite regularly getting to free-throw line.

“It was a scrappy game, but I think that’s kind of expected after three training sessions”, Duru explained.

Each trip to the charity stripe was met with boos and whistles by the Bulldogs faithful – and the pressure seemed to be taking its toll. Several Elite efforts went wayward from the line.

As the first half looked to be drawing to an uneventful close, the Bulldogs bared their teeth.

Duru . . . top of the key . . . cash. The captain’s buzzer-beating three-pointer extended his side’s lead to ten points heading into the interval.

The second half was not so simple. After all, the Elite were not just going to roll over.

NBL all-time leading appearance holder and Elite captain, Walid Mumuni, gave his side a lift off the bench having spent large parts of the first half passionately encouraging his teammates from the sidelines.

After struggling to exert any real pressure on the Bulldogs defence early in the contest, the Elite were now driving to the basket with ease. Seemingly out of nowhere, the game was level.

The fourth quarter is where matches are won and loss, though. In front of a packed-out home crowd, this was a chance for the Bulldogs to give supporters an indication of what they can look forward to this season.

And they did exactly that. Spearheaded by new signings Vinnie Monaghan and Christian Gamble, the Bulldogs began to pull away.

The hosts tightened up defensively and made the Elite pay in transition. A smooth baseline fadeaway from Gamble put the icing on an all-round strong performance from the home side.

74-56 would be the final score.

“Vinnie was obviously player of the game, played really really well, as did Christian. I think they both got comfortable down the stretch and showed their talent. I’m really excited to see what they can bring to the team and bring to the league this year,” Duru said.

“Our ambition [this year] is to win every game; there’s three competitions up for grabs – the league, the playoffs and the cup. I think we’ve put together a team that’s definitely capable of contending for all three”.

Confidence is clearly growing within the Barnet ranks ahead of an eagerly-anticipated season. The Bulldogs face league rivals Barking Abbey in their final pre-season matchup this Saturday.