Guyana stay alive with emphatic win over Trinidad

Jul 07, 2016 Sports

Guyana’s Kelmar Carmichael goes up for a lay-up against Trinidad and Tobago last night at the Cliff Anderson Sports Hall.

– play Jamaica for Final Four place tonight

Guyana stayed alive in the Caribbean Basketball Confederation (CBC) Under-16 Championships last night with an emphatic 69-52 win against Trinidad and Tobago, compliments of shear grit, grind and hustle at the Cliff Anderson Sports Hall.
After their miserable loss to Suriname, host nation Guyana were able to hold off a fourth quarter surge from the Twin Island Republic for a victory that places them against Jamaica tonight in a virtual quarterfinal showdown with the winner more or less advancing to the Final Four.
Guyana’s shooting in the first half gave the hosts a 20-point lead that they never relinquished despite a few runs from Trinidad and Tobago in the second half.
Guard, Kevon Wiggins was 7-32 from the field for 18 points, but got the job done. Centre/Forward, Jordan Alphonso again came through big from the paint with 18 points and 13 rebounds for another double-double.
Shooting guard, Shemar France also dropped 14 points and was hot from beyond the arc hitting 4-9 from downtown while Nigel Bowen contributed 11 points to finally get Guyana’s offence up and running.
Trinidadian sensation, guard, Jordan Persad did his best to save Trinidad but his second half heroics was not enough; he ended with 23 points while Netrell Malcolm had 13 points.
Guyana started the game with a 20-7 run in the first quarter with Wiggins sinking the game’s first shot from beyond the arc much to the appreciation of the vociferous crowd that came out to help haul Guyana over the line.
Guyana’s ball movement and offence to begin the game allowed them to gain the early 13 point advantage before the start of the second period. Their 2-3 zone defence disallowed Persad from getting into the lane for easy buckets as he has skillfully done in the tournament.
On the offensive end, Guyana shot the ball at a high percentage from beyond the arc for a 20-point lead heading into the halftime break with the score on 39-19.The eventual win now gives Guyana two wins in the tournament with one game left against Jamaica who are yet to lose.
A win for Guyana tonight against Jamaica will ensure they end with a similar 3-1 record from the first round. Suriname could also end up with that record in the group. The bottom line is that Guyana must beat Jamaica tonight to be even considered for the Final Four of the CBC U16 Championships.