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20 March 2026  8 min read

Academy League Finals: EABL, WEABL and CBL Previews - live streams, stats and more

Switching out of its traditional slot to avoid a clash with BUCS Big Wednesday, this year's showpiece will be held on Thursday 26 March 2026, at Essex Sports Arena.

The EABL and WEABL's biggest games will be heading back to the East region for the first time since 2018/19, when Charnwood College Riders claimed both titles on a historic day for their programme.

Xaverian College will start the day by taking on 2022/23 winners MK5D Shenley Brook End School in the CBL Final, before defending champs Copleston High School take on their old foes City of London Academy - Southwark for the WEABL crown.

The day closes with an all-North West clash between Manchester Magic and Myerscough College as the EABL Final brings down the curtain on another Academy season.

Live streams and rosters are also available, along with live stats, which can be viewed by clicking the title of each game.

Tickets to attend the finals are free, but still need to be obtained for capacity reasons. To secure your ticket, please head to the Basketball England shop.

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EABL Final - Manchester Magic vs Myerscough College - 5pm

Two North Conference sides meet for a third instalment of their season series as Manchester Magic and Myerscough College go head-to-head.

Separated by the barest of margins during the regular season, the duo both went 9-1 and traded road games for their only losses of the campaign so far.

Manchester won 71-60 in Myerscough in mid-October, with 'Sco repaying the favour in Manchester in January, coming out on top 78-71.

Magic's 11-point win trumped Myerscough's seven-point victory, sending the North crown Manchester's way, but both games highlight just how well-matched these two North West rivals are.

A third and final contest is a fitting way to end the season, with both teams looking to add to previous EABL successes.

Manchester have to go back to 2010/11 and their days as Loreto College for the one and only title, with Myerscough picking up a victory in 2014/15, plus a shared win in 2019/20 with Barking in the COVID-shortened campaign.

It is worth noting that 'Sco are five-time beaten finalists - showing their quality as recently as last year when they went down to eventual champs Barking - despite not being able to get over the line in the big games.

BA won't be a problem this season, their playoff run was ended by Myerscough 75-64 to open the playoffs before Coach Scott's side beat South Conference winners CoLA 70-68.

Manchester's route to Essex has been less dramatic, but no less deserved. As 77-65 winners against Oaklands in the quarter-finals, Magic would then ease past Itchen College 88-69 behind a 35-14 fourth quarter that put a one-sided slant on the final score of an otherwise even game.

Manchester's Demi Babalola (17.9PPG, 10.7RPG, 5.2APG, 4.2SPG) leads his side in points, rebound and steals as a likely MVP candidate, with guard Jack Walton (14.5PPG, 6.6APG) and Tom Richardson (10.7PPG) offering plenty of support for the two-way standout.

Myerscough don't lack for star power, either, with their own MVP candidate Olivier Esingle (14.4PPG, 4.8APG, 3.0SPG) also enjoying a standout campaign. 7'0" forward Zach Trezvant (11.1PPG, 8.3RPG) is sure to pose a matchup issue, plus Harry Sheehan (12.5PPG) and Junior Sanchez (12.3PPG) can both get hot given the chance.

Manchester Magic head coach Tom Paraskeva said:

"The team have done a fantastic job reaching the finals after a very tough EABL season. Every one of the lads has shown real toughness and grit to get us through both the league and the playoffs.

"We know Myerscough will be a tough test, but it’s one we’re all looking forward to. It will be great to see our group come together and play one last game."

Myerscough head coach Lewis Scott said:

"Making a final means a lot. It’s great that these boys get to have a moment. It's exactly what they deserve.

"I'm proud, excited, and really looking forward to the occasion. The quality on both sides should make for an exciting Final."

Manchester Magic Roster

Myerscough College Roster

WEABL Final - City of London Academy - Southwark vs Copleston High School - 2pm

Two of the WEABL's biggest rivals go toe-to-toe in Essex as City of London Academy - Southwark take on Copleston High School.

A repeat of the 2023/24 final, one that CoLA won 89-84, both teams will be looking to continue their push as two of the biggest programmes in the women's game.

CoLA have a WEABL-leading five titles that they're looking to build upon after missing out on a spot in the Final a year ago, bested at the semi-final stage by Manchester.

