“We played very well defensively” – Captain Ronoko commends teammates

…as Bounty Colts clinch GABA U-23 championship

Free throws win games, as the unbeaten Bounty Colts, led by Ronoko Vaughn, were able to demonstrate when they pierced Kwakwani Untouchables’ defence to win the Georgetown Amateur Basketball Association (GABA) Under-23 Basketball Championship on Saturday evening at the National Gymnasium on Mandela Avenue.
Bounty Colts came out with vengeance on their minds in the first quarter, as they managed to penetrate their opponents’ defence to grab an early 17-16 lead, setting the tempo of the game.
The second quarter saw the Colts again showing their ability to penetrate their opponents’ defence as they scored 19 points in that session to elevate their score to 36 points, while Kwakwani scored 14 points to take their total to 30 at the end of that quarter.

Third-quarter action saw the Upper Demerara outfit keeping their composure as they erased Colts’ lead. As Kwakwani managed to come out on top of proceedings, they scored 24 points elevating their score to 54 while the Colts were restricted to 17 points and their total points to 53 at the end of the quarter.
With seconds to go in the game, the Bounty Colts outfit pounced on Kwakwani as Colts’ Camelo-Man -Son-Hing from the spot netted two free-throws to secure their victory with the scoreline reading 76-75.
Charles Williams led the offence again for Bounty Colts as he top-scored with 23 points, while Camelo- Man -Son-Hing contributed 17 points, with Shannon Wilson producing 14 points.
On the losing side with 21 points was the Kwakwani Untouchables’ Kelon Phillips as he continues to be consistent. He received assistance from Kadeem Dover with 20 points and Travis Lewis with 10 points.
In individual accolades, Charles Williams with his ability to control the offensive end for Bounty Colts helping them maintain an unbeaten streak, was named Most Valuable Player (MVP) of the Finals while Carmelo-Man – Son-Hing copped the MVP-of-the-Tournament award.
In an invited comment to media operatives, Bounty Colts’ Vaughn expounded on the motivation towards Saturday night’s victory and the key to their success.
“Defence, they were giving us the easy way to go and we were able to execute on the offence, having a bit.. we played very well [in] defence and that was what stopped them the most. Well, we didn’t win the VPL, the big league so that was one of the motivations, and some of the guys never won the championship, I have never won a championship ever in my life so this is my first and that is what drove us and pushed us to excel and to want to give others a championship and also to have the feeling again,” Vaughn explained.
This league was proudly sponsored by Wilson Plumbing Services and General Supplies and supported by the National Sports Commission (NSC), through the Ministry of Culture, Youth and Sport (MCYS).