BEBL Round 7 (Regular Season): Thunderbolts are defeated by Western Ballaz

Here is the last round review presented by Job Market.

The game between third ranked Thunderbolts (4-4) and fourth ranked Western Ballaz (3-3) was the most important one in the last round on Saturday night. Thunderbolts were defeated by Western Ballaz in a tough game in Belize City 82-87. It ended at the same time the two-game winning streak of Thunderbolts. Western Ballaz made 22-of-28 free shots (78.6 percent) during the game. Great defensive blocking was one of the keys in this match when Western Ballaz made 11 blocks. It was a great evening for forward Arik Nicholas (196, college: ACU) who led his team to a victory with a double-double by scoring 34 points (!!!), 15 rebounds, 4 assists and 8 blocks (made all of his seven free throws). American guard Dennis Flowers III (188-2001, college: ACU) helped adding 17 points, 7 rebounds and 4 assists. At the losing side Matthew Young responded with a double-double by scoring 20 points and 13 rebounds. Western Ballaz maintains fourth place with 3-3 record. Newly promoted Thunderbolts keep the third position with four games lost. Western Ballaz will have a break next round, and it should allow them to practice more before next game. Thunderbolts will play again on the road against Western Ballaz in San Ignacio and it may be a tough game between close rivals.
Very significant was Tiger Sharks' (#1, 9-0) victory against their biggest opponent Dream Ballers (5-3) 90-82. It was an exceptional evening for the former international guard Jihad Wright (193-1993, college: UNCP) who led the winners and scored 18 points and 6 rebounds. Francis Arana accounted for 10 points, 7 rebounds and 5 assists. The former international forward Kirk Smith (203-2000, college: McLennan CC) came up with 18 points, 9 rebounds and 4 blocks for Dream Ballers in the defeat. Both coaches used bench players which allowed the starters a little rest for the next games. Undefeated Tiger Sharks (9-0) have an impressive series of nine victories in a row. They maintain first place with a perfect record of 9 victories in a row. Dream Ballers at the other side keep the second position with three games lost. Tiger Sharks will play against Suns (#5) in the next round. Dream Ballers will have a break next round.
Bottom-ranked Suns managed to get a second victory on Saturday night. This time newly promoted Suns outleveled sixth-ranked Panthers 72-49. It's especially surprising that the victory came too easily and 23-point difference suggests that Suns is in a good shape to leave the bottom place. Jamaal Clifton fired a double-double by scoring 20 points, 12 rebounds and 4 assists for the winners. Jaden Sutherland produced 14 points and 8 rebounds for lost side. The winner was already known earlier in the game, so both coaches allowed to play the bench players saving starting five for next games. Suns (2-5) moved-up to fifth place. Panthers lost their fifth game in a row. They dropped to the bottom position with six games lost. They share it with Kings. Suns will meet at home league's leader Tiger Sharks in the next round and it will be quite challenging to get another victory. Panthers will play against Kings (#6) and it may be a tough game between close rivals.

In the last two games of round 7 Kings were destroyed by Thunderbolts on the opponent's court 82-62. Tiger Sharks managed to outperform Panthers in a home game 76-61.



Thunderbolts - Kings 82-62

Rather expected game in Belize City where 6th ranked City Kings (2-6) were crushed by third ranked Thunderbolts (4-4) 82-62 on Thursday. Thunderbolts outrebounded Kings 58-47 including a 43-32 advantage in defensive rebounds. The former international Tyrone Hall (190-1990, college: Queens, NY) fired 19 points, 5 rebounds and 5 assists for the winners. Matthew Young chipped in 4 points and 18 rebounds. Thunderbolts' coach used a ten-player rotation and allowed the starting five to rest. Forward Shane Pratt produced 13 points and 9 rebounds and Brandon Flowers (196-1995) added 16 points and 6 rebounds respectively for lost side. Newly promoted Thunderbolts maintains third place with 4-4 record having six points less than leader Tiger Sharks. Kings at the other side, also newcomer in the league, keep the sixth position with six games lost. They share it with Panthers. Thunderbolts will meet Western Ballaz (#4) in the next round. Kings will play against Panthers in Punta Gorda and it may be a tough game between close rivals.
Top scorers:
Thunderbolts: T.Hall 19+5reb+5ast, G.Lopez 18+1reb+4ast, L.Sosa 14+4reb, E.Rene 10+8reb+4ast, C.Garcia 8+10reb+2ast, M.Caseras 4+2reb
Kings: B.Flowers 16+6reb, S.Pratt 13+9reb+1ast, N.Mendez 10+5reb+3ast, J.Kelly 6+13reb+2ast, J.Harris 6+1reb, E.Olivera 6

