Belize Hosts Central American U-19 Female Volleyball Championship.
Goodnight and welcome to another edition of Sports Monday, I am Paul Lopez. “I’d rather regret the risks that didn’t work out than the chances I didn’t take at all.” That’s a quote from American Gymnast Simone Biles. True to the expression, Belize’s Under-Nineteen National Female Volleyball Team is putting it all on the line inside the Belize City Civic Center this week. Sparks flew on Sunday night for the opening of the Central American U-Nineteen Female Volleyball Championships. Team Belize faced off against Panama in Belize’s first match of the tournament. We have some highlights for you from the match, courtesy of Go Live Belize.
Panama with the first point of the match as Captain Avianka Avila steps over the line. Responding, the ball is set and Nisan Martinez hits to tie the match. Up by three points in the first set, Khaya Gordon serves, Panama in control, Akili Jones, and Nissan Martinez again with the hit. Up by nine points, here is a free ball for team Belize. The ball is set on the right for Martinez who once again makes her opponents pay. Team Belize won the first set, twenty-five points to eleven. Into the second set of the match, Kaleigh Cardinez with the serve. Captain Avila with the set to Khaya Gordon, she goes over the top, another chance here for Gordon and she puts that one down.
Khaya Gordon again on the outside, a set from Avila and that was a super attack. Khaya Gordon and Nissan Martinez displayed dominance in the second set, ultimately putting Belize up by two sets. Now in the third set of the match, with Belize up by three points, the ball is set for power house Khaya Gordon who makes easy work of that one. Up by four points, here is Gordon once again. She reads the set and spikes into the opponent’s side. Team Belize would go on to win its first match of the tournament, three sets to zero. Again, those highlights were courtesy, Go Live Belize. Team Belize takes on Costa Rica, the number one ranked team in the region, tonight.
From Volleyball we now move into some basketball action. Yes, we are talking about the William Dawson, Sprite/Digi Youth Basketball Tournament. We bring you Saturday’s matchup between Cassava Youths and Tora Bora inside the Lopez Mateo Park. At the start of this match, number seven, for Cassava Youths, James Saunders Jr. wasted no time in penetrating the defense and going for the layup. Number five, Kendis Gentle down the court with the ball, steps back and throws it up for a beautiful bucket. Ball is thrown in to Luis Sosa Jr. who goes in for the layup and he is fouled on the way up. Sosa would make good on one of the two free throws.
On the other end of the court Kevion Cunningham goes up for the shot. He misses and his teammate Andrew Lorenzo gets the rebound, goes back up, draws the foul and that an and one. Continuing their dominance in the first quarter, Cassava Youths’ Luis Sosa Jr. with the rebound, spin and easy put back. Cassava Youths finished the quarter leading eleven to five baskets. Both teams scored eight points in the second quarter. Cassava Youths had nineteen baskets and Tora Bora had thirteen at the half. In the third quarter, Lorenzo with the drive, he goes in and he dominates. Immediately after on the other end, Saunders Jr. broke through three defenders and returns the favor.
On this play, the ball is passed to number two for Tora Bora. He sprints down the right lane and a travel violation is called. Cassava Youths’ number eleven does not hesitate to pass the ball to his teammate who capitalized on the play with an easy layup. On the other end of the court, Andrew Lorenzo goes in for the layup. He misses and gets his own rebound, puts back the ball and secures two points. Tora Bora outscored Cassava Youths in the third by one point. Cassava Youths would return in the fourth to put on a dominating display of basketball. The game ended thirty-nine to thirty-one points in favor of Cassava Youths. A total of fourteen games were played on Saturday.
Two weekends ago, the Benny’s Belize Hurricanes secured their third semi-pro basketball title. Over the weekend, the organization held one of the largest victory parades ever seen in semi-pro basketball in Belize. Here is a quick recap of how the celebration went down.
And finally for tonight, BK Sports Group has done it again. Hakan Godoy, a rising star on the Belize Men’s National Volleyball Team has received a volleyball scholarship through the organization, to study Electrical Engineering at the Benedict College in South Carolina. Among his achievements, in 2022 Godoy was awarded the title of Best Blocker at the Central American Under-Twenty-Three Championship. We spoke with Godoy.
Hakan Godoy
Hakan Godoy, Volleyball Athlete
“Ih started in high school when I was going to Corozal Community College and from first form Mr Santos mih the ask me fih join the volleyball team, but I didn’t join the team until I mih in second form. From since then I continued playing volleyball. I love that how volleyball is really and truly a team sport. No person in volleyball is insignificant or, they just, one person can’t play the sport. It takes everyone to win a game in volleyball. When I initially heard I mih the get this scholarship I mih really excited because from I mih so small from in high school I always admired people that got scholarships to go play sports and find their passion playing sports while going to school and from ever since then I wanted to get a scholarship.”
Well folks, that is all we have for you in tonight’s coverage of Sports Monday. Catch you in the next one.
