© BELGIUM
After the battle for the national championship in Belgium and the Netherlands, the basketball season has an attractive continuation with the showdown for the BNXT title. Ostend and Leiden, the brand new champions of the Low Countries, each won one away BNXT playoff final. Ostend will host defending champion Leiden on Tuesday evening in the third and decisive title topper.
Peter Rossel
It is about the only change in the remarkable BNXT formula compared to the first edition. The final of the cross-border playoffs does not take place in a back-and-forth format, but rather according to the “best-of-three” system. And just as well! Both teams won their away game with exactly the same difference, a solid thirteen points. Leiden took home advantage on Friday evening in Ostend with 66-79. Ostend recovered on Sunday afternoon in the Dutch Key City with a 63-76 victory. High intensity, physical strength performance, solid defences, fast and fierce play, virility that sometimes tended to burly grimness, an Ostend three-point festival (8 out of 11) in the second half of final 2,…: the mix of fascinating ingredients begged for a third final .
Sufficient ventilation
On Sunday there was a lot of commotion about the too high temperature (32 degrees at the throw, up to 34 degrees at half time) in the sports hall of Leiden. That would not be a problem tonight in Ostend. “The temperature in the COREtec Dôme is a maximum of 22 to 23 degrees thanks to the ventilation that we had built a few months ago. It is not air-conditioned, but there is an air flow at night and in the morning. This always ensures sufficient cooling. We use the lowest temperatures to cool down the room if necessary. We have also installed a fixed temperature measurement in the Dôme, which allows us to monitor 24/24 and to control the temperatures as well as possible in both winter and summer. Energy is an issue for us as cost management, in the summer, but even more so in the winter,” emphasizes CEO Jurgen Vanpraet.
Outstanding reputation of Leiden
You also have one certainty with ZZ Leiden: these Dutch people never give up. In the two final minutes of the fifth Dutch playoff final, Leiden made up a sixteen-point deficit against Groningen. Leiden also won its two away playoff finals. Leiden also cheered in the semi-finals of the BNXT in Ostend last season. The blue-greens simply have a strong reputation. Watch out who peaks tonight: Collins, Hammond, Rutherford and Schaftenaar or Gillet, van der Vuurst, Jovanovic and Troisfontaines. Perhaps one of the other core players has the most impact in this title topper.
Triple for BNXT winner
Ostend and Leiden already had a fantastic season with two trophies for each. Leiden is national champion and cup winner. Ostend won the Supercup against Den Bosch and is also national champion. We also have that certainty: the winner of the BNXT playoffs will round off this campaign with three trophies. Around half past ten we know who can title a triple above his season story.
Pickx+ Sports and Playsports will broadcast the Ostend-Leiden match live tonight from 8.15 pm. The duel can be followed for free via bnxt.tv
