Basketball - Hawks win fourth successive title, B Challenge first-time winners |28 April 2015

PLS Hawks have once again asserted themselves as a force to be reckoned with as they won their fourth curtain raiser trophy in a row on Sunday, while Bel Air Challenge – formed only last year – have opened their trophy cabinet for the first time to place the women’s Curtain Raiser Cup.

The Curtain Raiser tournament has been a big test for the finalists as they were made to play twice on the same day, since the semifinals were played earlier on Sunday.

For Hawks, it was a tough semifinal to get through as they defeated big rivals Baya 90-79 to book their place in the final, while their final opponents, Drifters managed to defeat MBU Rockers 74-65 to get to their first ever curtain raiser final.

The start of the men’s final was delayed for a while, due to a medical emergency at the venue, but once the game got underway, it was clear that both teams had a strong desire to lift the trophy.

At the end of the contest though it was a 33-point contribution from the returning Rodney Lozé that helped the Hawks to lift their fourth consecutive Curtain Raiser trophy and make the perfect start to the season. It should be noted that Hawks now has a new name on the bench, as former player Heribert Derjacques is now leading the team as head coach.

“It has been a good competition and it has enabled some of our returning players such as Rodney and Nigel Collie to integrate in the team,” said Coach Derjacques.

It is a very promising start for Drifters as well, a side that has been constantly improving and should take this performance as a platform to build on for the league season.

In the women’s competition, it was a first final for Michel Malbrook’s Bel Air Challenge side, as they took on last year’s SBF Cup Champions Mont Fleuri.

On paper, Mont Fleuri must have been favourites after they defeated defending champions HotShots in the semifinal. B. Challenge had an easy passage into the final, as they won by walk-over against Beau Vallon Sonics.

The final was a tense affair as the scores remained close in the first quarter, but it was the Bel Air team led by Sylvie Port-Louis (19 points) and Jana Malbrook (18 points) who took control of the contest to grab a 68-53 win to get their first trophy since their creation and make the best possible start to the season.

S.N