That opened the door for Copleston to pick up their second WEABL crown in 2024/25, adding to a shared win in 2019/20, and setting the Suffolk programme on their way to a potential third success in Essex.

Pride enter the showpiece as favourites, given their history, plus a spotless 9-0 regular-season record that included a 47-26 win in the only meeting between the two sides.

Both outfits have flexed their muscles in the post-season, with CoLA in particular (83-42 vs MK5D and 74-32 vs Barking) having little problem in punching a ticket to the Final.

Copleston started off in similar fashion, dismissing North Conference foe The Sheffield College 107-52, but a 61-59 road semi-final win over Nottingham Academy Wildcats took every bit of Copleston's resolve.

As is often the case, there's star power across both these rosters and the WEABL Playoff Final will once again offer a fitting platform for a number of impressive prospects to showcase their talents.

Cola's forward pair Adaora Dioramma (13.3PPG, 10.2RPG) and Eva-Grace Yebila (12.9PPG, 10.2RPG) lead the team's scoring charts, averaging a double-double in the process. Guard Ayla Habbal (11.5PPG, 5.5APG, 3.6SPG) is one of the county's brightest talents, and Chloe Vela is returning from a long-term injury but should be fit and ready to make an impact for her side.

Copleston can counter their opponent's height with Holly Ensoll (15.6PPG, 16.3RPG, 4.3BPG), a rapidly-improving 6'6" centre who has caused teams problems at both ends of the court this season.

Guard Maisie Keyes (17.0PPG, 4.3APG, 2.5SPG) will be tasked with keeping Habbal quiet and is no stranger to big games, and Angel Whyte (15.4PPG, 7.9RPG) and Kaiya Bateman (11.2PPG, 4.2APG) are both big pieces of coach Drane's rotation.

City of London Academy - Southwark head coach Jackson Gibbons said:

"Our team are really happy to make it back to the Academy League Finals in 2026, after falling at the semi-final stage last year it feels like a step back in the right direction. 

"We will be facing the current champions so the girls know it's no easy feat in front of them. As ever we’ll prepare as well as we can and hope we perform well on the day."

Copleston head coach Nick Drane said:

"We're excited to be playing in our third-straight WEABL Final, against CoLA, who are the gold standard of programmes, especially in this competition.

"We're privileged to play at the University of Essex, and we know we're playing against a extraordinarily talented and dominant CoLA team that haven't lost a game all year.

"For us as a programme, this was meant to be a transitional year so we're really excited to be back in the Final playing against the best of the best."

City of London Academy - Southwark Roster

Copleston High School Roster

CBL Final - Xaverian College vs MK5D Shenley Brook End School - 11:30am

Finals Day begins with the CBL showpiece as Xaverian College take on MK5D Shenley Brook End School.

The contest is a rematch of last season's quarter-finals, where Xaverian College came through as 80-62 winners before their run was ended by eventual winners New City College.

For MK5D, reaching the CBL Final isn't new ground after the programme made it to back-to-back games between 2022 and 2024, taking the 2022/23 title after a hard-fought 98-91 win against Bracknell & Wokingham College.

At the other end of the scale, Xaverian College are a programme on the rise, continuing their recent impressive form to make it to a first CBL Final after falling one game short a year ago.

The South East Manchester outfit won Tier 2's Group A with a 13-1 record, overcoming the likes of last season's beaten finalists The Sheffield College, who were second at 11-3 and lost both meetings to Xaverian.

That success was mirrored by MK5D, who won Group B with an identical 13-1 ahead of former CBL winners Dagenham Park School and reigning champs New City College.

That shows the quality that both teams have at their disposal, and their regular season dominance continued into the playoffs.

Xaverian College beat #8 seeds Cardiff and Vale College 74-60 in the quarter-finals to begin their journey and followed that up with a 102-80 win over Group A rivals The Sheffield College.

MK5D passed through the quarter-finals after overcoming #7 seeds Carmel College before a tricky 84-77 W against the Crest Academy, who had ended the run of Group C winners HTS Storm in the previous round.

Jayden Evora Gomes, Dominic Goodwin and Kelvin Clement have all enjoyed strong season's for Xaverian College, with U17 prospect Erminas Pelenis also impressive despite his age.

Expect Kalvin Oates to lead way for MK5D, with Ben Morris and Gabriel Formeloza offering support and U17 Christian Egbaran also in the mix.

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