In a game full of twists and turns with neither team taking a huge, unreachable score the final match of Roses was all to play for and both teams were battling for the win.
The York men stormed onto the court, confident after the women’s team's victory, and the Lancaster men were ready out for revenge. The Lancaster support from the crowd was far stronger than York’s at the beginning which clearly gave them the confidence to absolutely dominate the opening minutes, scoring a net in the first few minutes. York may have been surprised but they swiftly recovered taking a narrow lead of 4-3 to York.
In the first few minutes of the first quarter it looked as if it was going to be an easy York victory, as a sensational pass, and run down the court taking the score to 11-4. The crowd roared with delight (there were some Lancaster boos in there as well). Lancaster were not about to give up or let the York team have a break, they were on the attack again quickly as the score rose to 13-7.
Both teams had incredibly strong defence and offence, they were very evenly matched (although Lancaster did have a player who looks like Matty Healy). At this point, Lancaster had taken the win for the whole weekend, so York were playing for pride and Lancaster were playing to add further points to their victory. It was neck and neck throughout, they were both playing relentlessly.
The first half ended with Lancaster in a narrow lead of 34-30, and a lot of intense team talks took place. Both coaches rallying their players on and hoping for that victory. York struggled to find their feet in the second half, having many near misses and allowing Lancaster to break through their previously tight defence.
However, York once again picked up the pace, catching up with Lancaster with a new found fire that was surely helped by the roaring crowd. The score was once again neck and neck at 36-36, but it did not stay that way for long with Lancaster reclaiming the lead. With two minutes left the score remained neck and neck, but in the final seconds Lancaster took the lead and the York fans were beginning to feel defeat.
The final quarter began and the York players were not feeling the same sense of defeat as the atmosphere around them and within the crowds. They knew that this victory was within reach. They immediately took the lead by a single point, but then as it often was in this game the score was back neck and neck at 44-44. Both teams' offence was just sensational and neither stayed in the lead for long.
The final minutes were the most crucial and both teams began to feel the pressure and control of the game began to slip away from the York players, as Lancaster kept on scoring. In the final moments York had a one point lead at 55-54.
With just 40 seconds left, the score was 56-56. York dug incredibly deep, relying on their final bursts of energy to take York into a 58-56 victory.
Roses may be red, but this basketball match certainly proved the power of the white rose
