Bent Street, Rio All Stars, Sparta Boss, Gold is Money into semis

Rio Indoor Streetball Championships…
Sparta Boss and Gold is Money — two heavyweight proponents of streetball football –both survived bruising quarter-final encounters to advance to the semi-final round of the inaugural Rio Indoor Streetball Championships when play continued on Saturday night at the National Gymnasium on Mandela Avenue.
An official release from this tournament’s coordinators details as follows: “The quarterfinal matches did not disappoint, as the large crowd which descended on the venue (was) treated to thrilling action. The four remaining teams are the best in the event, and the semi-finals are expected to be an exhilarating affair.
Traditional sides Sparta Boss, Gold is Money and Bent Street are once again in the final four, while Rio All-Stars, the new kids on the block, have officially earned the status of heavyweights following their clinical performance over a perennial contender.”
Playing before indisputably the biggest turnout to date, Sparta Boss had to secure a come-from-behind victory in their clash against a determined BV unit in order to make the last four. It took a brace from talisman Deon Alfred for them to secure victory, while the experience Eusi Phillips also supported with a double in the win.
Omari Glasgow and Jemar Harrigon were simply on target for BV.
In the game that followed, Gold is Money edged Leopold Street 3-2 to set up a mouthwatering clash against nemesis Sparta Boss for a final berth come Saturday. The lanky striker Solomon Austin fired in a brace, while equally impressive young player Keifer Brandt added the other.
Tyrese Ford and Omallo Williams were the players on target for Leopold Street.
The night’s most impressive performance came from Rio All Stars, who crushed Future Stars 6-1 to install themselves as legitimate contenders for the title.
Former national player Job Caesar was in irresistible form, hammering in a treble to lead the Rio charge to victory. Jermin Junor, Kelsey Benjamin and Andrew Murray Jnr added solitary strikes to complete their team’s tally.
Daniel Ross was the lone marksman for Future Stars.
In the final quarter-final matchup, Bent Street, a team loaded with national players, silenced the highly touted Back Circle with a comfortable 3-1 triumph. Captain Daniel Wilson, Pernell Schultz and Clive Nobrega each netted a goal, while Stephon McLean made the lone response for Back Circle.
Next Saturday’s semi-final matchups are blockbuster affairs, with Sparta Boss and Gold is Money squaring off in the feature semi-final, and Rio All Stars going head-to-head with Bent Street in the prelude to that shocker.
Up for grabs is $1million for the winning team; while second, third and fourth place finishers will receive $400,000, $200,000 and $100,000 respectively, along with trophies. The semi-finals and final will be played on the same night.