ALTHOUGH it may not have been the most straightforward result, the Central District Lions have taken out the 2024 Under-18 Boys Club Championship, holding off a fast-finishing Willetton Tigers team in the gold medal match on Sunday morning.

Coming into the match, the Lions were fresh off a comfortable preliminary final result, and looked in good nick ahead of the deciding match, while the Tigers held on against the Dandenong Rangers in a buzzer-beating thriller.

However, Willetton switched roles in the gold medal match, storming home after trailing by over 20 points to claim a two-point triumph.

The Lions got off to the perfect start, showing strong ball movement and restrictive defence to jump out to an early lead. Willetton was unable to find easy baskets as Central District took control of the match and led for much of the contest.

The margin edged closer and closer to 25 points, and the match was nearly over in the third quarter with the Lions firing on all cylinders. However, the Tigers rallied on the energy of the home crowd in the stands at HBF Arena in Joondalup and had some crucial makes heading into the fourth quarter.

It was a thrilling last quarter as the Tigers came home with a wet sail, knocking down some huge three-pointers and bringing the physicality in the paint. As the baskets started to fall, the crowd began to play much more of a factor, with Willetton playing with flair and showing some big celebrations for some big shots.

Central District began to make small errors that proved costly, and it was a two-point game with just seconds remaining on the clock. Having starred all tournament, the ball naturally found its way into the hands of Timothy Ibukunoluwa, but his driving shot was wayward and the Lions ran out the clock in a professional manner for a 78-76 triumph to take home the gold medal.

Elijah Mackenroth was a star for the Lions, posting 27 points in a clutch performance in the big game, leading from the front on the offensive end. Also playing a key role was Michael Herjok, who knocked down four three-pointers and finished the game with 20 points of his own, while Bryce Sanders had 15 points rounding out a high-scoring trio.

Ibukunoluwa was once again terrific for the Tigers, stepping up on the big stage and not afraid to let the opposition know when he scored. He had a game-high 29 points and certainly has a bright future in the frontcourt. Harrison Fitzgerald was also excellent with 17 points and was a premier presence behind the arc, while Riley Auret had 15 points for Willetton.

It was a fitting end to the boys tournament, which saw plenty of games go down to the wire, and the decider was no exception.