Yabra, Raiders victorious in weekend sports
Good evening, I’m James Adderley and you’ve just stepped up to a fresh dish of Sports Monday. Week four of the Regent Insurance Cup Tournament found the pride and joy of Belize City, Kulture Yabra, still looking for its first season win. Yesterday’s match at the M.C.C. Grounds brought them face to face with the highly touted San Pedro Seahawks, who came in with a 1-1 record.
It’s a ballgame both teams need desperately to win, so Norman “Tilliman” Nunez looks to give his team an early lead from off this spotkick, but Kareem Orio snuffs out that chance.
At the other end Ashton Lewis threads the needle to Jairo Sandoval, who squanders a golden opportunity for the Seahawks.
Yabra then has the opportunity to grab the lead off this nice service from Vallan Symms.
Sensing an opening “Tilliman” Nunez fires in heavy traffic with the left foot, but again Orio reads. When Orio misplays this defensive effort, Marion Clarke gets two tries at goal, but both attempts come up empty. Again, it’s Yabra with the shot at goal from off the boots of Deon Frazier and again Orio saves.
Meanwhile folks, when Vallan Symms beat Orio to this ball Daniel Thomas has an empty net, but his header rises harmlessly. At the half we have a scoreless ballgame.
Out of intermission, San Pedro takes the pitch more offensive minded and look to take the lead off this left foot launch from long distance.
Landi Pinelo then stretches with bad intention, but the ball sails over the crossbar. So Yabra goes to the corner kick for offence, but the header inches over the box. Now watch this perfect feed from Sandoval to Landi Pinelo and just like that the islanders to up 1-zip.
Down one zip with no wins to show after four weeks of play, Kulture Yabra might have found the motivation needed because Deon Frazier knots the game six minutes later off this rebound inside the eighteen.
As a result, Jose Lara looses his cool and shoots his team in the foot by mouthing off to this referee-for which he gets chased off the field of play.
The numerical advantage pays immediate dividends for the Belize City team-a shoulder from Deon Flowers to Deon Frazier and he gives Yabra a 2-1 lead.
Make it two major self-inflicted wounds to the Seahawks when Hilberto Caliz tries to go back to his keeper-Deon Flowers intervenes with great speed and Yabra takes its first victory with a 3-1 score and naturally, the city fans celebrate.
In other results from around the Regent Insurance league, Sagitun struck down Builders Bandits 2-1; Juventus jolted Real Verdes with a 5-zip shock, while Griga United outlasted Jacintoville 4-3. As a result, all teams in the league so far have won and all teams in the league so far have lost a ballgame.
Now let’s head to the City Centre for Friday night’s showdown between 2-4 Raiders and 0-4 Bryant’s Tennents. Right off the tip off Clinton Lamb Fuller opens with a slam-dunk for the Raiders.
Darwin Carter deals to Kevin Seroki and the Raider point guard strikes for three. From the other side of the court the Raiders hitman Carter raises for the triple. Like we said, Carter is a mean scoring machine and he hits from long distance again for a seven point Raider lead.
Bart Sanchez then gets intercepted by Darwin Leslie, who finds Rupert Brown, and the two is good for the Tennents.
On the next move Bryan “Shackle” Flowers launches the three and it rims in and Bryant’s Tennents are only down by one point with nine minutes, seventeen seconds to go in the first half.
That would be the closest the winless Tennents would get all night.
Seroki with the long pass down court to Carter, who hits two his game high twenty-four points right here. And at the half the Raiders are leading 49-40.
When play resumes, the Raiders begin to pull away. Clinton Fuller wants three, he gets three and would finish with seventeen.
Darwin here weaves through traffic and goes glass for two.
Down court Byron Flowers pulls the Tennents to within four points with this long two. He would lead his team with eighteen points.
But down the stretch the Raiders were just too much power for the newcomers as they pick up the 92-71 victory to score their third win in seven tries.
As for the Bryant’s, they’re winless in five tries and are already out of the playoff picture.
This Wednesday night at the City Centre the Raiders and Corozal will battle it out for the third and fourth position since both go in with three wins, four losses apiece to end regular season play. See you there!
That’s it for now, we invite you back same time, same place, next week. Jah over all! I’m James Adderley.
