Batimba’s under-16 boys lift Jnr NBA title

Haringey Hawks coach Franck Batimba paid tribute to his under-16 boys after they were crowned Jnr NBA National Cup winners at Hertfordshire Sports Village at the weekend.

Haringey were convincing 85-40 winners over Brentwood Fire in a one-side contest, with Spyridon Kapsalos claiming the MVP award for his 25 points, eight rebounds and six assists.

Kapsalos was ably assisted by Mohammed Sanni-Oba, who scored 17 points and 15 rebounds, while Cameron Morris (12) and Elliott Quail (10) also recorded double-figure scores for high-flying Hawks.

And a delighted Batimba said: “It means everything to us to have won a national title for the very first time.

“I’m really happy for the boys because they work so very hard and they deserve this trophy. It has taken a lot of energy, hours and sweat, but it’s all worth it.

“Our training is very intense, so the games are actually easier than our training sessions. They do a lot of running and physical stuff in training and it all worked out in our favour.”

Tim Adetukasi top scored for runners-up Brentwood with 12 points and 12 rebounds and, to their credit, the Fire flickered through to the fourth and final quarter, where they scored 18 of their points.

But the damage had already been done by that particular stage as Brentwood struggled to contain Haringey’s in-form offence for much of the previous half an hour on court.

Indeed, it was a 41-point game at 63-22 to Hawks by the end of the third stanza (17-6, 32-11, 14-5).