Johannah Leedham etched her name into British basketball history last night as she became the first British player to win a major European competition.
Leedham, from Ellesmere Port, hit 14 points and grabbed 12 rebounds in a 54-53 second-leg success for her French side Tango Bourges over fellow French team Villeneuve d'Ascq to lift the EuroCup Women.
A sell-out crowd of 5,000 were in attendance at The Prado in Bourges to witness the home side build on their first leg triumph the previous week, with Great Britain star and 2012 Olympian Leedham, 28, leading by example and helping her side clinch the silverware.
Her success sees her make British basketball history, eclipsing the achievements of Angela Congreaves 16 years previous who was a beaten finalist in the EuroLeague Women final.
The 28-year-old has come a long way from her roots in the Port, where she turned out for the Ellesmere Port Panthers as a junior before going on to attend Franklin Pierce University in America alongside her sister Jennifer.
The poster girl for the British game, Leedham has been the cornerstone of the GB national side and recently helped Jose Maria Buceta's charges to a sensational victory over much-fancied Montenegro to give GB a chance of making EuroBasket Women in 2017.
"It’s always good to have British players winning things and I am glad that people know I am out here in France competing and fighting to find success," Leedham told Hoopsfix.
“It’s also nice to have this medal after what the GB team achieved with our comeback win against Montenegro – it gives that feeling of confidence heading into our big EuroBasket Women qualifiers in November.”
