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24 January 2026  8 min read

Sure Shot National Cup finals 2026: Highlights, recaps, reaction & gallery

The day opened with Manchester Mystics defending their U16 Girls' crown against Milton Keynes Breakers before Magic made it a Manchester double by beating London Legends in the U16 Boys' Final.

Endeavour Ipswich Basketball saw off Nottingham Wildcats to secure the U18 Women's Cup before the day drew to a close with CoLA Southwark Pride retaining the U18 Men's title against Derby.

Recaps of all four games are below, including reactions and a gallery of images at the bottom of the page.

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U16 Girls Sure Shot National Cup Final: Milton Keynes Breakers 71-77 Manchester Mystics 

Manchester Mystics staged a dramatic comeback to successfully defend their U16 crown, beating a shell-shocked Milton Keynes Breakers 77-71.

The contest appeared to be a changing of the guard, with MK hunting for a maiden win in the competition, and through three quarters that looked to be the most likely outcome. Heading into the fourth up 64-54, and after owning a lead that hit 13 points late in that frame, MK's charge would then hit a wall.

In truth, a comeback seemed unlikely. Manchester started the final 10 minutes looking tired, highlighted by standout guard Anya Williams receiving treatment for cramp during more than one timeout. But momentum is a powerful thing, and after a 10-0 Mystics run tied the game, the defending champs then raced off into the distance.

With a streak that eventually hit 18-2 leaving the Breakers reeling, the Mystics would soon be celebrating on centre court as the final buzzer sounded, securing a fifth title in the competition.

A player who formed an important part of the fightback and helped keep the Mystics in touch when MK threatened to pull away was MVP winner Adele Tang. Netting 18 points on 72% shooting (8/11 FGs), Tang added a trio of rebounds and three steals alongside a late triple that gave Manchester an all-important one-point lead, and belief, with 4:11 remaining.

Forward Elsa Critchley (6pts, 12reb, 3blk) also played a key role, producing key stops, rebounds and buckets as part of a dogged performance in the paint, and Luna Etienne (23pts) top-scored.

Chantelle Okoli (17pts, 8reb) and Chine Ibegbulam (13pts, 13reb) led the charge for MK, who were left wondering what might have been following the late turnaround. Defeated in two of the last three finals, their wait for a victory in the competition goes on.

Speaking about collecting the MVP award, Tang said: "It feels very good. It's my first time in the U16 Cup Finals and we had a 10-point deficit, then we were able to get many defensive stops and make a comeback.

"We were patient on offence and on defensive we were just hustling [MK Breakers] and we had that energy the [rest] of the game."

Mystics' head coach Max Watts added: "We said at the half-time it was going to take a little bit more than what we gave in the first half. I think we had 22 turnovers. It was just taking more care of the ball; game management, crashing the glass and actually just putting two hands on the rebound - and finishing the defensive possessions. 

"The National Cup sets precedent for when we get towards [Jnr. NBL] Final Fours, league standings and dictating the rest of our season. [We had] lots of new girls [in the Final], we only had three [in the team] that won it last year, but they wanted it."

Box Score

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U16 Boys Sure Shot National Cup Final: London Legends 66-84 Manchester Magic 

Manchester Magic used a strong fourth quarter to claim the U16 Boys' Sure Shot National Cup, winning 84-66.

Legends would lead for the bulk of the first half and for sections after the main change, but a 27-23 third quarter and a 22-10 fourth would ultimately see Magic home, extending their record as the competition's most successful side with a 13th win.

An early eight-point lead in the first quarter gave hope that Legends could grab a first U16 Cup title, but the longer the game wore on, the more Manchester settled into their rhythm, eventually pulling away to a big win.

MVP honours went to Manchester forward Ege Cakmakkaya, who set the tone with a game-high 24 points and 12 rebounds, draining five triples to go with three steals and five assists.

