Basketball: You're a great one, Dux - 12/01/2007


BRIAN DUX led Poujoulat Heat to BBL Cup final glory, earning a glowing tribute from his coach. The Guildford side, making their first appearance in the showpiece, saw off the Scottish Rocks 81-78 in Birmingham on Sunday.

An excited crowd of 4,238 at the National Indoor Arena - boosted by a large contingent from Surrey - saw Dux lead the way with 21 points, six rebounds and four assists to scoop the Most Valuable Player award.

Head coach Paul James raved: "We have had some tough games with the Rocks all season, so I knew this would be no different.
"We have great team chemistry and everyone is playing for each other. I thought we played outstanding defence, particularly in the second and third quarters."
On point guard Dux, he added: "Brian is creating things for himself and making good decisions. When you talk about on-court generals he's a great one, I wouldn't swap him for anyone."
In a close game throughout, the Heat were the first to show with a 9-0 run giving them an early 14-5 advantage - but Rocks hit back strongly.

They bagged 22 points to Heat's two to race into a 27-16 lead at the end of the opening stanza.
Guildford, who currently top the BBL table and who had already beaten their Scottish opponents twice this season, slowly pulled back the lead in the second quarter and had established a 38-31 lead at the halfway interval and were then never overtaken again.
James' men controlled the rest of the final and in the third period extended their advantage to 16 points at 59-43.
The final session was a tense affair as the Rocks refused to give in and cut the deficit to just four before Dux virtually sealed victory with a long three-pointer as he landed Heat's final seven points.
Scottish forward Sterling Davis, a pre-final doubt with a knee injury, tried to bring his side back with two late three-pointers but it was too little too late and one of basketball's newest franchises had a cup win to savour.
Heat chairman Mike Davies was overwhelmed by the achievement. He said: "This club has come a very long way in a very shot space of time.
"We set out to build a basketball dynasty in Guildford and with a performance like this we are well on the way to achieving our aim."
Fans can join in the Heat's celebrations in Guildford High Street tomorrow with a procession starting at 11am which will finish with a presentation of the cup by supportive town MP Anne Milton at the Guildhall at around 11.30am.
Heat will show off the cup again when they entertain Worcester Wolves at Spectrum on Sunday, tip off at 3pm.

WE WON IT...WE PARADED IT, NOW LET'S KEEP CELEBRATING!

Hundreds of the fans who came to Birmingham NIA turned out in misty weather to see the Cup holders receive their medals. Afterwards a Civic Reception was given by Guildford Borough Council to honour the team and the coaching staff. Special thanks to Peter Gordon for being compere and to BBC Southern Counties Radio as well as BBC South TV for their coverage of the event. [www.guildfordheat.com]