It was an exciting night of basketball in Sudbury on Saturday as the city played host to the Basketball Super League (BSL) inaugural All-Star Game at the Sudbury Community Arena.
Basketball fans – many who locally regularly cheer for the Sudbury Five – filled the downtown arena for an evening featuring a three-point contest, a slam dunk competition and the actual all-star game all featuring the best players in the BSL.
The skills competition
The skills competition thrilled the crowd before the main event got underway.
Sudbury’s Landon Kirkwood was the Five organization’s “dunk of the night.” However, Brandon Belodi of the Montreal Toundra earned top honours in the slam dunk competition while Nick Garth of the London Lightning took home the award for the three-point contest.
The inaugural all-star game
The All-Star Game itself showcased the talent in the BSL.
The match between Team Red and Team Blue quickly turned into a high-scoring affair.
Team Blue took an early lead in the first quarter with a score of 52-45 after the first 12 minutes of play. The Five’s Duane Notice contributed 5 points for the blue team which was led in scoring by Paul Harrison of the Windsor Express in that quarter with 15 points.
The second quarter proved to be a more balanced affair with the Blue Team only outscoring the Red by three points for a score of 98-88 at the half.
Team Red came back to take a slim lead in the third quarter with a score of 128-126 – the Team Blue did not give up though.
Both teams’ players showcased why they were “all-stars” in the last 12 minutes with a total of 103 points scored in the final quarter alone. Team Red put up an impressive 42 points – but Blue netted 61 to win the first-ever BSL All-Star Game with a score of 197-170.
The Five’s AJ Mosby was named the game’s Most Valuable Player scoring a total of 47 points.
Sudbury Five coach and general manager Logan Stutz coached the losing Team Red in the event.
“It was a great night for Sudbury. AJ winning the MVP was the icing on the cake,” said Stutz after the game.
“We proved we have the best fans and market in the league. I couldn’t be more proud of our city.”
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BSL now returns to league play with the Sudbury Five next facing off against the Derby City Distillers on home court in Sudbury on March 16 at 7 p.m.
