Belize tops Jamaica for third CARICOM win
The first game may have been a fluke, the second could have been ascribed to luck, but by the end of last night’s third victory over highly touted regional opponents you’ve got to believe that team Belize is definitely for real. James Adderley has all of last night’s action from the house of hoop dreams, better known as City Centre, in tonight’s Shell CARICOM Report.
Good evening, I’m James Adderley and welcome to the Shell CARICOM Report.
It’s day five of the fourteenth CARICOM Basketball Tournament at the City Centre and it’s the National Female Basketball Team in search of its first win, now on it’s fourth try. Belize hopes to move into positive territory at the expense of Bahamas.
Carolyn Lord deals to Shelmadine Cacho and her baseline jumper sure sinks sweetly for Belize. Bahamas, however, coins right back with this nice shot from Kimberly Rolle as the visitors extend to a 10-point lead with 6:40 to go in the first half. They extend the lead on this Ann Buller put up and at the half the Bahamians are up by 13.
In second it’s all Bahamas still looking for more when Kimberley Rolle finds the ever dangerous Natasha Miller and it’s 2 more for the visitors. Of course Belize is a beaten team now. Shelmadine Cacho’s pass is intercepted by Ann Buller and she takes it all the way home. Belize looses its fourth of the tournament by an incredible 43 points – 10 more than they actually scored in the confrontation.
So we look for better things from the National Male Team who comes out tonight in search of their third straight win, while the defending champion Jamaica seeks to avoid its third straight loss. J.A.’s top scorer Julian Dunkly gets them off early beating Carcamo baseline for the lay up off the glass. The immediate reply comes from Keith Acosta who stays with the play to put back the put-back. When Julian Dunkly misses this left hand shot Steve Johnstone rises to the rescue and the Jamaicans have come out to play tonight. But Belize takes the lead on this move by Milton Palacio pass Rumeal Robinson for 2 off the glass. It’s an 11-point lead for Belize when Alex Carcamo does his down low dance as the run continues.
Because of the intensity it’s a roller coaster ride for the fans tonight. The champion does come back – the pass from Duvall Simmons to Kimani Ariend gives the Jamaican crew a bucket and a freebie. Simmons deals to Dunkly and hits the bottom of the net with a score. Rumeal Robinson then gets on the scoreboard with an inside weave, which culminates in a lay up. The deadly Dunkly gets 2 more points against Carcamo. And when Rumeal Robinson uses his body to shield the left right hand shot Jamaica is down by 1 point. Jamaica’s Ricky Parks misses this lay, Olin Simpliss picks up the pill with time expiring and heaves this shot from 3/4 court that hits nothing but net and the people love it. At the half Belize is up by 4.
So we go to post intermission play. Olin Simpliss is still pumped up from his incredible long-range bomb so he immediately strikes for 2. Against Steve Johnstone, Kirk “Shabba” Smith displays strength getting this bucket to fall under severe physical constraints. Keith Acosta then gets 2 off the glass despite the goal tending effort by Ariend. But for Kent Bennett, this CARICOM Games has been nightmarish – he slips and re-injures the knee and may be out for the rest of the tournament. Speaking of injuries it’s a hazardous moment for Alex Carcamo when Kimani Ariend comes over the back and crushes Carcamo into the floor – mercifully the Belizean would survive and would return to the court.
Down by 10, Ricky Parks gives the Jamaicans a lift with this 3 pointer. On the very next play after stopping Belize, Jamaica cuts the deficit to 4 on the 3 pointer from Julian Dunkly who would finish with 30 points and yes this is a war. Olin Simpliss answers the rally cry for Belize by going to the left hand. Belize was able to convert enough free throws in the final moments to hand Jamaica its third loss of the tournament.
Q: “It was not the kind of game we expected having seen the performance of this team against the NBA, picking up the win against Bahamas and Barbados. Was tonight a bit of a struggle?”
Fred Garcia, Forward, Belize
“Well, what has happened is that we have seen this team play all two games before, against teams we’ve beaten, and what happened most of the time mentally you’re not prepared coming out. I mean, look at it, we jumped them by like 12, 15 points and we just relaxed. And they brought it back for 2 at the half and well Simpliss hit a 3 and that made it a 5-point game at the half.
Really mentally when you play teams like that you really gotta get up, so down the stretch it was just a gut check. They came close and we said look we gotta suck it up. The guys that were injured had to play more. Myself, I mean my knees have been killing me and I said look it’s time to go to work; give me the ball a couple of times. I told Kirk, look, you gotta pick up some of the slack and it worked.”
J.A.
“That shot you made, that was unbelievable. Take us through that mental process.”
Olin Simpliss, Guard, Belize
“I just knew that the time was running out. I grabbed and threw it up. There was no mental process. Just the time was running down; I just threw it up.”
Q: “Will you be ready for Thursday night?”
Olin Simpliss
“We’ll be ready for practice tomorrow.”
Q: “Is that the only time you scored that kind of shot?”
Olin Simpliss
“No, I’ve done that before but, you know, not in a big game like this. That was high school college; I think this is a lot bigger than that.
I just have one question, whoever is throwing that $10,000 shot, do you think I qualify for it?”
J.A.
“No I think that would be cheating; you’re too good for that kind of competition.”
Q: “Was this your hardest fight in this Caribbean tournament so far?”
David Greenwood, Head Coach, Male Belize Team
“Yeah, we’ve been waiting for the real Jamaica to show up and it showed up tonight. The guys were good and I told my players that this was not going to be a walk away game, that the real Jamaica team was going to show up and they showed up tonight.”
J.A.
“The format certainly favors Jamaica even if they lose all, they get time to work out to pace Belize inside the medal round.”
David Greenwood
“Well I don’t like the format because to me, we’re 3 and 0 so we should have an automatic birth to the goal medal round. And 2 and 3 should play for second place. I don’t see where, to me, it would be an embarrassment to the CARICOM Games for Jamaica, who has not won a game to beat us on Thursday, win on Friday and become the champions with a 2 and 3 record. That doesn’t make sense.”
J.A.
“Well it’s kinda late to change the format at this point without upsetting a whole lot of people and I don’t think we wanna go that way.”
David Greenwood
“Well they have already changed it five times; they’ve changed it five times during the last four days.”
J.A.
“Well one more wouldn’t hurt.”
David Greenwood
“So one more wouldn’t hurt.”
Julian Dunkly, Forward, Jamaica
“Just wanna make sure that our team keeps improving going into the playoffs and we get a couple of wins under our belt. We came out with losses but these games really aren’t the ones that count. We’re supposed to be the number one team in this tournament and we’re well capable of being that team and I think we can step it up come tournament time.”
On tonight’s ticket it’s a double header of female basketball as Bahamas battles Antigua and Jamaica sees action against Guyana. The semi-finals kicks off on Thursday.
And yeah, thank you for joining today’s Shell CARICOM Report. That’s it. I’m James Adderley.
