Raiders top San Cas U.B., go one up
Good evening I’m James Adderley and this is Sports Monday. The Capital Life Basketball Championship series moved into game three Friday night at the City Centre with both the defending champion San Cas U.B. and the challenger, five time champion Raiders, showing a win apiece in this five-game package of head on basketball.
It’s Kevin Shand of San Cas U.B. jumping and at the tip off against Thomas Gillespie of the Raiders. And again it’s the Raiders scoring immediately into this pivotal game three.
Tonight Darwin Carter is in a zone and he’s off to a merciless start striking for 3 right here as the Raiders open with a 7-0 run. San Cas U.B. ends that run when Reggie Elliot finds Jeff Clifton who finishes with the emphatic two-handed jams.
Folks it seems Darwin Carter of the Raiders possess the Midas touch tonight as everything he touches turn to gold. And if you think this turn around jumper in Seroki’s face 3-pointer is easy, then you don’t know the game.
On the very next Raider possession Carter relocates to the opposite side of the court, but the results remain constant as the northern star.
On this San Cas possession, Elliot again hooks up with Jeff Clifton and as the Hulk would say, it’s clobbering time.
Darren Bovell then ties the ballgame at 17 points apiece as he knocks down this baseline 3 for the university team. He would finish with 19 points.
At the other end, here comes the only dunk in the ballgame for the Raiders. Big man Thomas Gillespie would rally a double-digit 10 points in this one.
But it’s the Darwin Carter show tonight and Mr. Electric is simply on fire as he strikes for another 3 to tie the ballgame at 25 points apiece for the Raiders.
And then folks, Darren Bovell dives for this loose ball and pays the maximum price. This close-up by our cameraman George Tillett shows just how much damage is done to the skull of the U.B. player, but for sure, no foul was committed; we can’t see it.
So Kevin Shand decided to make some waves and boy does he accomplish a rather fantastic feat right here. The heat of competition is raging at full blast when Raiders head coach Matthew Smiling gets hit with his second technical foul of the game and is chased from the bench–forcing Assistant Freddie Gabourel to take the helm.
And at the half, it’s San Cas U.B. up 52 to 51.
Meanwhile folks, this is how Mr. Electric opens the second half–a bucket, a foul and a 3-point conversion. When you’re big you’re large.
The Raiders runs another 7-point lead, this time to open the second half, until Reggie Elliot picks Brandon Titus’ pocket and deliver from long range for 3 of his 19 points.
The answer from U.B. comes from Kevin Shand, who benefits from this magnificent threading of the needle by Kevin Seroki, and U.B. is only down by 1.
Now watch Darwin Carter embarrass three U.B. defenders with his dribbling skills to sink 2 of his game high 37 points. It’s more Raiders offence when Titus spies Damon Ollie downcourt and makes the connection. Ollie would finish with a crucial 17 points. On the very next possession its Titus and Ollie combining their skills for 2 more, as the Raiders go up by 11 with 8 minutes to go.
But here comes San Cas U.B. Clinton Fuller lands a big 3. He would finish with 10 points.
The Raiders lead is down to 3 when Seroki deals to Reggie Elliot of U.B. We give you this Gillespie foul in slow-mo because we see it from where we sit as a flagrant foul, but referee Boca Trench obviously does not.
When Reggie Elliot hits this baseline 3-point jumper, we have a tied ballgame at 83 apiece with 4:48 to go.
Now give San Cas a 3-point lead when Reggie Elliot creates his own jumper and delivers. Kevin Shand then comes right back with 2 more U.B. points and it’s a 7 point U.B. lead with 2:55 to go.
Down by 3 in crunchtime the Raiders go to Darwin Carter and he delivers to make it a 1-point game.
You make the call people, its Darren Bovell on his way to the rim–referee Leroy Clother rules offensive foul on Bovell in his contact with Damon Ollie for a 4-point turn around.
However, Jeff Clifton comes up with this bucket for a 3-point San Cas U.B. lead with one minutes and a half to go–it would be the final points for San Cas U.B. in game three.
Right here is the key turn over of the ballgame. Kenroy Smith loses the handle, Darwin Carter picks it up and goes all the way for 2. You know its over for U.B. when this three on one Raiders offence yields 2 more points.
The Raider take game three 98-92 and could close out their sixth semi-pro basketball title with a win Wednesday night at the City Centre in game four.
Turning to the softball scene, the Softball Federation of Belize will present the seventh National Women’s Softball Championships at Rogers Stadium this weekend of August 17-18, you will want to be there. The teams participating: from Belize City, the champion Team CTC and Habet’s Lady Rebels, the runner-up. The Belize Rural Association sends Willows Bank, their champions and Burrell Boom, their sub-champions. From the Cayo Softball Association, it’s Camalote’s Crystal Duurlys and Roaring Creek’s Grace Kennedy. They come in one and two from that particular softball division. And the Stann Creek association sends in Independence United and Griga Girls. An eight-team rooster of prime time softball play, you won’t want to miss it, it’s entertaining, it’s certainly colourful and it’s Belizean.
That’s it for now, thanks to our cameramen for their great work over the weekend. Jah over all, I’m James Adderley.
