Basketball: National League – Men’s division two play-offs |24 October 2022
Hansley Bristol and Cascade Bullets beat Baba 81-52 to finish second overall (Photo: Roland Duval)
Play-off fixtures settle as top contenders win on last day of preliminaries
As it has been the case for the men’s top division and the women’s league, the play-off fixtures for the men’s division two have been settled following the last series of matches in the preliminaries leading to the play-offs scheduled to start next week.
In the men’s division two, top finishers Anse Boileau-based AB Boys will play against fourth-placed inner islanders Praslin Boys, while runners-up Cascade Bullets will play against Anse Etoile who finished third overall in the ranking.
In their last matches on Saturday, AB Boys, Cascade Bullets and Anse Etoile all registered victories to know their opponents, while Praslin Boys had to wait for their fate after having played all their 18 league matches in advance due to logistic reasons.
It is to note that during the league, the Praslin side played twice per weekend, to cut down on travelling cost during the week.
On Saturday, AB Boys were up against Mont Fleuri Ballerz, while Bullets played Bel Air Basketball Academy (Baba).
As for Anse Etoile, they played against St Louis Saints.
Against Mont Fleuri Ballerz, AB Boys were the most dominant side, winning the first quarter 18-8, before clinching the second 19-8 to comfortably lead 37-16 at half-time.
With a comfortable advantage, AB Boys let their guard down in the third quarter, allowing Ballerz to score some points, despite losing 11-16, to conclude the third period 53-27.
Not wanting to disappoint their loyal fans who had flocked Victoria Gymnasium in numbers, AB Boys put up another good display in the fourth and final quarter, winning it 16-6 and the match 69-33.
AB Boys have concluded the league on 34 points from 16 victories and just two defeats from 18 matches played, while Ballerz finished fifth overall on 27 points from nine wins and nine losses in 18 matches played.
In their final league match, Bullets were up against Baba and they dominated the first quarter 23-9, before being surprised by the young Baba side who won the second quarter 18-12, cutting out Bullets’ lead to 35-27 at half-time.
A more experienced Bullets however redeemed themselves in the third quarter, easily winning it 26-12 to stretch their lead to 61-39 at the end of the period.
Already in the driving seat, Cascade Bullets kept their dominance in the final quarter, winning it 20-13 and the match 81-52 to climb second overall, leapfrogging Praslin Boys who at that time had moved down to third place.
Once again, it was Hansley Bristol who led the scoring for Bullets with 32 points, while Abdulmalik Maijah scored 16 points to finish as Baba’s top scorer.
Bullets concluded the league on 32 points from 14 wins and four losses in 18 matches played, but finished above both Anse Etoile and Praslin Boys based on the head-to-head rule.
In their match against five-man St Louis Saints, Anse Etoile of coach Kenneth Domingue did not have to labour hard for their two points, winning the first quarter of the match 23-5, before dominating the second 21-4 to lead 44-9 at half-time.
Anse Etoile were more dominant in the third quarter which they easily won 33-7, before winning the last quarter of the match 25-6 and the match 102-22.
Joshua Victor was Anse Etoile’s top scorer with 25 points, while Francesco Dugasse scored nine points to lead the scoring for the Saints.
Similar to Cascade Bullets and Praslin Boys, Anse Etoile have collected a final total 32 points from 14 wins and four defeats out of 18 matches played, but finished third (behind Bullets) and one spot above Praslin Boys, again, based on the head-to-head rule.
Anse Etoile have lost once and won once against both teams.
As for St Louis Saints, they concluded the league campaign eighth overall on 23 points from six wins and 12 losses out of 18 matches played.
Meanwhile, the Seychelles Basketball Federation (SBF) has announced that winners and runners-up of the second division play-offs will earn automatic promotion to the top flight next season, while a third and fourth-place decider match will decide the third team to be promoted, making the men’s top division a 10-team league.
It is to note that no team will be demoted from division one at the end of this season.
Roland Duval
Capt
Hansley Bristol and Cascade Bullets beat Baba 81-52 to finish second overall (Photo: Roland Duval)
Micheal Agathine led AB Boys past Mont Fleuri Ballerz to finish on top of the table (Photo: Roland Duval)
Sam Bill’s Anse Etoile hit the century mark against Saint Louis Saints to secure third place (Photo: Roland Duval)
