Basketball – Men’s Divisions One and Two play-offs |07 November 2022
Nigel Cafrine scored 19 points to lead Anse Etoile past Cascade Bullets in game one (Photo: Roland Duval)
Beau Vallon Heat, Baya, Anse Etoile clinch game one
The Victoria Gymnasium was lit over the weekend with the first matches in the play-off series for the men’s divisions one and two where Beau Vallon Heat, Baya, Anse Etoile and AB Boys registered wins to lead the series in their respective divisions.
In the men’s division one group, Heat defeated Anse Boileau-based Drifters, while in the other match played in the same division, Baya beat PLS Hawks in extra-time to take a 1-0 lead in the best-of-three play-offs.
In the men’s division two competition, AB Boys won their first match against Praslin Boys on Friday, while the second encounter between the two sides was scheduled for late yesterday afternoon.
As for Anse Etoile, they are now leading the series after their win over Cascade Bullets.
Baya shoot down Hawks in extra-time
Bel Air-based Baya who finished third overall in the classification round, registered an important victory on Saturday in their first match against PLS Hawks to lead the play-off series 1-0, in a match that was almost marred by some questionable officiating.
Entering the match as the underdogs, Baya quickly made their intention known, going head-to-head with Hawks who had regained the services of Rodney Lozé. Baya of coach Gregoire Scholastique managed to tame the Hawks in the first quarter, despite narrowing losing 14-16.
It was in the second quarter that the Bel Air side made a difference in the match, outscoring Hawks 21-14 for a 35-30 half-time lead.
Baya started the third period on the same tempo, matching PLS Hawks both in offence and defence, but suffered a huge blow when Marcus Tirant was ejected from the match by official Vali Ismaël after contesting a foul call made by the latter on captain Dave Roseline.
Despite the incident, Baya managed to keep their composure to match Hawks in scoring at the end of the quarter with 19 points apiece, concluding it with a 54-49 lead.
It was in the fourth and final quarter that PLS Hawks stepped up their game through some individual performances from Darius Adam through fast-breaks to outscore Baya 18-13, sealing the match at 67-67.
Extra-time was needed to decide a winner and it was Baya who were more consistent, scoring 12 points – with six coming from Allan Barron – compared to eight for Hawks, giving the former a hard-fought 79-75 win and a 1-0 lead.
Okafor Ebuka contributed 21 points to finish as Baya’s top scorer, while Adam led the scoring for Hawks with 16 points.
The second match of the series will be played tomorrow at 5.30pm at Victoria Gymnasium, and in case of a victory for Hawks, the third and decisive match has been scheduled for Friday at 7pm.
Beau Vallon sneak past Drifters to take lead
First-place finishers in the classification league Beau Vallon Heat are now in the driving seat of their play-off series after registering a 77-70 win in game one against Drifters to lead 1-0.
Heat took the lead early on in the match, winning the first quarter 28-21, but Drifters pulled themselves back in the game in the second period despite narrowly losing 16-17 as the first half of the match ended 45-37 in favour of Heat.
The young Anse Boileau side came out stronger in the third quarter, outscoring Heat 18-16 to cut their lead to 61-55 at the end of the period.
Missing several golden opportunities, Drifters allowed Heat to score 16 points in the fourth and final quarter, while scoring 15 to lose the match 70-77.
Captain Timmy Adam scored 25 points to lead the scoring for Heat, the same points tally as Drifters’ captain Arnaud Arissol who was his team’s top scorer.
The second match of the series between the two is scheduled for this evening at 5pm at Victoria Gymnasium, and in case of a Drifters’ victory, the third and decisive match will be played on Saturday at 5.30pm.
Anse Etoile stun Cascade Bullets in game one
In the men’s division two competition, Anse Etoile have taken a 1-0 series lead after defeating rivals Cascade Bullets in their first match on Saturday at Victoria Gymnasium.
Clearly the better side on Saturday, Anse Etoile of coach Kenneth Domingue won the first quarter 17-11, but however allowed Bullets to pick up their game in the second quarter, scoring 13 points, compared to 10 for the former for a 27-24 lead at half-time.
More organised, Anse Etoile, who finished third in the classification league behind Bullets, scored 10 more points in the third quarter, while their opponents scored eight, concluding the period with a 37-32 advantage.
Smelling victory already, Anse Etoile came out stronger in the fourth and final quarter of the match to outscore Bullets 14-8 and win the opening match of the play-off series 51-40.
Nigel Cafrine was Anse Etoile’s top scorer with 19 points, while Hensley Bristol had the hot hands for Bullets with 11 points.
Game two of the series will be played on Wednesday, while a third and decisive match has been scheduled for Saturday in case of a victory for Cascade in Wednesday’s match.
Meanwhile, in the other match of this division, Anse Boileau-based AB Boys, who finished top of the classification league, registered a 73-64 victory over Praslin Boys who finished fourth overall, and game two of the series was programmed for late yesterday afternoon.
Roland Duval
