Basketball: National League |20 July 2022

Anse Etoile’s Helpimino Tonet goes to the hoop against St Louis Saints

Drifters remain on top

● Beau Vallon Heat suffer first loss

Anse Boileau-based Drifters are still leading the standings of the men’s division one league following their victory over MBU Rockers, while Beau Vallon Heat have suffered their first defeat at the hands of PLS Hawks.

In the men’s division two competition, Cascade Bullets are still maintaining their perfect winning record after their fifth victory in as many matches after defeating Mont Fleuri Ballers in their last match.

Under the guidance of coach Phillip Arissol, Drifters started their match against MBU Rockers on a rather slow pace, compared to their usual high-speed plays, allowing the experienced Rockers, led by captain Nigel Sinon, to take advantage and win the first quarter 19-6.

Realising the score deficit, Drifters came out stronger in the second quarter and managed to impose their game, outscoring Rockers 29-10 to conclude the half with a 35-29 advantage.

Turnovers and inaccuracies in their attempts spoiled Drifters’ game in the third quarter, allowing Rockers to close the gap, leaving the former with a slight 51-49 advantage at the end of the period.

Not wanting to lose the match, Drifters slightly stepped up their game in the fourth and final quarter, winning it 24-17 and the match 75-66.

Ervin Agathine was Drifters’ top scorer with 30 points, while Pascal Bibi led the scoring for Rockers with 15 points.

The win kept Drifters in the lead on nine points from four wins and a defeat out of five matches, while a third loss in as many matches ties Rockers to the bottom of the table on minimum three points.

PLS Hawks stun Beau Vallon Heat

Following their perfect winning record after collecting maximum points from three victories in as many matches, Beau Vallon Heat finally stumbled at the hands of PLS Hawks in their last match, missing out on the chance to lead the standings.

The Heat entered the match without Faizel Naiken who was suffering from a fever and Khris Bouchereau who is back on his international journey to play professional basketball.

Coached by Lennon Shurman, the Heat went head-to-head with PLS Hawks in the first quarter, narrowly losing 14-15, before drifting further down in the second quarter, losing 16-23 to trail by 8 points ‒ 30-38 ‒ at half-time.

The Heat managed to regroup in the third quarter, stepping up their game to score 16 points, the same total as PLS Hawks, but with their advantage gain in the first half, the latter led 54-46 at the end of the third period.

In the fourth and final quarter, the Hawks, with instructions from coach Tony Juliette, shifted a gear to surpass the Heat 27-19 to win the match 81-65.

Darius Adam was PLS Hawks’ top scorer with 17 points, while his older brother Timmy Adam led the scoring for the Heat with 30 points.

The victory pushed PLS Hawks into third place on the table on six points from two wins and two losses out of four matches, while the Heat remain second on seven points from three victories and one defeat out of four matches.

Roseline’s last seconds trey sinks Mont Fleuri Dawgz

A three-pointer from young Luciano Roseline in the dying seconds of the match was enough to earn Bel Air-based Baya a hard-fought 59-57 victory over Mont Fleuri Dawgz, steering them into fourth place on the league table.

The match started on a rather slow pace with both teams struggling to get their game in progress, but a more organised Mont Fleuri Dawgz under coach Nigel Ah-Kong displayed a more organised basketball, winning the first quarter 13-7.

The second was no different from the first, with both teams making common mistakes, including turnovers and lack of accuracy in offence.

Again, Mont Fleuri Dawgz got the upper hand of the situation, winning the second quarter 14-10 for a 27-17 lead at half-time.

It was in the third quarter that Baya managed to organise their game to outscore their opponents 20-18, cutting their lead to 45-37 at the end of the period.

Compared to the first three quarters, the fourth and final period of the match saw the two teams display a more entertaining basketball, keeping the fans on the edge of their seats.

Behind on scores, Baya threw everything into the match, closing the gap significantly, while the Dawgz managed to maintain their momentum, keeping Baya at bay.

The Dawgz however suffered a hard blow with a few minutes left to play when they lost key player Sebastien Thomas who had to be taken off following an injury.

With Thomas off, Baya capitalised and managed to close the gap to 56-57.

With just 12 seconds to play in the match, Roseline managed to slip past the Mont Fleuri Dawgz defence and fire a trey from the baseline to seal the match with a 59-57 score for Baya.

He also finished as Baya’s top scorer with 15 points, while Anil Charlette scored 18 points to finish as Mont Fleuri Dawgz’ top scorer.

Cascade Bullets beat Mont Fleuri Ballers to stay top

Leaders Cascade Bullets are still maintaining their unbeaten record and number one spot on the men’s division two league table following their 71-52 over Mont Fleuri Ballers in their last league match.

They now sit comfortably on top, after collecting maximum 10 points from five wins in as many matches.

The Bullets won the first quarter 12-8, before narrowly losing the second period 17-18 to conclude the first half with a slight 29-26 lead.

The Bullets were shocked by their opponents who came out stronger in the third quarter which they won 17-14 to tie the score at 43-43 at the end of 30 minutes of play.

Coached by Biko Biong, Cascade Bullets redeemed themselves in the final quarter, dominating Mont Fleuri Ballers to win it 28-9 and the match 71-52.

Captain Eddie Biong led by example, leading the scoring for the Bullets with 24 points, while Mario Andre was Mont Fleuri Ballers’ top scorer with 18 points.

Following the defeat, Mont Fleuri Ballers are still tailing the league table on four points from four defeats in as many matches.

Anse Etoile dominate St Louis Saints

In the other match played in the bottom division, Anse Etoile climbed into second position on the table after thrashing St Louis Saints 85-22.

Anse Etoile won the first quarter 13-8, before imposing their dominance on the young St Louis Saints team in the second quarter, winning it 30-1.

The third quarter was another easy task for Anse Etoile who won 26-7, before winning the fourth and final quarter 16-6 and the match 85-22.

The win puts Anse Etoile second on the table on nine points after four wins and a loss in five matches.

Brandon Belmont scored 16 points to lead the scoring for Anse Etoile and Dumitrescu Lasplace was St Louis Saints’ top scorer with seven points.

Baba edge out MBU Boys

Baba were also in action in the division, edging out MBU Boys 49-47.

After losing the first quarter 7-14, the young team from the Bel Air Academy picked up the pace in the second period, narrowly winning 13-12, cutting MBU Boys’ lead to only six points (26-20) at half-time.

Despite coming out stronger in the third quarter, Baba still lost 10-13, giving their opponents a 39-30 lead at the end of the period.

It was in the fourth and final quarter that Baba threw everything into the match, scoring 19 points, compared to eight for MBU Boys, earning the young Bel Air team their first league win.

They are now sixth on seven points from a win and three defeats out of five matches.

As for MBU Boys, they are now seventh on six points from five defeats in as many matches.

Abdul-Malik Maijah was Baba’s top scorer with 18 points, while Jean-Paul Edmond led the scoring for MBU Boys with 13 points.

Roland Duval