Basketball: Land Marine Cup finals |19 December 2022
B Challenge’s top scorer Guyra Boniface outpaces Stars’ veteran player Simone Asba (Photo: Roland Duval)
Doubles for Beau Vallon Heat and B Challenge
- AB Boys second division champions
Men’s division one league champions Beau Vallon Heat and women’s league winners B Challenge have added another piece of silverware to their 2022 collection, achieving the doubles, after winning their Land Marine Cup finals on Saturday at Victoria Gymnasium.
As for AB Boys, they brought home the men’s division two Land Marine Cup title home, compensating for their runners-up spot in the league.
Beau Vallon Heat won their final match 70-65 over rivals PLS Hawks, making it their fourth consecutive win in a row over the latter, while in the women’s final, B Challenge dominated Anse Etoile Stars to win 66-45.
As for AB Boys, they grabbed the cup after defeating Anse Royale 47-37.
Initially drawn in group A alongside PLS Hawks, Baya and Mont Fleuri Dawgz, Beau Vallon Heat collected maximum six points from three matches to top the group, after defeating Dawgz 92-65, Hawks 92-77 and Baya 83-68.
In the semifinal, the Heat defeated Drifters 68-63 to book their ticket to the final.
As for PLS Hawks, they ended up second in the group after defeating Baya 87-77 and Mont Fleuri Dawgz 71-62, earning them a semifinal shot against Premium Cobras who topped group B.
Hawks eliminated Cobras 64-61 to yet again set up another encounter with Beau Vallon Heat.
In Saturday’s final, it was Beau Vallon Heat who drew first blood, winning the first quarter 23-17, before Hawks fought back in the second quarter, outscoring Heats 22-10 for a 39-33 half-time advantage.
Fiercely contested, the third quarter of the match brought some good entertainment to the packed Victoria Gymnasium as Heat fought hard to reduce their deficit, while Hawks pushed forward to extend their lead.
At the end of the period, both teams scored 15 points, with the Hawks still leading 54-48.
It was in the fourth and final quarter that the course of the match changed with the Hawks failing to maintain their lead, and committing loads of mistakes, precisely missing free-throws and inaccuracy in their shooting, while the Heat polished their game, scoring 22 points, compared to only 11 for Hawks, earning them a 70-65 win and a second title this season.
Big-man James Oliseh scored 28 points to lead the scoring for Beau Vallon Heat, while Graham Alcindor was the Hawks’ top scorer with 14 points.
B Challenge dim Anse Etoile Stars to claim the doubles
To qualify for the women’s final, B Challenge defeated HotShots 40-37 in the group stage after the two were drawn in group A, while Stars were to play Mont Fleuri in group B.
After Mont Fleuri withdrew their participation, Anse Etoile had to also play against HotShots where they won 42-40 to meet B Challenge in the final.
In the final, it was the Bel Air side who took the game to their opponents, winning the first quarter 16-11, before Stars adjusted their game in the second quarter, claiming it 13-11, cutting B Challenge’s advantage to 27-24 at half-time.
There was total disarray in the Stars’ camp in the third quarter, with players refusing to play and this worked in the advantage of B Challenge who seized the opportunity to score 21 points, while Stars dropped in only 11, extending B Challenge’s lead to 48-35.
Already in command, B Challenge exerted more pressure, adding to Stars’ misery in the fourth and final quarter, outscoring the Stars 18-10 to win the match 66-45 and claim their second victory in a final over Anse Etoile Stars this season.
Guyra Boniface once again had the hot hands for B Challenge with 24 points, while Hillary Nourrice was the Stars’ top scorer with 11 points.
AB Boys halt Anse Royale’s dream to claim the title
After a pleasant journey in the competition, Anse Royale finally gave in on Saturday, losing the final 37-47 against second division league runners-up AB Boys.
Winners of group B after eliminating the Bel Air Basketball Academy (Baba), Anse Royale cruised through to the final with a win over MBU Boys in the semifinal.
As for AB Boys, they were initially drawn in pool A alongside PLS Suns, and needed a 58-41 victory to progress to the semifinal as they were the only two teams in the group. In the semifinal, they eliminated Cascade Bullets 57-55.
In Saturday’s final, it was clear that AB Boys had the upper hand right from the beginning, winning the first quarter 17-12, before clinching the second period of the match 16-10 to lead 33-22 at half-time.
Despite an improvement in terms of organisation in Anse Royale’s game in the third quarter, AB Boys managed to maintain their advantage, winning it 12-10, extending their lead to 45-32.
In the fourth and final quarter, Anse Royale managed to score five more points, while AB Boys add two more to their tally, ending the match with a 47-37 victory for the latter.
Dyandro Boniface was AB Boys’ top scorer with seven points, while Collin Japhet chipped in 13 points to lead the scoring for Anse Royale.
The winners and runners-up received their cups from Land Marine representative Dave Préa.
Roland Duval
