Sports Monday: Stats on Belize/Puerto Rico game and local football
Good Evening I’m James Adderley and this is Sports Monday. The Belize National Basketball team made its final stand inside Centro Basket at the Dominican republic on Saturday in a must win match-up against the number one team in the tournament and the number nine team in the world Puerto Rico. Having to face a team featuring four NBA players, Belize’s start were cautious until Kenton Paulino deals to Alex Carcamo , who gives Belize its first two pints. However, it quickly becomes obvious that our National team has nobody to match up against 7’3” professional, Peter Ramos, who displays good command of the big man game. In fact, this pass from Jose Juan Barea to Ramos further emphasizes the point that we simply can’t contain this big man. Carlos Arroyo of the Miami Heat then sets up the ally-oop for Ramos and at the end of the first quarter Belize is down 25-15. In the second, our team fights back. Keenan Jourdan takes one the entire Puerto Rican defence to get two points. At the other end the NBA’s Ronaldo Balkman beats our team down court for the two handed jam. Team captain and point guard, Milton Palacio, then finds Kenton Paulino with the no look pass and he get two more. In the next press, Charlie Burgess hooks up with Jourdan and he delivers. Milt Palacio, finds Darwin Carter who sink the triple and at the half we’re down by seven points.
We’re inside the third quarter when, Richard Troyer penetrates into the paint to get us a bucket that brings out deficit to two. And its Keith Acosta who gives us our first tie and forty-nine apiece, when he wins this battle against the giant Ramos. Still, when Ramos slams this pass from Barea, Belize finds itself down by ten and it would go to fifteen. However, Belize comes backs, Keith Acosta puts back the Charlie Burgess missed shot for two-and at the end of three we’re down by nine.
Richard Troyer gets us going in the fourth with this outlet pass to Milton Palacio, who delivers the bucket. Palacio then goes to the bank for a big three points. When Richard Troyer sinks this three pointer Belize gets its first tie at seventy-one points and Coach Marques Johnson feels encouraged by this turn of events. Unfortunately, we couldn’t do much about Reynaldo Balkman and Peter John Ramos, who team up for this bucket.
Things really begin to slip away from us, when Carlos Arroyo gets going for PuertoRic. Balham then takes over the ballgame striking for two points right here. This three point dagger from Ricardo Sanchez completes the separation in money time. Puerto Rico goes on to pick up the W in a 96-88 final score. Belize two of two like Mexico and Cuba in Group B –but that twenty-two point loss to Mexico doomed us and so the Tournament of the Americas remains just out of reach.
Nevertheless, to Coach Marques Johnson and the National Team we say you’ve still made us proud.
Turning to the football scene, lets head to Hattieville, where Hattievile FC welcomed City Boys United in the Belize Bank Super League Tournament. It’s Dean McCauley hooking up with Raymond Gentle on this play; but Gentle fails to execute the finish. We will have to ask how Ralph Spain misses with the header off this set piece launched from Lloyd Jones but he does.
We’re twenty-eight minutes in, when this spot kick finds Deon McCauley and his head gives City Boys a 1-0 lead. Now, watch this set piece triggered by John Smith, which smashes off the crossbar but it does not move the scoreboard.
So , We go to the second half and we’re only ten minutes in when Deon McCauley turns provider for Dalton Cayetano ,whose left foot shot makes it a 2-0 lead for City Boys. A few minutes later, Shawn Turton hands this ball inside the eighteen-and the referee rules penalty. Jarret davis Steps up and he pulls back for Hattievile from the penalty spot at the sixty-second minute. At the sixty-fifth minute Deon Mccauley struts his international stuff to come up with the game winner as City Boys go on to boast a 3-1 big W.
In the other sections around the league Santa Elena Synergy bombed Belize United 4-2 and Placencia Assassin took out Nizhee Corozal 1-0. Meanwhile this weekend the Super League concludes with three Sunday matches. Nizhee Corozal will host Belize United FC, Placencia Assassin travels to Santa Elena Synergy –both matches kick off and three-thirty p.m. Here at the MCC grounds it will be a four p.m. start when City Boys United play host San Felipe Barcelona.
In the meantime people, the Four Stars football camp for five to fifteen years of age presented by Stanley Reneau, Eden Rowley, Vallan Symms and Anthony Bernard gets off on Monday July nineteenth and extends to July thirtieth inside the MCC grounds; contact number to get in is 627-4041.
In other football news here are the results of the Belize District Football Association Summer Tournament games played on Saturday. Rural Strikers and Saint Catherine Academy battled to a 1-1 tie in the female opener. In the male A match-ups Hattieville United blanked Team Alberts 1-0 and Brown Bombers doubled Rural Strikers 2-1. Brown Bombers B then outlasted San Pedro in a 5-3 final score in the B game.
Finally folks, the Super Sprint Triathlon comes to Sandlighter’s Promenade this Saturday beginning at seven a.m. featuring a three hundred meters swim, a ten kilometre ride which is about six miles, and a three K run. Registration can be done before race time on Saturday.
Hey folk, that’s our show for today, we invite you back same time, same place next week. Jah! Over all. I’m James Adderley.