Timy Babalola (22pts, 5reb) and Camran Hanson (13pts) also made it to double digits for Magic, cancelling out an 18-point, 12-rebound double-double from Elijah Imevbore.

"[We feel] very honoured [to win]," said Cakmakkaya. "One of their main players, Elijah [Imevbore] is very nice. We had to stop him because he was one of the main threats. We had to stop him and in the last five minutes just play our game. 

"[The cup victory] will be a big contribution to the rest of the season. Hopefully, we can win the Final Fours."

Manchester's head coach Adam Morris added: "The team really stuck together. We were able to go deep into the bench and every guy that came in really contributed. 

"It was just being consistent on what we were trying to do defensively. There was no adjustment, we just kept with it. Wore them down and [we] came out on top."

Box Score

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U18 Women’s Sure Shot National Cup Final: Endeavour Ipswich Basketball 75-56 Nottingham Wildcats 

Ipswich eased their way to the U18 Women's Sure Shot National Cup with a straight-forward 75-56 victory against Nottingham Wildcats.

A back-and-forth first half was controlled by Ipswich, who led 39-33 at the break. Quality was in short supply in a 14-9 third quarter, and that left Nottingham too much to do as Ipswich finally pulled away across the last 10 minutes.

There was no doubt about the game's MVP as Ipswich standout Maisie Keyes got the nod by some distance. With 17 points and 12 rebounds, the talented guard added nine assists and seven steals for a true impact performance before her departure at season's end for The University of Vermont.

Forward Holly Ensoll (14pts, 14reb) and Jahveina Whyte (15pts, 7reb, 7ast) both played well in support, and 13-year-old sensation Natalia Lawicka announced herself on the big stage with a 14-point outing that involved a pair of three-pointers.

Ophelia Larder-Lee's 28 points led all scorers for Nottingham, but it wouldn't be enough to stop Ipswich from becoming the joint-most prolific team in this competition, tying CoLA with five wins.

"It's amazing. We've got a great team, we've got three younger ones in [the squad] today and they all stepped up," said Keyes.

"I think it's amazing for us to come out here today, show what we can do and have such a big result that we needed heading into the last half of the season."

Ipswich head coach Harriet Welham added: "It's epic. This feeling will never get boring and we'll never take it for granted.

"We're just a [club] in a small town in Suffolk and we're winning national championships. It never gets old." 

Box Score

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U18 Men’s Sure Shot National Cup Final: Derby Trailblazers 57-93 CoLA Southwark Pride 

CoLA retained the U18 Men's Sure Shot National Cup, demonstrating their class with a commanding 93-57 victory against Derby Trailblazers.

Continuing a season that has already seen the Londoners go 14-0 in league play, Pride maintained that perfect run with a tip-to-buzzer win against a Derby side that had few answers on a long evening in Worcester.

With the Trailblazers being held to just eight points in the opening quarter and 24 across the first half, CoLA's lead passed the 20-point mark midway through the third quarter and never dipped below that the rest of the way.

MVP honours went to CoLA captain Toby Gass, who hit 5/7 from long-range for a game-high 28 points, adding two blocks, two steals and four assists to a great day's work.

Daniel Banjoko (17pts, 10reb, 5ast) joined the party alongside Bilal Olowoshile (8pts, 11reb), who impressed off the CoLA bench.

Casey Burr (25pts) was the only Derby man to pass into double digits on the scoreboard as his side slipped to a second U18s Final defeat in the last three years.

"It feels great," said Gass, who was beaming with MVP his award. "I've put a lot of work into my shooting and adapting my game and I'm so happy it paid off on the big stage.

"My team's been unbelievable this whole season. The encouragement has been off the charts.

"We're really like a family and so once one [three pointer] falls, all of them continue to fall because the team is just great and they encourage me so much."

CoLA head coach Jay Williams added: "I'm really proud of the boys. It's been a long journey, we've had a lot of injuries, a lot of things going on. They deserve it, they've worked really hard and I'm happy for them."

Box Score