Angel Reese is a professional basketball champion for the first time in her career after the Rose Basketball Club – that plays in the Unrivaled 3v3 league – beat the Vinyl 62-54 Monday night.
It was a bittersweet moment for the former national champion with the LSU Tigers: the Unrivaled Defensive Player of the Year and All-Unrivaled second-team standout, did not play for the Rose in the two-game playoffs.
The reason? A left-hand injury that kept her off the court. The Chicago Sky star was not in attendance for Monday’s title game, but cheered from the sidelines one day earlier, as she showed a lot of camaraderie during the Unrivaled regular season and the playoffs.
A baby gets hit by a basketball
Before Rose Basketball Club got their first championship, they beat the Laces in the semifinals. It was during that game that an unfortunate event took place: during a play, guard Brittney Sykes got a pass but the ball hit her on the knees and then it got to a baby that was sitting first row with his mother.
Sykes noticed the accident and immediately tried to help the toddler, who was crying and showing a lot of pain after receiving a shot in the head. Luckily for everyone in the venue, the baby appeared to be all right and the game continued on, with Rose getting the victory.
Superstar Chelsea Gray put the Rose on her back, scoring an Unrivaled record 39 points, including the game-winning three-pointer, to help the Rose beat the Laces 63-57.
Rose and Resee get their first championship
ESPN’s preseason rankings for the inaugural season of the 3-on-3 women’s basketball league predicted that the Rose Basketball Club would finish in last place behind the Lunar Owls, Phantom, Vinyl, Mist and Laces.
It’s been a sore subject Rose stars Angel Reese and Brittney Sykes discussed in postgame interviews. Sykes scored a driving layup and the game-winning free throw to finish with 21 points, and the Rose beat the Vinyl 62-54 to win Unrivaled’s first championship on Monday night.
Azurá Stevens had 19 points and 18 rebounds, while Chelsea Gray scored 18 points with eight assists for the Rose. Even though she didn’t played during the last two playoff games of Rose Basketball Club, Angel Reese hopes that she can replicate her team success in the WNBA with the Chicago Sky.
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