South Zone finals series head to deciders

Behind a 27-point performance from Tyrik Singh, Team Elite sealed a thrilling 80-76 overtime win, to level the Championship Division best-in-three series final in the South Zone Basketball League.

In a see-saw match played at the Southern Regional Indoor Sports Arena (SRISA) in Pleasantville, San Fernando on Friday night, Police jumped to an early lead, holding a 24-18 advantage at the end of the first quarter.

Team Elite needed to win to extend the series having lost the opener, 66-62, the previous Friday at the Southwestern Regional Indoor Sports Arena (SWRISA) in Egypt, Point Fortin. Elite battled back to take a narrow three-point (39-36) lead at the half. Police though, boosted by the efforts of Mikahail Williams, the second- highest scorer in the match with 21 and Dextroy Manswell (12), recovered to retake the lead, 62-57 in the third stanza.

However, the Elite players rallied in the fourth quarter when they outscored the police officers, 11-6. They then stepped up its defence and controlled the five-minute extra session, 12-6, to claim the four-point win, sending the series to a decider carded for Friday at the Pleasantville venue from 7 pm.

The battle for the title in the Under-21 Division is just as intense as the Point Fortin Veterans Basketball Academy (PFVBBA) tied the best-in-three series final with a comfortable 63-50 win over Hoop Nation on Thursday at SRISA.

Friday, featuring for PFVBBA in the youth division, came good in game two, topscoring with a match-high 21 points to help his team level the series, 1-1, in the lone match that evening at the same Pleasantville venue. He got good support from Simba Edwards and Justin Mitchell, who added 13 and 11, respectively in a match which their team led at the end of each quarter.

In the first period, the Point Fortin-based team held a narrow two-point (14-12) advantage and extended it to five (29-24) at the halfway mark. PFVBBA pulled further ahead in the third, 45-38, before sealing the 13-point win.

For Hoop Nation, Josiah Marryshow and Mikiel Phillips were best offensively with 14 and 12 points, respectively.

In a competitive game one clash on March 22, Hoop Nation emerged with a narrow 54-51 victory as PFVBBA was unable to take advantage of playing at home in Egypt.

The teams will battle it out in the decider on Thursday at SRISA. Game three will tip off at 7 pm.

The league is scheduled to close on Sunday (April 14) at the Pleasantville Indoor. Spectators will be treated to a Slam Dunk contest, a three-point shooting competition and an All Star Game before the prize-giving ceremony. Action starts at 2 pm.

Source: Trinidad Guardian, 8 April 2024