Tito Casero walking through the Mechelen defense. — © Gregory Van Gansen
Basketball BNXT League Okapi Aalst – Kangaroos Mechelen: 82-80
Aalst –
After fourteen consecutive defeats, the celebrations broke out in full force on Friday evening in the Aalst Forum, where Okapi wiped the zero off the board. In a thrilling final phase, the Onions came out on top against Kangaroos Mechelen with a buzzer beater from Siebe Ledegen.
With the courage of desperation, Okapi Aalst went to the familiar Forum in search of a first victory after fourteen consecutive defeats. “Definitely don’t miss the start!”, Steff Schauvlieger said before the race. That did not happen, because after five minutes the Onions were only 8-10 behind the Mechelen team. Afterwards, the Maneblussers systematically walked further away. Tito Casero and Ivan Maras struggled with ten points and seven rebounds respectively, but with a 30-47 halftime score, the books seemed closed again for the troubled Onions, who did nothing at all before halftime.
Siebe Ledegen follows visitor Walter Whyle. — © Gregory Van Gansen
After the break, however, Aalst staged a spectacular recovery that brought Okapi back into the wake of the sinking Mechelen team at the end of the third quarter: 62-64. “In terms of response, Okapi is perhaps the strongest team in Belgium,” says Schauvlieger. In a breathtaking fourth quarter, Aalst came out on top this time. Aalst went into moneytime with a three-point difference, but Domien Loubry scored the visitors 80-80 with a three-pointer. Extensions seemed to be in the works until Siebe Ledegen scored the winning basket at the buzzer. There was still a commotion from Mechelen’s side because Ledegen allegedly hit the ball with his foot. “The refs don’t have any balls on their hands,” the Mechelen camp sounded aggrieved. There was also a final check to see whether Ledegen’s shot did not go through the basket after the buzzer, but fate turned out to be favorable to Aalst this time.
Trevor Blondin is short on Augustas Peciukevicius. — © Gregory Van Gansen
Not the weak brother
“After the late equalizer, some doubts arose,” Casero admits. The Cuban Belgian was crowned top scorer with 24 points and, together with double double Ivan Maras, was the Aalst star. “Things went wrong so often for Okapi in the final phase this season. The same scenario seemed to be in the making. Fortunately, things turned out differently now. Nice for our great fans who could finally go home satisfied. We have presented spectacle before, but this time we also linked it to a result. This victory can give the team a boost. We are trying to quickly extend this hopeful victory. We carry the red lantern, but we would like to prove that we are not the weak brother of the BNXT League.”