KESTRELS SECURE HISTORIC TREBLE WITH PLAYOFF FINAL WIN OVER WORCESTER WOLVES

Image Courtesy of Luke Simcock

The Solent Kestrels won the NBL Division One Play-Off Final after beating the Worcester Wolves 74-66 at the National Basketball Performance Centre, picking the final trophy in their collection for the season. Up against the No.1 seed from the North, the Kestrels held the lead for most of the 40-minute ball game, Andre Arissol picking up another Finals MVP with a 19-point performance to lead Solent to back-to-back Play-Off Final wins.

After hard training sessions in the week leading up to the game, the Kestrels were well prepared for what stood in front of them as Ash Briggs and Earl Burgess stepped up for the tip-off. The opening bucket of the game came from a wonderfully timed backdoor cut from Greg Durand as he finished a neat reverse lay-up from a Briggs feed. The Kestrels’ centre was instantly put to work on the defensive end, coming across on help defence to pin Humberto Fereira’s lay-up onto the glass, allowing for an Ethan Round three in transition, to fire the Kestrels into a 5-0 lead inside 50 seconds.

The MVP of the North and NBL Division One Pool A, Earl Burgess was having none of it, instantly hitting back with a three of his own. ‘Defence wins championships’ is a common idiom, but it was finding to be true given Worcester’s performance to cancel out the Kestrels’ early run, forcing the Southampton-based side into tough shots deep into the shot clock and punishing on the other end of the floor.

Upon his return from injury, Luke Busumbru levelled the scoring at 9-9 with a strong finish through the lane. However, a short scoreless portion of the first quarter and Worcester found themselves with a 14-9 lead, that was until Jakub Ofman drilled a three and with the final possession of the opening period, Arissol went to work, attacking the lane, drawing multiple defenders to find Wayne Kitenge underneath the basket.

The youth pathway for the Kestrels has continued to flex its wings over recent years, is allowing for players to play strong minutes in men’s basketball whilst at Itchen College and Thomas Blower one of those players. The former Essex Charge man was fouled on his first play of the game, heading to the line and showing Worcester his ability to draw attention from outside the arc.

Image Courtesy of Luke Simcock

Neither team could settle into a rhythm at any point in the game, with neither looking comfortable, despite the Kestrels holding onto a 26-19 lead. Strong on-ball pressure, especially at the guard positions nullified the opportunities for either team to succeed in half court sets and no signs of rushing in transition led to a thought-out tactical battle between both teams. However, Blower continued to make his presence known, hitting a three on the right wing in the face of his defender to give the Kestrels their first double—digit lead of the game. The experienced guards of Arissol and Busumbru extended that lead to a game-high of 14 points with five minutes left in the half. The differential settled at 43-34 as the referee blew for half-time.

Worcester didn’t let that stop them from coming out in the second half swinging, instantly bridging the gap to six points. The Wolves’ defence continued to cause issues, but the transition game that the Kestrels had found success all-season long gave Arissol an aura-infused moment in front of the Worcester bench, hitting a corner three for 50-42 in what remained a tightly contested game.

Kitenge had a stella third quarter, fighting for every offensive board to give the Kestrels every opportunity to score second chance buckets. The transition game remained the same, Round simply parting the defenders with a strong drive to the rack, with some help from Kitenge with a Gortat screen to free up space for the guard.

Having outscored the Wolves through three quarters, although with slim margins, the Kestrels headed into the final ten minutes of the season up by 12 points, with hard work still to do. Worcester were showing their ability to get to the line, to slowly creep ever closer to the Kestrels and to halt the momentum, Matt Guymon called timeout with six minutes left to play.

After forcing the Kestrels into a shot clock violation, Worcester punished the Pool B champs, Daijaun Antonio netting a corner three to bring the lead to 70-64; a turnover down the other end seconds later made the final minute and a half just that more anxious. A rare transition bucket from the Wolves brought it to four with 30 seconds left to play and Matt Guymon was forced into another timeout.

The cool-headed double AA battery was sent to the line for two late free throws, hitting both to extend it back to a six-point lead at 72-66, and Round did the same with nine seconds to play fired the Kestrels to the win over the Worcester Wolves to become NBL Division One Play-Off Champions.

Image Courtesy of Luke Simcock

A hard-fought win against a Worcester side who simply refused to back down, the Solent Kestrels cap off a brilliant season. Round supported Arissol’s leading points total with 16 points on 42% shooting and a fitting final game of the season for both.

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Watch the game - NBL1 Playoff Final: Solent Kestrels vs Worcester Wolves - 26.04.26

Thank you to all of you that made the trip up to Manchester at the weekend and those who supported from home as well, the support from the Kestrels Family has been mega from the very first minute back in September.

This Kestrels side, with a mix of experience and youth, have left everything out on the floor every time they stepped onto it this season. With this historic treble, the 2025/26 season has certainly been one to remember with a lot of highs and occasional lows, this team has been a joy to watch.

On a similar note, an extremely high amount of thanks must be handed to the coaching staff, Head Coach – Matt Guymon, Assistant Coaches – Jack O’Keeffe and Khalid Missouri, along with everyone who works effortless behind the scenes and every home game to put on a show each game day.