James Adderley has sports
Good evening, I’m James Adderley and we’re back with this new portion of Sports Monday. Acros of Belize City went into yesterday’s international showdown at Norman Broaster Stadium still looking for number 1 this year’s CONCACAF football tournament. We’re about to find out if the fourth try worked like a charm.
It was the Guatemalan champion Aurora with the early control and it’s certainly a worrisome moment for John Brooks in the Acros goal when they launched an attack. The visitors stay on the attack with a punch from off the right wing that forces Brooks to again get busy. However, it’s the home team Acros to jump on to the scoreboard when McCauly deals this high ball to John Ismael Trapp who eventually heads the pill into the net for which he gets congratulations from coach Anthony Adderley.
Of course the visitors respond immediately with this launch from off the right wing but it doesn’t get past Brooks. The Guatemalans continue to attack with fury getting off a header which fails to provide the equalizer. Meanwhile downfield Acros gets the chance for the 2-zip lead but McCauly’s ground shot is too direct at the Guatemalan keeper. Still it’s Aurora dominating the action and again John Brooks has to take to the air to come up with the save.
For sure people the objective on this spotkick is clear; unfortunately the execution leaves a whole lot to be desired. A corner kick finds the head of Guatemalan Amayo and it’s guided into the sticks for the 1-1 tie just before intermission.
Second half brought no cessation to the fury of the Guatemalan offensive and they almost break the tie with a header off a spotkick. Folks it’s John Trapp in perfect position to break the 1-1 tie but he fails to hit the target. Now here’s a most vexing no call; Earl Peters errs by raising this ball into the danger zone. Number 14 of Aurora elbows John Brooks then heads the ball into the net but there is no call from the referee, David Campos of Nicaragua and Aurora goes up 2-1. Where was Belizean linesman Contreras in this decision? We simply can’t be sure. John Brooks had to leave the ballgame because of a blow and was replaced by Newton Lenon, as he is stretchered out of Norman Broaster Stadium.
In the end the poor physical conditioning of the Acros team catches up with them and Guerillimo Amayo outruns the defense for his second of the match sealing the 3-1 big “W” for the visitors. It’s here but it may not be absolutely fair.
Turning to the semi-pro basketball scene, Cristal Pirates hosted Brothers Habet Lakers with its “Twin Towers” Friday night at the Civic and in the early goings it’s the Pirates with the momentum when Charlie “Dunk” Armstrong picks up the pill and pulls out a three. Again Charlie “Dunk” feels the three and again he hits nothing but cords and it’s the Pirates with the early lead. Disaster strikes the Pirates team when “Too Tall” Jones crashes into Kenroy Smith, Cristal’s only legitimate 2 doubles player and we’re sorry to say be breaks his jaw on a foul and will be out for at least 6-8 weeks.
The Lakers capitalize: Favela to Compton, speedy Staine strikes for 2. On the run the Lakers make the right connection giving Favela the easy 2 and at the half we’re tied at 35 apiece.
In second half, the Pirates go down low to big man Denzel Castillo and he delivers. Then Charlie “Dunk” delivers for 2 of his game high 15 points and 12 rebounds but it was enough to push the Pirates over the hump. Alfree Hamilton goes for 3 and gets it for the Lakers; he would finish with 10 points.
Denzel Castillo comes up with the only jam of the ballgame and he does it; he totaled 9 points, 4 rebounds. Down court Kirk “Shabba” Smith goes to the glass, he would record 11 points, 24 rebounds. For the Lakers the biggest bucket of the ball game comes from Shabba Smith as he hits in moneytime. The Lakers go on to win 61-57.
Victor McKenzie
“What happened is we were up a couple of points and the players wanted to hit the key shot; they wanted to be the hero of the game, when you could be the hero of the game and have a loss than share the ball with your teammates and everybody comes out victorious, having the big “W”.”
Kirk “Shabba” Smith
“I was struggling from the get-go because I was really forcing my shots and the guys were really double teaming me. I was missing some stupid shots and I was getting a little here and there. But I just continued working with the post because it could open the game for the shooters which rather came in big for us and hit some big shots for us. I can’t steady up every game; somebody gotta pick up the pieces so those guys really came through tonight.”
In Saturday’s semi-pro ticket at the Civic B.T.L. Nets emerged the only undefeated team after Week 3, burning the Kremandala Raiders 52-51 in regulation play.
We wanna thank our cameramen for their great work this weekend. That’s it. Jah over all. I’m James Adderley.
