Mersey Tigers win BBL Championship title

Tony Garbelotto's side added the BBL Championship to the BBL Trophy

Mersey Tigers beat Newcastle Eagles 80-75 to become the first all-British qualified side in 23 years to win the BBL Championship.

Nate Reinking top-scored with 22 points as the Tigers ended the Eagles' run of three successive titles.

The Championship is the second piece of silverware for the Merseyside outfit this season after winning the BBL Trophy in March.

Mersey now turn to the play-offs, which they won last year as Everton Tigers.

After a turbulent campaign, including months of struggle to find a home venue since the turn of the year, the Tigers managed to end their season with five games at the Echo Arena, picking up five wins, including two crucial victories over Sheffield Sharks.

Tony Garbelotto's side lost the BBL Cup Final to the Sharks in January, but have bounced back to take the next two available trophies.

Garbelotto told BBC Radio Merseyside: "I think it's an incredible accomplishment and I'm not sure we're ready to see how big an accomplishment it is.

"The problems we've had off the court and the fact it's a team that doesn't have any foreign imported players - I don't think it will be repeated again. I don't think this is a type of group that's going to take anything for granted and they haven't throughout the year.

"They'll really re-focus and get themselves in the best frame of mind and physically ready to play three weekends in a row. Hopefully we can come out with another piece of silverware."

Tigers forward Andrew Sullivan added: "This BBL Championship means a lot, in fact, it means everything. We have put so much hard work into the games this season.

"Everyone knows about the problems off the court which have affected the club and yet right through it all, the staff, the players and the fans have all stuck together.

"Regardless of how upset different people were about things happening which were out of our control away from the basketball side of things, the court was always our safe haven to express ourselves the way we know best.

"In that respect at least, I really do think the players have been given their just desserts. We worked our backsides off for this title and I am ecstatic."

The Eagles now must look to the play-offs in they are to avoid a trophyless season for the first time since 2004.

They too have had to deal with off-court problems during the course of the season, with player-coach Fab Flournoy being hospitalised with pneumonia in February and Joe Chapman and Trey Moore missing the end of the season because of injury.

"It's difficult to take, seeing someone celebrate on our own home court," Flournoy told BBC Newcastle.

"We're still alive in the play-offs. There's one trophy left and we're aiming to get it."