Kings keep winning streak alive; Raiders slide again

Kashif and Shanghai Kings maintained their unbeaten run with another convincing win in the LABA/Trophy Stall League, this time over Half Mile Bulls whom they devoured 86 – 44 when action continued on Saturday at the Mackenzie Sports Club Hard Court.
On the same card the Retrieve Raiders fell 69 – 50 to the Amelia’s Ward Jets to lose their third consecutive game in the tournament.
With the tournament pass half way stage, the competiveness of the teams intensify nightly while some teams are starting to find form, like the Kings. Led again by their frontier players – Omally Sampson, Marvin Hartman, Steve Neils jr, Jason Alonso and Abdullah Hamid – the Kashif and Shanghai Kings begun to display the quality that earned them the reputation of being one of Guyana’s leading clubs.
The youthful Bulls team, who came into the game booming with confidence after defeating the Raiders in their previous game, was out played from the beginning and it was experience that wasn’t on their side.  They (Bulls) trailed 13 – 22 at the end of the first period and went into the second half down by 16 points (40 – 24).
Alonso had 17 points but was fouled out early in the fourth quarter.  He was again dominant in the paint as he led the Kings to enjoy a more than comfortable 69 – 39 points lead heading into the final period.
Bulls could’ve only mange five fourth quarter points as the Kings unit turned up the defensive pressure but Michael Turner did manage to score a game high 18 points and being the only player from his side to reach double digits.  Sampson 16, Neils 14, Shawn Muss 13 and Marvin Hartman nine were the top scorers for the King who will now play the Victory Valley Royals on Wednesday.
Meanwhile, the raiders playing again without their recently acquired National Forward Dwayne ‘Brown Sugar’ Roberts since the Guyana Geology and Mines worker is indisposed due to work, can’t seem to find a winning formula ever since they defeated Flames in the opening game of the tournament.
They struggled from the field against the Jets though they were able to make some good stops defensively, Raiders trailed 25 – 22 at half time. Having no stop for Jets point Guard Kevin 2’feet’ Joseph (16), the Raiders looked mostly to Neil Marks (15) and Sheldon Noel (13) to lead their scoring but the eventual victors still held on to lead 45 – 33 at the close of the third quarter.  Ruel McKinnon (14) and Alistair Webster (9) led a blistering attack on the Raiders to wrap up a comprehensive win for the Jets and another disappointing lost for the Retrieve team.