Seychelles Basketball Federation (SBF) Cup finals - PLS Hawks, Mont Fleuri successfully defend titles |15 December 2014

Mont Fleuri and PLS Hawks are the 2014 female and male Seychelles Basketball Federation (SBF) Cup champions after successfully retaining the titles at Victoria Gymnasium on Saturday.

Last year, Mont Fleuri ended Anse Etoile’s domination when they won the knockout final and this year a much changed Stars side were looking to avenge that defeat and in the process save their season, after struggling to match their performance of recent years.

It was Mont Fleuri who would have the first points on the board but soon found themselves behind as the Stars took control of the first quarter and led 16-10 at the end of the first 10 minutes of play.

The second quarter saw both teams fail to score in the first four minutes as there were a lot of air balls and some shots bounced off the rim. At times the game did not look like a final at all – a sentiment echoed by the spectators who were at the game. By the end of the second quarter, the Stars were still in the lead – 23-18.

It was in the third quarter that Mont Fleuri took the lead for the first time. After equalising at 29 apiece through Patricia Samynadin’s two-pointer, coach Tony Juliette’s side did not look back as they kept their concentration against a Stars side who just could not hit the target despite numerous attempts.

Mont Fleuri capitalised on those failed shots from their opponents to outscore them 21-11 and take a 39-34 lead into the final quarter of the game.

With 10 minutes to play, Anse Etoile Stars desperately tried to regain their lead while Mont Fleuri tried to remain ahead. At the final buzzer though, it was the Mont Fleuri camp who celebrated victory on a 54-49 score to a second successive SBF Cup title.

It was Stars’ Dina Louis who finished as the game’s highest scorer with 16 points, while Agnes Bristol led Mont Fleuri with 10 points.

“We started the season well, but then we slacked a little, which cost us the league title, but the players regained their concentration and we managed to defend our title today,” said coach Juliette after the match.

He added that he is not sure whether he will still be with the team next year, but stated that should he be, then his aim will be to bring in some young players so that eventually they can replace those who will be leaving the game soon.

The male final was a highly anticipated match as two old foes were reunited in a final for the first time in a few years, hoping to renew the rivalry that has thrilled so many fans in the past. Both teams have had a disappointing league outing and this final was a chance to end the season on a high.

It was the Hawks who started the brighter of the two sides as captain Bernard Bristol opened the scoring with a two-pointer as his team took an early 8-0 lead before the Cobras finally got on their first points on the board. At the end of the first period of play, the Hawks had already taken a good 14-6 lead over their opponents.

The second quarter continued along the same vein, although the Cobras did manage to close the gap to three points, before the Hawks left them behind by scoring 12 unanswered points to take the half-time score to 28-13.

From then on, it was already looking likely to be the Hawks’ day and in the third quarter, despite the Cobras again fighting to close the gap early on, the Hawks’ quality shone through as they kept themselves in the lead to end the third quarter of play at 48-29.

The final quarter saw both sides up the tempo as the game was played at a frantic pace with action at either end of the court, and even the referees struggled to keep up with the action, contributing to some moments of controversy, although the players kept their cool to avoid any incidents.

With 1 minute 40 seconds remaining, the PLS faithful were delighted to see Heribert Derjacques, who had retired from the sport, make his comeback and he joined his colleagues in celebrating a 62-35 win.

Hawks’ Jim Domingue said: “We lost the league title and therefore really needed to retain our knockout title and we are happy to have done it. On the whole, I think the season was not too bad for us, although the loss of some players really hurt us.”
 
Hawks’ Wilby Domingue top scored in the match with 22 points.

Saturday’s finals was the final act of the 2014 basketball season and therefore saw the teams and players receive their cups for the various competitions they took part in.

The highlight was of course the presentation for the player-of-the-year titles.  HotShots’ Sheriffa Agathine is the winner of the female title after putting in some impressive performances this year. For the men, it was a case of ‘when and not if’ as every basketball fan had already chosen who should receive the accolade and Baya’s Timmy Adam is the male basketballer of the year. He has proven to be a class above everyone else locally and also won the top scorer award at the Indian Ocean Club Championship played locally.

The 2014 basketball hall of fame

Curtain Raiser (men)
Winners: PLS Hawks
Runners-up: Baya

Curtain Raiser (ladies)
Winners: HotShots
Runners-up: Mont Fleuri

Men’s second division league
Winners: Grand Anse Wolves
Runners-up: Cascade Bullets

Men’s first division league
Winners: Baya
Runners-up: Mont Fleuri Dawgz

Women’s league
Winners: HotShots
Runners-up: Bel Air Challenge

Men’s second division knockout
Winners: Grand Anse Wolves
Runners-up: Cascade Bullets

Men’s SBF Cup
Winners: PLS Hawks
Runners-up: Premium Cobras

Women’s SBF Cup
Winners: Mont Fleuri
Runners-up: Anse Etoile Stars

Best volunteer: Tracey Hétimier
Best official: Grégoire Scholastique
Best coach: Tony Juliette (Mont Fleuri and Premium Cobras)

Best young male player
Winner: Mamadou Diallo
Runner-up: Attila Cadence

Best young female player
Winner: Sarah Rose
Runner-up: Laura Françoise

Best male player
Winner: Timmy Adam (Baya)
Runner-up: Arnaud Arrisol (Drifters)

Best female player
Winner: Sheriffa Agathine (HotShots)
Runner-up: Jana Malbrook (Bel Air Challenge)

S. N.