Tiger Sharks - Dream Ballers 90-82

Very significant was Tiger Sharks' (#1, 9-0) victory against their biggest opponent Dream Ballers (5-3) 90-82. Tiger Sharks dominated down low during the game scoring 68 of its points in the paint compared to Dream Ballers' 46. Tiger Sharks had a 29-18 advantage in offensive rebounds. They brought some defensive toughness making 7 blocks. It was an exceptional evening for the former international guard Jihad Wright (193-1993, college: UNCP) who led the winners and scored 18 points and 6 rebounds. Point guard Francis Arana (180-1997) accounted for 10 points, 7 rebounds and 5 assists for the winning side. Four Tiger Sharks players scored in double figures. The former international forward Kirk Smith (203-2000, college: McLennan CC) came up with 18 points, 9 rebounds and 4 blocks and forward Kevon Laurie added 8 points, 9 rebounds, 5 assists and 5 steals respectively for Dream Ballers in the defeat. Both coaches used bench players which allowed the starters a little rest for the next games. Tiger Sharks (9-0) have an impressive series of nine victories in a row. They maintain first place with a perfect record of 9 victories in a row. Dream Ballers at the other side keep the second position with three games lost. Tiger Sharks will play against Suns (#5) in the next round. Dream Ballers will have a break next round.
Top scorers:
Tiger Sharks: J.Wright 18+6reb+3ast, K.Rowland 16+3reb+1ast, M.Hunt 14+7reb, T.Griffith 12+5reb+1ast, D.Daly 12+5reb+1ast, F.Arana 10+7reb+5ast
Dream Ballers: K.Smith 18+9reb+1ast, D.Conorque 14+5reb+1ast, D.Brackett 11+3reb, Q.Bowen 10+5reb, K.Laurie 8+9reb+5ast, E.Mitchell 8+3reb+4ast

Thunderbolts - Western Ballaz 82-87

The game between third ranked Thunderbolts (4-4) and fourth ranked Western Ballaz (3-3) was the most important one in the last round on Saturday night. Thunderbolts were defeated by Western Ballaz in a tough game in Belize City 82-87. It ended at the same time the two-game winning streak of Thunderbolts. Western Ballaz made 22-of-28 free shots (78.6 percent) during the game. Great defensive blocking was one of the keys in this match when Western Ballaz made 11 blocks. It was a great evening for forward Arik Nicholas (196, college: ACU) who led his team to a victory with a double-double by scoring 34 points (!!!), 15 rebounds, 4 assists and 8 blocks (made all of his seven free throws). American guard Dennis Flowers III (188-2001, college: ACU) helped adding 17 points, 7 rebounds and 4 assists. Flowers III is a former Eurobasket Summer League player, which is considered top international summer league in the market. At the losing side Matthew Young responded with a double-double by scoring 20 points and 13 rebounds and American Victor Evans (193, college: Vanguard, agency: F1RST STRING) scored 19 points, 7 rebounds, 5 assists and 4 steals. Four Thunderbolts players scored in double figures. Western Ballaz maintains fourth place with 3-3 record. Newly promoted Thunderbolts keep the third position with four games lost. Western Ballaz will have a break next round, and it should allow them to practice more before next game. Thunderbolts will play again on the road against Western Ballaz in San Ignacio and it may be a tough game between close rivals.
Top scorers:
Western Ballaz: A.Nicholas 34+15reb+4ast, D.Flowers III 17+7reb+4ast, J.Ciego 13+6reb+1ast, N.Everett 8+5reb, D.Oden 7+2reb+1ast, J.Carbajal 3+4reb+3ast
Thunderbolts: T.Hall 20+8reb, M.Young 20+13reb, V.Evans 19+7reb+5ast, G.Lopez 16+2reb+2ast, L.Sosa 5+12reb, G.Fisher 2+1reb

