LDP Donza are the 2024-’25 TDM1 Champions!

Last night the Top Division Men 1 championship came to a close as the finalists LDP Donza and BC Guco Lier confronted eachother one last time in the third and decisive game of the Finals.

Here’s how the series went:

Game 1:

Game 1 of the TDM1 finals is here and as could be expected it was another thrilling affair. Not very attractive basketball for the most part but a lot of heart from both sides as the game remained close all throughout the 40 minutes. With Andrej Cuyvers struggling to find the openings it was an unexpected hero who stepped up for the home-team. Coming off the bench Tristan Boone immediately brought some extra energy that helped Guco to the 40-34 score at the half.

Landon Unruh proved difficult to stop as he kept LDP Donza close with the score moving on to 51-48 at the end of the third quarter. In the fourth quarter both teams kept going at it with Guco holding on to a maximum lead of 6 pts until Unruh brought LDP all the way back to 64-64 and Van Den Berghe then gave LDP the 64-66 lead. Dewit wasn’t having none of it though and with 5 consecutive points he put Guco back in front where they would stay until the final buzzer: 76-71.

Tristan Boone got the selection as our MVP of the game as he came off the bench to provide Guco with the spark they needed and finished with 18 pts, 4 rebs & 3 asts in 25 minutes of action. Simon Van Den Bogaert recorded 14 pts (also off the bench), while the starters Cuyvers (12 pts & 10 rebs), Dewit (13 pts) and Vanderhoydonck (11 pts) also finished in double-figures scoring.

For LDP it was Unruh who clearly was the best performer with his 26 pts & 8 rebs. Wout Verborgt chipped in with 12 pts, while Van Caeneghem came off the bench for 11 pts. LDP Donza did overpower Guco completely on the boards with 53 rebounds against only 38 for Guco but were unable to take full advantage of this.

Guco now leads the series 1-0.

Game 2:

Game 2 is here in this Best-of-three Finals series between LDP Donza and Guco Lier. After their win on their home-court Guco had to travel to De Pinte this time for Game 2.

Whether it’s due to the home-court advantage or just a very motivated home-team it became clear early on that LDP Donza had every intention of tying the series back to 1-1. Under impulse of Van Den Berghe LDP quickly ran out to an 11-2 lead. Cuyvers and Simon Van Den Bogaert got the ball rolling for Guco and at the end of the quarter the scoreboard read 21-17. LDP Donza tightened the screws in the 2nd quarter and placed a 14-0 run to jump ahead to the 36-19 advantage and the eventual 46-32 score at the half.

The scenario remained unchanged in that second half as Guco was unable to hit their outside shot, while LDP dominated inside and won pretty much every 50-50 ball, showing a lot more fight in them than Guco: 68-50 headed into the final quarter. In that final quarter Guco continued to fire away from behind the arc and continued to miss, while LDP Donza remained in full control. Tempers started rising, both on and off court. None of it helped to make the game any more enjoyable to watch for the impartial viewer as it fizzled out to the 94-78 final score.

Sander Van Caeneghem was the main man for Donza in this one as he finished with 23 pts & 9 rebs and gave Guco a lot of issues with his physicality. Rik Van Den Berghe recorded 12 pts, while Senne Geukens and Nessim Gasana both added 11 pts and youngster Brecht Van Driquelle finished with 10 pts.

For Guco 4 players ended up in double-figures with Cas Van Oosterwyck leading the way with 15 pts. Andrej Cuyvers and Tristan Boone both added 13 pts, while Sam Dewit finished with 10 pts. Guco again got outrebounded by Donza with 45 rebounds against 34 and where LDP Donza got 65 points from their bench, Guco’s bench only managed 25 pts.

Series tied 1-1. Third and decisive Game 3 is on Tuesday at 9pm back in Lier.

Game 3:

Final TDM1 game of the 2024-’25 season. 28 games already in the books and it all came down to this final one. Do or Die. Winner takes it all.

In Game 3 of the TDM1 finals Guco was back on their home-court with their green wall in full effect. Donza wasn’t impressed however and with a Landon Unruh in peak form it was the visitors who put the first gap on the boards thanks to a 0-10 run by Unruh for the 2-10 lead. Guco – under guidance by Cuyvers and a couple of nice assists from Boone – reacted and at the end of the opening quarter we were tied again with a 19-19 score on the boards. In that second quarter both teams traded baskets with Guco taking a small lead until Unruh returned on the court and converted a 3pt play and then followed it up with a 3 pt shot to take the advantage back to Donza and the eventual 33-36 score at the half.

In the third quarter LDP Donza was able to extend their lead to 9 but a pair of three’s by Guco brought them right back in it and with less than 2 minutes left Cuyvers drained two FT’s to bring the score to 46-47. LDP Donza reacted with a 0-7 run and again took command until a buzzer-beating 3 from Simon Van Den Bogaert kept everything still to play for: 49-54, headed into the final quarter. LDP Donza had smelled blood though and came out the quarter-break with the knife between their teeth and shut down Guco’s offense, while placing a 0-9 run of their own to take a decisive lead (49-63). Guco tried but much like Sunday their outside shots weren’t falling and too many missed FT’s certainly didn’t help them either. Donza on the other hand kept finding the open man and fairly easily put the game out of reach. Final score: 57-77

Landon Unruh was again unstoppable for LDP Donza as he finished with 24 pts before fouling out late in the 4th quarter. Sander Van Caeneghem (13 pts), Senne Geukens (10 pts) and Thomas Van Hille (11 pts) all finished in double-figures. For Guco it was Andrej Cuyvers who led the way as he had done all season long with his 21 pts, while Sam Dewit finished with 10 pts.

Congratulations to LDP Donza for their second consecutive TDM1 title!!

TDM1 Playoffs MVP: