WU17 – title decider EBT vs HNMKY
Tuesday evening…
18.00…
Espoonlahti….
WU17 title decider between EBT and HNMKY
Best of Three series is at 1 win a piece, with HNMKY taking the opening game, and EBT coming back with a strong performance in the second game on Sunday.
Tonight, the winner goes home with the title and becomes the first team to be crowned Champions during the 2025-26 season!
An hour to the the tip-off and DJ blares ‘ESPOO!! ESPOO!!! on the speakers.. and HNMKY fans are looking less than amused 😉 But, home court advantage and all that….
Pre-Game Moods
First half
OK … it’s continuation of the 2nd game… turnover… jump ball.. rebound.. traveling..
Score EBT 23-26 HNMKY ..at the HALF!!!
The team who finds the thread, will win this – at the moment, both teams seem to play defence, but forgetting that maybe you also need to score few points??
Another weird stats game
In the game – only a total of 35 baskets were made from open play, now – I don’t know if that is a lot or a little.. but feels a very small number to me??
110 rebounds – 70 turnovers .. it probably was not a game for the cameras as such.
But in the end, after 40 minutes.. HNMKY held on to the win… just!
Two more minutes of game and I think EBT might have pushed past them.
But, with a 56-51 score.. HNMKY are the WU17 Finnish Champions for 2025-26!!
Deserved winners on the night and 2-1 winners in the Final series.
Huge congrats to the players and coaches – enjoy the celebrations!
Funny observation
On the weekend game – I looked and listened to the HNMKY ‘ultras’ .. well, that’s what I called them anyways. And they reminded me very much of Millwall fans in the English football league, with their behaviour.
Fast forward two days – and the fans behaviour was very different, and I think it helped the team on the court. On Sunday the players seemed to complain more and listen to the fans behind them.
Today – the fans kept supporting and doing less talking to the referees, and maybe that helped HNMKY to keep a calm head and win the title.
Photographers ‘What grinds my gears’
Now, I know it’s important to let the kids shoot balls at each intermission – but for us photographers.. it is a hazard.. us and our cameras are always right there and the kids shoot balls that bounce this and that way.
I just hope that their parents have a nice insurance policy if/when one of their balls knocks a camera and breaks it. 😉
So yes, I get it why it’s nice and understand it.. but also, it does grind my gears that when a time out or intermission comes. I need to hunch over my cameras in a protective way to keep stray balls hitting them.
