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Mar 09, 2014 Sports
– Eight top basketball clubs faceoff
By Edison Jefford
Eight teams will battle tonight at the Cliff Anderson Sports Hall from 6pm to secure places in the semi-final of the ‘Road to Mecca’ National Basketball Club Championships, which is being held to herald the best basketball club in Guyana.
The nation-wide club championship has already seen eight clubs crashing out of the tournament in what has been a long journey; after tonight, another four teams will be booted, as four carry on a mission to become the nation’s leading basketball enterprise.
In the first half of the draw, Georgetown’s number two seeded, Colts will play the fourth seeded, Pepsi Sonics in the first game in what should be an evenly contested battle. Colts seeding alone is testament of how the club has emerged in two years.
The threat of guards Shelroy and Sheldon Thomas along with Dave Causway has caused a lot of problems for varying defences. Add Nikkoloi Smith to that line-up, and the speed and pace of the Colts offence may be unmatched in local basketball.
However, their deficiency is on the defensive and offensive boards because of their size, which is where Sonics will have an advantage with Collis ‘Forty’ Pluck continuing to dominate in the low and high posts for Sonics. He will be difficult to defend tonight.
In addition, Sonics will try to match the speed of Colts’ triple-threat with Jason Squires at the top along with Aubrey Austin. Pepsi Sonics also have the services of former junior national centre, Drexel Amsterdam, making them ‘big’ on the inside.
Linden’s second seeded, Amelia’s Ward Jets and third seeded Victory Valley Royals will play in the game following the keenly contested Sonics vs. Colts match-up; again at stake is a semi-final place with Jets’ centre, Shane Webster having a key role.
Webster will lead the clan of Websters, with three other brothers on the team, with guard, Kevin ‘Two Feet’ Joseph at the top. Emmanuel Archibald also represents a formidable force for them in the paint against an under-staffed Victory Valley team.
Though equipped with big men, Alwyn Rodney, Harold Adams and Mark Richards, Royals will feel that it does not have its best team with several key players unavailable. One such player will be guard, Chris Williams, who’s shooting, Royals will miss tonight.
The third game of the night will feature Linden’s number one seeded, Kings against the fourth ranked, Retrieve Raiders. Kings have stocked its veterans on its roster with forwards, Abdullah Hamid, Omally Sampson and Marvin Hartman all part of the Kingdom.
Shooting guard, Orin Rose is also on Kings’ roster to face Dwayne Roberts’ Retrieve Raiders. National forward, Neil Marks and Louis James forms parts of Raiders’ team for what will be an epic grudge contest at Guyana’s leading indoor venue.
The last game will be a humdinger between Georgetown’s number one seeded club, Trinity Grid Holding (TGH) Pacesetters and fourth ranked, Dyna’s Ravens; Ravens have disposed Pacesetters on their last three meetings, including the 2013 Georgetown League, Playoffs and 2013 Brusches Classic in Linden.
Pacesetters will want to turn the tide this year with arguably the country’s best inside playmaker, guard Travis Burnett leading them against a quality Ravens team. Pacesetters will feel that their chances have increased with Royston Siland back in the team. In his absence, Randy Richardson had filled the void and continues to do so with excellence.
Veterans, Naylon Loncke and shooting guard, Steffon Gillis are all part of what should be a good side for Pacesetters on paper. However, the team seemed somewhat disjointed, notwithstanding their overwhelming talent, following the migration of their Coach, Robert Cadogan to the United States last year.
Conversely, Ravens with guard/forward, Akeem Kanhai, Ryan Stephany, Rodwell Fortune and a host of other quality players, Ryan Gullen and Stephon Henry, have literally ascended to become the team to beat in recent months with an outstanding record.
From winning the Brusches Classic to trumping Suriname’s best club in an exchange programme a few weeks ago, Ravens have emerged as one of the top teams with its classic systems, ball-rotation and entertaining transition offense. Tonight will feature four quality games as four teams move closer to the $400,000 first place prize and a year’s bragging rights.
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