Basketball: League championship-Double upset ... |16 May 2006
Baya and SMB Razorback took the big guns’ best shots and still came away victorious against Premium Cobras (66-63) and PLS Hawks (80-66) respectively inside a full-house Victoria Gymnasium filled with noise.
For almost five years now, local basketball giants Premium Cobras and PLS Hawks had not lost to any of the other teams in the league except against each other. But the big question right now is will SMB Razorback and Baya be able to displace their arch-rivals after having gotten under their skin with some tough play under the board?
What is certain is that the league championship is far from over with teams having played just four matches out of 14, but having put forth their best defensive efforts, Baya and SMB Razorback look capable of turning the tables this season provided they keep this same momentum and don’t let the big wins go to their heads.
Pundits also believe that defeats for big guns will do a lot of good to the game, sending the championship wide open and the title up for anyone to grab ...
Baya 66 ... Premium Cobras 63
He shot the ball well in Baya’s 101-49 win over Angels the weekend before and against Premium Cobras he was his usual self and given ample time to have good looks at the basket, he knocked down the big shots. Shooting guard Steve Denis, scorer of 24 points including four 3-pointers against Angels, finished with a game-high 21 points including four 3-pointers, making him one of the local game’s most feared shooter right now.
With their starting five outscoring that of Premium Cobras 53-48, Baya did the damage early in the match, dominating the first three quarters 17-14, 17-15 and 17-10 before losing the fourth 15-24.
They also connected on seven 3-pointers compared to two for Premium Cobras who scored 17 of their points at the free-throw line.
With Nigerian Ugoh adding 15 points and Michael Cupidon getting off the bench to make a contribution of 11 points, victory was sweet for Baya who put one over former coach Jude Talma who was hit with a technical foul with 23 seconds left in the match after screaming at the officials for what he termed a foul on Christopher Camille.
Baya’s coach Michel Malbrook, who is in his second spell with the team, told Sports Nation that “my team worked hard for the match and although we struggled in crunch time, we achieved our goal.”
As for Premium Cobras’ team manager Roy Collie, he said that “all is not lost for us”.
The former champions got 14 points from each of their two Nigerian imports – Reuben Kolawole and Mohamed Ozegya – while Seychelles centre Lenny ‘Bad’ Aglaé added 11.
Unbeaten in four matches for eight points and finding themselves in the rather unfamiliar position of leaders and labelled the favourites for this year’s title, Baya’s next opponents are PLS Hawks and the match is scheduled for this coming Saturday at the Palais des Sports.
SMB Razorback 80 ... PLS Hawks 66
Coach Tony Juliette said that his PLS Hawks team “did not play well” on Sunday, but he probably forgot that all teams want to claim the scalp of champions. And this is what SMB Razorback did after having controlled the game against the defending champions.
Unable to play their quick game with quicksilver guards Jefferson Nganga (retired from the sport) and Bernard Bristol (banned for two years), PLS Hawks were in trouble all along, losing the opening two quarters 24-14 and 20-11.
Already missing much inspiration although playmaker Thomas Collie played big minutes and scored 12 points, PLS Hawks missed Ugandan all-rounder Stephen Omony who has still not returned after a recent trip to his homeland.
Winning the second half 39-36 proved to be too little for the reigning champions as they fell to their first defeat in the league this term.
Formerly with Premium Cobras, Malagasy Alberto ‘Didys’ Edwards showed that he remains a dangerous player, finishing with a game-leading 23 points, including two 3-pointers and six free-throws.
SMB Razorback’s three other players who scored in double digits were deadly shooter Jean-Paul Camille (18 points, including two 3-pointers), centre Alex Baron (11 points) and playmaker Tony Hortère (13 points).
Almost lost for words, SMB’s coach Pascal Fostel had this to say to Sports Nation:
“We played two tough matches in four days and we worked on a playing strategy for both games. We came close against Premium Cobras last Thursday but lost in the closing minutes, but today (Sunday) my players remained concentrated and followed the game plan. We mean business.”
After their third victory in five games, SMB Razorback are in second position with eight points, while PLS Hawks are third with seven points.
Two other Men division 1A matches were played over the weekend. RC Dynamics stopped their three-game losing skid and extended that of MBU Rockers with a 61-48 win.
Tony Marday and Kenneth Domingue combined for 30 points – 15 apiece – to lead RC Dynamics to their first win of the season. Playmaker Nigel Sinon top scored with 14 points for MBU Rockers who have gone three games without a win.
Cascade Bullets also celebrated victory for the first time this season, beating Angels 72-67. Playmaker Kenneth Sophie led the Bullets in scoring with 19 points and Sandy Julienne added 14, while Angels’ shooting guard Steven Servina’s game-high 20-point effort went to a lost cause.
In the women’s league, Anse Etoile Stars were never in trouble against Juniors, winning 109-23 to move to the top of the standings with 10 points after five victories in as many matches played.
In a Men division 1B match between Ex-Champs and Bel Air Blazers, the former came out winners on a 50-45 score, while Juniors defeated LMS Youth 72-55 in a men’s second division encounter.
G. G.