GABA U23 Club Championships 2024: Trojans, Nets victorious

– as Langevine, Bayley shine

Action in the Guyana Amateur Basketball Association Under-23 Club Championships continued on Wednesday night at the National Gymnasium on Mandela Avenue with the University of Guyana Trojans and Meadowbrook Nets emerging as winners of their respective encounters.
University of Guyana Trojans first received their taste of victory in the tournament when they defeated the Black Caimans, who have a unique ability to counterplay to the basket. Starting the game on a high, the Trojans led the first quarter with the scoreline reading 21-16.
The Trojans retained their lead in the second quarter by scoring 24 baskets and restricting the Caimans to only seven points, ending that session with a scoreline of 45 points compared to the Caimans’ 23 points.
Class was on full display during the third session, when the Trojans netted another 23 points for an accumulation of 68 points, while restricting the Caimans to a mere 6 points for a total of 29 points.

With the scoreline reading 68-29 at the beginning of the fourth session, the Trojans went on to secure the win in the final quarter, when the scoreline read 81-36.
Jushawn Bailey was pivotal in the offensive attack, top-scoring with 24 points. Shavril August supported the effort with a phenomenal 15 points, and Leandre Adams added 13 points.
In an interview with media operatives, Captain of the University of Guyana Trojans, Kareem Whitney, spoke about the key areas of improvement that spurred the win. Whitney said, “It’s been long overdue. We are a very tough team: we train hard, we do the right stuff, we have a very good coach, and winning right now…feels like something that we should have done in the first game; but nevertheless, we are gonna accept it and look to take this momentum to the next two games, and hopefully get a win by a large margin.”
Meadowbrook Nets upset a dominant Pepsi Sonics in the second match of the evening, handing Sonics their third straight defeat in the tournament.
Using the jump ball to grab an early 23-18 lead, the Nets set the tempo of the game, but second quarter saw the Sonics showing their ability from the three-point line to decimate the Nets’ lead to one point. The Sonics scored 13 points in that session to elevate their score to 31 points, while the Nets scored 12 points in that session to take their total to 35 at the end of that quarter.
Third quarter action saw the Nets keeping both their composure and control of the game, as they managed to score 22 points to elevate their score to 57 points, while the Sonics struggled to score 10 points in order to register an overall total of 41 points.
With seconds to go in the game, the Nets pounced on the Sonics to seal the deal by breaking through their defence. The ultimate scoreline read 71-59 in favour of the Nets.
Nets’ Captain Peter Langevine continues to be persistent, as he led the offensive attack by top-scoring with 25 points. Shaquille Prescott supported the effort with a phenomenal 15 points, and Joel Lackhan contributed 13 points.
In a post-match interview with media operatives, Langevine expounded on the style of basketball that impacted the win. He said:
“We were determined to win, so that is what we do: execute, and play to the best of our abilities. And we won. I wouldn’t say that it was close, but from our coach watching on, telling us what to correct. Well, we have to continue training, look over at our mistakes and get better,” Langevine explained.
The Guyana Amateur Basketball Association Under-23 Club Championships continue at the same venue this Saturday.