BTL Nets wins Game III of Semi-Pro Finals
Good evening, I?m James Adderley, and you?ve logged on to the latest edition of Sports Monday. BTL Nets and Kruzzaz went into Game III of the 5 Game Semi-pro basketball championships Friday night inside the City Centre knotted at a game a piece.
Kenroy Smith comes out sizzling for the Kruzzaz as he penetrates to hit the jumper inside the paint, even as we wondering where have all the semi-pro fans gone.
At the other end AC Augustine raises up for three to get the Phone Company all hooked up.
On the next possession Ian AC Augustine demonstrates. It?s no flute as he strikes for three from the opposite side.
Of course, Kruzzaz also has its pair of hot hands tonight, Kenroy Smith, sinks this baseline jumper–he would lead his team with the game high twenty points.
But at the end of the first quarter BTL Nets lead twenty-two to sixteen.
Meanwhile folks, talk about treading the needle Kelvin Gillette finds AC Augustine who converts and would finish with sixteen points.
Kelvin then hooks up with Kurt Burgess who knocks down three of his thirteen points right here.
However Kelvin Gillette does have his move, which he demonstrates to Bert Savilez. He gets the bucket, he gets the foul-he would total a team high nineteen points-and at the half BTL Nets are up by four.
So we fast forward to the fourth quarter where the Nets are up by seven points. So Kelvin Gillette sinks this three point bomb to push the lead to ten.
The feeling is catching people. Kurt Burgess fires for three and hits the target-he would finish with thirteen points. The BTL lead is now eleven.
Any momentum, the Kruzzaz thought of cementing, dissipates when Kenroy Smith gets a rejection slip from AC Augustine.
The Phone Company goes on to take Game III eighty-seven to seventy-three.
Game IV comes up tonight at the City Centre where Kruzzaz must win to force a decisive Game 5 or else BTL Nets will wear the crown in 2004.
Turning to the football scene, after a four year hiatus due to a bitter internecine struggle, Belizean football returns to CONCACAF play in 2004. And here at the MCC Grounds is last year BPFL Champions Kulture Yabra, putting in a training session on Sunday morning at the MCC Grounds as they prepare for the scheduled match with Alliaza of El Salvador in CONCACAF Champions play tomorrow September twenty-first at three pm.
Marvin Ottley, Head Coach, Yabra
?Well, internationally, you definitely have to raise the game to another level from what you normally play locally. I think the game Wednesday night did us a great favour in preparing ourselves more or less in what Alliaza more or less would bring at us. I just think we need to work a little bit more on our defensive alignment and hopefully today and tomorrow we can make that adjustment and be more prepared for Alliaza on Tuesday.?
James Adderley
?Not to give away too much about your personnel, you will be utilizing–what is your view on the type of players and the kind of game you expect them to play??
Marvin Ottley, Head Coach, Yabra
?Well I didn?t get a chance to see an entire ninety minutes game with Alliaza. But one day I got to see about five minutes. They have very good midfield strength and they are upfront. They are very efficient. Which means we have to be focus with who we are marking. We have to pay a lot of attention to their midfield capabilities. We believe that we are faster and stronger. So we will have to try and utilise that to our advantage and try and break them down in the middle of the field. With the new system that CONCACAF has brought forward to us is that when they rate a team score goal now again it goes as two goals. So we have to be very good on the offensive end, but be very more offensive on the defensive end.?
Goalkeeper Charlie Slusher exposed his optimism concerning tomorrow?s match-up.
Charlie Slusher, Goalkeeper
?We?ve been away so long that we are motivated and hungry to play this game and not just to play but at least go back to the days when Juventus had the opportunity to beat these teams from outside. I believe that we?ve been training for a while and the team look very good and you know the Kulture organization always have that hungriness to victory. These guys don?t like to loose and it?s great to be a part of that.?
In the meantime Captain Vallan Simns is eager to lead his troops into this battle.
Vallan Simns, Captain
?It?s a very good team. We are supposed to do well with the team that we have and the training that we have done. And with Marvin as the coach we have trust in him and I think he will take us over the hump. After the game on Tuesday, everybody will want to buy a plane ticket to go to El Salvador.?
So folks, these Yabra players embodied our dreams as they stroll onto the international stage tomorrow at three pm against Alliaza of El Salvador. We must let them know that they have our support because win loose or draw we are all Belizeans and we must protect our national dignity. You know you must have a ticket to enter this particular ballgame. No vehicles will be allowed. So make sure you make your move and make it wisely. That?s it for now. We invite back same time, same place next week. Jah over all, I?m James Adderley.
