Shanice Beckford-Norton couldn't hide her delight as she collected the MVP of the WBBL Play-off final as London Lions Women beat Newcastle Eagles 93-71, on Sunday.
The Lions guard tied the scoring record in the showpiece game with a haul of 30 points, adding eight rebounds and four assists and knocking down two of three three-pointers, both of which came at key times in the game. The Londoner was instrumental in the decisive run in a number of ways as she hit a huge four-point play before finding Chantel Charles inside for another score as part of a 13-0 third quarter surge that settled the tie. In total she had 10 points in the third period as the Lions took a double-digit lead from which they wouldn’t look back.
"It was a really big occasion and I'm so happy that we won. To be part of it with Chantelle [Charles] and Mark [Clark] after we've been together for so long is special."
Beckford-Norton was pleased with how the Lions played in the final and had praise for her team-mates: "We worked so hard as a team and everyone did what they needed to do - there was no selfish play, we played as a unit and everyone knew their role. Kennedy [Leonard[ distributed the ball well, Cassie [Breen] hit her shots and everyone just did what they needed to do."
With Kennedy Leonard finishing with a triple-double for Clark's team, Beckford-Norton admitted she was surprised to get the MVP award: "I was talking to Cassie, Chantelle and Paige [Robinson] as we waited for the MVP award and when I heard 'four assists' I knew it could be me because Kennedy always had way more than that!"
Beckford-Norton came through the Barking Abbey Academy, the Lions' feeder club who provided seven of the players in a season that also saw them lift the WBBL Trophy, and she was clearly delighted to return to London and win some silverware: "It's a great programme, Mark and the other coaches have always believed in me and even when I left early to go to high school in the States they welcomed me back whenever I was in London. I think that helped my game, and it's great to return as a pro and help the club win two titles.
"I'm thankful for my coaches and my team-mates and everyone that did such a great job to get the season done despite COVID. I hope to be back next year and believe we can have a lot more success,"
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