Tiger Sharks - Panthers 76-61

Very predictable result in San Pedro where leader Tiger Sharks (9-0) defeated bottom-ranked Panthers (2-6) 76-61 on Thursday. Tiger Sharks dominated down low during the game scoring 44 of its points in the paint compared to Panthers' 24. Tiger Sharks forced 19 Panthers turnovers. Point guard Francis Arana (180-1997) fired 25 points, 6 rebounds and 5 assists for the winners. The former international guard Jihad Wright (193-1993, college: UNCP) chipped in a double-double by scoring 17 points and 13 rebounds. Tiger Sharks' coach used a ten-player rotation and allowed the starting five to rest. American forward Marquis Cunningham (208-1995, college: UAPB) produced a double-double by scoring 18 points and 16 rebounds and guard Chance Leslie added 4 points, 6 rebounds and 4 assists respectively for lost side. The victory was the ninth consecutive win for Tiger Sharks. They maintain first place with 9-0 record. Panthers lost their fifth game in a row. They dropped to the bottom position with six games lost. They share it with Kings. Tiger Sharks will meet Suns (#5) in the next round. Panthers will play against Kings and it may be a tough game between close rivals.
Top scorers:
Tiger Sharks: F.Arana 25+6reb+5ast, J.Wright 17+13reb+1ast, D.Daly 14+8reb+4ast, K.Rowland 6+1reb+1ast, K.Pollard 6+6reb, T.Griffith 4+9reb+2ast
Panthers: M.Cunningham 18+16reb+3ast, J.Sutherland 8+3reb, D.Bradley 7+4reb, C.Leslie 4+6reb+4ast, L.Young 3+3reb, K.Hamilton 2+4reb+2ast

Suns - Panthers 72-49

Bottom-ranked Suns managed to get a second victory on Saturday night. This time newly promoted Suns outleveled sixth-ranked Panthers 72-49. It's especially surprising that the victory came too easily and 23-point difference suggests that Suns is in a good shape to leave the bottom place. They dominated down low during the game scoring 54 of its points in the paint compared to Panthers' 32. Suns forced 30 Panthers turnovers. They looked well-organized offensively handing out 22 assists. American power forward Jamaal Clifton (198-1998, college: Langston) fired a double-double by scoring 20 points, 12 rebounds and 4 assists for the winners. Ray Cruz (196) chipped in 8 points, 6 rebounds and 4 assists. Jaden Sutherland produced 14 points and 8 rebounds and guard Chance Leslie added 12 points respectively for lost side. The winner was already known earlier in the game, so both coaches allowed to play the bench players saving starting five for next games. Suns (2-5) moved-up to fifth place. Panthers lost their fifth game in a row. They dropped to the bottom position with six games lost. They share it with Kings. Suns will meet at home league's leader Tiger Sharks in the next round and it will be quite challenging to get another victory. Panthers will play against Kings (#6) and it may be a tough game between close rivals.
Top scorers:
Suns: J.Clifton 20+12reb+4ast, G.Rudon 12+2reb+3ast, J.Gomez 9+3ast, R.Cruz 8+6reb+4ast, K.Jones 8+5reb+3ast, B.Rogers 6+3reb+1ast
Panthers: J.Sutherland 14+8reb+2ast, C.Leslie 12+2reb+1ast, M.Cunningham 9+3reb+2ast, D.Bradley 5+3reb, K.Hamilton 4+4reb+4ast, K.Cumberbatch 4+5reb