Police and BWS Will Face-off in IBL Finals
Goodnight and welcome to another edition of Sports Monday, I am Paul Lopez. “Experience is a hard teacher because she gives the test first, the lesson afterward”. That is a quote from Vernon Law, former MLB athlete. And, on Friday night, the experienced champions Tuff E Nuff got a lesson from Belize Water Service in the Interoffice Basketball League’s semi-finals. After two straight wins inside the Belize City Civic Center, the Belize Water Service is headed to the finals. Tuff E Nuff was sent sailing into the high seas. In the second win-or-go home game for the night, the big bad Team Police took on the mighty Ministry of Health & Wellness Team.
In the first quarter, Ryan Michael for MOHW finds Darwin Zuniga at the three point line. Zuniga launches and makes the basket. On the other end, Rodrick Williams controls the ball. The bounce pass to Albert Longsworth, back to Williams who goes up for the layup and that’s good. Neil Nicholson is being heavily guarded. He finds his teammate under the rim who powers up and gets the layup. In response, Police’s Steven Wade finds Longsworth at the three point line. He dribbles, steps inside and puts up a quick one. That goes in.
It’s a fourteen to ten points ball game, at the start of the second quarter, in favor of Team Police. Wade with the drive to the rim, he doesn’t make it but Shadrick Lord is right there to clean up Team Police in possession, throws it in from the baseline. Wade collects it at the far corner and quickly puts it up. That’s three points to the scoreboard. Wade again, two defenders are on him. He goes up strong and makes the basket.
Team Police extended its lead to seven points in the second quarter. The game is at twenty-nine to twenty-two points at the start of the third. MOHW turns over the ball on its first play in the third, Williams takes it down the court. He finds Longsworth who dishes it back to Williams for the fast break layup. Here is another MOHW turnover that Team Police capitalized on. Herman Ramos is found all the way on the other end. He goes up for the layup and it’s no good, but Joseph Sutherland is right there to clean things up. That game ended sixty-one points to forty-five points in favor of Team Police. They were able to arrest their opponents and put an end to the season. And so it is decided folks, Team Police will take on Team BWS in IBL’s 2023 Finals Series.
From Basketball, we now move into some football action. The Anthony Mahler and BTB Under-Thirteen Football Tournament continued over the weekend with some heated matchups. In this match, Hattieville FC is taking on Sampson Academy. Some of these young men have been playing in the tournament for several years. Many of them have made significant improvements to their skills, while building life longs friendships.
Hattieville FC with the goal kick and it is intercepted by the goalkeeper. Travis Castillo goes in wild and he fouls the keeper. The referee immediately blows the whistle and pulls out a yellow card for Castillo. That card gets him a two-minute suspension from the field. Here is a spot kick for Sampson Academy with the game at zero a piece. The defensive wall proves useful. Twenty-nine minutes into the game, Sampson Academy throws the ball in from the sideline. It is intercepted and passed to Castillo. He sets up for the kicks and launches a rocket into net, finishing off the play with a back flip celebration. That game ended one goal to none, in favor of Sampson Academy. In this second match, defending Champions Belize United went up against the formidable Ladyville Rising Stars.
Three minutes into the game, Belize United working to keep the ball. It’s taken away by number seventeen for Rising Stars. He shoots and it’s blocked, but Fredrick Garbutt is right there to clean up with this right foot touch, sending the ball into the goal. Twenty-four minutes into the game, number fifteen Nahim Usher is in control down the field. The goalkeepers steps up to defend his goal but the ball, already in motion, slips past him. That’s a second goal for Rising Stars. Belize United is down but not out. Jonathon Garay steps up for the spot kick just outside the penalty box. He fires directly to the goal and that one evades the goalkeeper. Belize United is back in the game with only a few more minutes to go. Less than a minute is left in this one. Shae Gordon with the corner kick and the ball bounces off Rising Star’s Feylon Gordon and goes into the net. The game ended in a tie, with two goals apiece.
And finally for tonight, we bring you some highlights from the International Federation of Bodybuilding and Fitness Mr. Belize Competition. In the Junior Men’s Body Building category, Jose De La Fuente took home the first place trophy. In the Masters Men’s Bodybuilding category, Edwin Arzu won gold. In the Men’s Physique Over Five Feet Six Inches category, Marcus Garcia finished in first place, Godfrey Davis finished second and Juan Mai took home third. And the Up to Five Feet Six Inches Men’s Physique category, Christian Coralde received gold. Angel Cassasola took home the silver medal and Aldair Hernandez finished with the bronze. But the big competition of the night was the Men’s Bodybuilding
Open or the Mr. Belize matchup. Seven bodybuilders competed in this round. They flexed their various muscle groups based on the instructions of the competition host. The judges are looking at each athlete, analyzing their individual symmetry and comparing one to another. Here the judges have asked three of the competitors to step forward for comparisons. The bodybuilders display their symmetry through two compulsory poses. In the end, Edwin Arzu won bronze, Abu Sesay secured silver and Godfrey Alford was crowned the new Mr. Belize.
Well folks that is all we have for you in tonight’s coverage of Sports Monday. Until Next Time.
