InterOffice Basketball of Belize in Memory of Ian Mariano, Friday Night Showdown
Welcome to another edition of Sport Monday. I am Paul Lopez. This week we will dive into the results of Friday night’s Inter-Office Basketball showdown inside the Mexico Sports Complex, in memory of Ian Mariano Sr. Also, we will be bringing you the highlights from Championship Day for the Live Life Youth Basketball Tournament 2022, hosted by the Ministry of Home Affairs and Sprite. And to close of this week’s coverage, we have a football update from the Premier League of Belize which is in its tenth week. And with that we start tonight coverage from the Mexico Sports Complex where basketball fans witnessed three, back to back, battles on the basketball court. Game one was between the Belize Police Department and the Belize Water Services. Team B.W.S. won that game in a sixty-eight to sixty-two game. But, team Police did not make it easy for them. B.W.S. trailed in the first quarter, but turned things around to lead by three points at the end of the half. B.W.S. maintained the lead all through the third. In the fourth quarter, team Police turned up the heat. (1:17:21) with one minute of play time remaining, it was an all out battle for victory. Number nine for Team Police Akeem Trapp scored a critical free throw at the forty- first second to tie the basketball game and send it to overtime. Here is what Coach Claude Martin had to say after the game.
Claude Martin
Claude Martin, Coach, B.W.S.
“I told them they need to learn to trust each other. We had the experience. We have dealt with them man to man before, so there was no need for us to panic. We panicked for a little bit and we gained our composure and that helped us. It is a big one. We lost three games. We are trying to make one of the four play-off spots. So, this counted towards that.”
Game two was between the Belize Coast Guard and the undefeated team Tuff eNuff. For the most part, it was smooth sailing for the unconquered team Tuff eNuff throughout the entire fourth quarters. That game ended at sixty to forty-five points, in favor of Tuff eNuff. We heard from number twenty-two Eyan Rene and Coach Rico Black.
Eyan Rene
Eyan Rene, Tuff E Nuff
“Tonight’s victory was a team effort. From the game start we were talking about defense, defense. Defense creates offense. Basically our team is structured with defense. Offense comes first. However, we pride ourselves on defense. Just like our coach always say, the game always starts in the fourth quarter. However, with one of our team members got hurt. But, we pulled together and came out with the victory.”
Rico Black
Rico Black, Coach, Tuff E Nuff
“I don’t like to brag, but the last time IBL league invited me to play was in 2014 or 2013 and I went undefeated, seventeen and zero, and I never got invited again. So, I came back with a vengeance, because, my players are basically family. Most of them work for me. I give them the chance to play ball, work and enjoy their lives you know.”
The third match of the night saw the National Sports Council go up against Grace Kennedy. It was a win or go home match. In the end, the National Sports Council kept their chances of making the playoffs alive, while Grace Kennedy was sent on a fishing trip.
