Austin Gamblers win PBR team championship behind rides of Jose Vitor Leme, Dalton Kasel

After ending their first two seasons on the brink of a Professional Bull Riders championship only to come up empty, the Austin Gamblers made good on their third try at the PBR teams championship event in Las Vegas, winning nine of their 10 games to claim the title.

The Gamblers, who were seeded fifth, upset the No. 2 Carolina Cowboys by 105 points in the finals, led by Dalton Kasel's championship-best 92-point ride aboard Always Been Ready and Jose Vitor Leme's 89-point ride aboard Tijuana Two-Step that clinched the title. Kasel had two 90-point rides on the day.

The Gamblers upset the No. 1 Kansas City Outlaws earlier in the semifinals.

The Gamblers won back-to-back regular-season championships in 2022 and 2023, only to finish short of the PBR championship title in Las Vegas. In 2022 the Gamblers were the top seed but were stricken by a string of injuries to riders as the Nashville Stampede won the title. In 2023 the Gamblers fell to the Texas Rattlers in the finals.

Kansas City beat the Florida Freedom in the third-place game.

Kaique Pacheco, riding Ah Hell, scored 88 points on his ride in the finals for Austin, followed by Lucas Divino's 88.5-point ride on Big Chew, Kasel's 92-point ride and Leme's 89-point ride to propel the Gamblers to the title.

This article originally appeared on Austin American-Statesman: Austin Gamblers win PBR team championship behind rides of Jose Vitor Leme, Dalton Kasel