Championship Weekend for Sports in Belize
Goodnight and welcome to another edition of Sports Monday, I am Paul Lopez. “The only one who can tell you ‘you can’t win’ is you and you don’t have to listen”. That’s a quote from British Olympic Track and Field Champion, Jessica Ennis-Hill. This weekend was a championship weekend for sports in Belize. Tonight, we begin with the Benny’s Belize Hurricanes’ close out game against the San Pedro Tiger Sharks on Friday inside the Belize City Civic Center. You will recall that the Hurricanes entered the 2023 season as one of the most controversial teams in the league. Well all that drama did not stop them from blowing pass their opponents to make it to the finals and face off against the San Pedro Tiger Sharks in a finale that was not void of entertainment, skillfulness and an outright show of muscles. In the end, the Benny’s Belize Hurricanes made it out of the shark tank alive with their third semi-pro basketball championship. Here is a recap of how the celebrations went down.
Tyrie Orosco
Tyrie Orosco, 2023 B.E.B.L. Champion, Benny’s Belize Hurricanes
“The only thing I can say is man, congratulations bro, for real. A hell of a season bro, a hell of a season, I am proud of everybody.”
Gilbert Gordon
Gilbert Gordon, 2023 B.E.B.L. Champion, Benny’s Belize Hurricanes
“One thing I want to say guys, one thing I want to say guys, Hurricanes is one big family.”
Alex Carcamo
Alex Carcamo, 2023 B.E.B.L. Champion, Benny’s Belize Hurricanes
“The way, to my locals, don’t let this break you. You got to realize that you took something from all of us, learning things. Next season is gonna be your time. You don’t have to worry about getting on the floor or what not; everybody is when you get your time. I am done, I don’t need to see yall no more…”
Paul Flowers
Paul Flowers, General Manager, Benny’s Belize Hurricanes
“This was the toughest season; it started with all of the challenges. In the early part of the season we were very discouraged. We felt like everybody was against us, our back was against the wall. We held it together, we stood on our integrity and Christian principles and basically at the end of the day, we prevails through god’s grace, love, through great management and hard work by our players, day and night, morning and afternoon. We put in the work and once you put in the work you are going to win.”
Moving on now to another finals showdown, the 2023 Anthony Mahler Under-Thirteen Mundialito Tournament came to a close on Sunday with back-to-back first place matches. The first of the two matches was between Royal Fusion Girls and Queen Square Girls. Both teams struggled to break through the defensive barriers of their opponents during the regular time of this match. Royal Fusion and Queen Square came out to defend their goals. This one had to be pushed into extra time.
In the second half of extra time with the game tied at zero and less than five minutes on the clock, the coveted title hung in the balance. Royal Fusion’s number nine goes for the throw-in from the right wing. The ball is intercepted by Queen Square’s number twelve and, in a moment of reflex, her teammate hits the ball with her hand inside the penalty box. That was a costly mistake that would earn Royal Fusion one point from a penalty shot and place them a step closer to victory.
But, with less than a minute left in extra time, Queen Square’s Li Audra Graham sends the ball flying from midfield towards the goal. Number nine for Royal Fusion tried to clear it out of the penalty box, but sent it straight into the hand of her teammate. That was a deflating error for Royal Fusion, costing them a penalty shot and a point for Queen Square to tie the game. As a result, this one went into a penalty shootout folks!
Kyana Requena fires and scores, Shamie Meighan responds with a goal. Goalkeeper Avalyssa Bowen shoots and her ball is stopped. Amina Burgess shoots and that is pure net. Li Audra up for the kick and the goalkeeper just could not hold that one. Davae McCauley fires and that’s good. Royal Fusions are now up four to three goals. Tianna Lauriano launches and that one goes over the post. Ocean Castillo stepped up to try and close out the game. She shoots and that one is stopped, keeping hopes alive for Queen Square with the game still at four goals to three. Jasmine Welch is at the line and she must score to the keep the game alive. She fired and the goalkeeper stopped the ball. Royal Fusion Girls were crowned the 2023 Anthony Mahler Mundialito Champions in the female category.
Up next was the highly anticipated male matchup between defending champs Belize United and Tut Bay Yabra. After three intense periods of ball playing in regular time and two halves of extra, time this match also resulted in a penalty shootout. Jonathon “Toto” Garay is first up for Belize United. He shoots and scores. Next up is Deon Meighan for Yabra. He makes good on that one. With the game at three to two goals in favor of Belize United, goalkeeper Adolfo Gomez puts in the ball for the tie. At four goals a piece with only one kicker left for each team, Clive Medwood steps up for Belize United and fires a rocket into the goal. Here the pressure is on for young Ali Thurton, as it is do or die for his team. He fires, it hits the cross bar and Belize United secures the 2023 Anthony Mahler Mundialito Championship.
And finally for tonight, the Belize Volleyball Association is set to host two major Central American tournaments in the coming days and weeks. The Under- Nineteen Female Central American Volleyball Championship is set to begin on Sunday July sixteenth inside the Belize City Civic Center. Those games will run to Saturday, July twenty-second. The Men’s Central American Championship is scheduled for August sixth to the twelfth. We spoke with Allan Sharp the President of the Belize Volleyball Association.
Allan Sharp
Allan Sharp, President, Belize Volleyball Association
“Belize plays every night except Tuesday night. All seven countries are here like I mentioned. Games begin two-thirty every day. We have two-thirty, five o’clock , seven thirty. Belize plays on the seven thirty every night except on Tuesday night. First game is against Panama on Sunday night just after the opening, very short opening. We look to take care of business right then and there. Monday night is huge, Costa Rica. Costa Rica is defending champion at all ages. Costa Rica is the top team. Costa Rica is the team that Belize has been the only team to beat them for the past thirty years or so. Guatemala Friday night and Saturday with El Salvador. On the sixth of August the men start up, Men’s Central American Championship. This is men, the fastest volleyball, hardest hitting, and biggest blocking, hardest serving volleyball you will see in the region. The entrance is ten dollars for general, twenty dollars for reserved section, five dollars for kids. Pre sale we have a special going, buy five, get two free, whether you buy for five nights and get the two nights free, or buy five tickets and get two free.”
Tickets for the upcoming matches go on sale on Thursday morning at eleven a.m. at the Civic Center. Well folks that is all we have for you for this coverage of Sports Monday. Catch you on the next one.
