In the Guyana-Grenada Goodwill Basketball Series being played at the Cliff Anderson Sports Hall (CASH) on Homestretch Avenue, Guyana defeated Grenada 90-73 in the first of their three matches on Friday night, with overseas-based Guyanese player Ray Victor dunking 39 points to lead Guyana to this convincing win.
Part of the action on the first night of the three-match series
Both teams looked capable as they took to the court, and most of the pressure was on Guyana, as they needed to defend their home court and avoid an upset at all cost.
In the first quarter of the match, both teams gave their all, the back-and-forth encounter seeing the home team pipping Grenada by a mere 4 points to end on 22-16.
Needing to extend their lead, the home team immediately went on the offensive, and achieved their objective when the second quarter ended 53-36.
Heading into the third quarter with a 17-point deficit, Grenada put in the necessary work, although flustered by Guyanese stars Ray Victor, Terron Welch and Travis Belgrave.
The hard work put in by the Grenadians was again overshadowed by Victor, who proved to be the proverbial thorn in their sides, and they lost the third quarter 68-57 although exhibiting remarkable play in that quarter.
Heading into the final leg of the game, the score read 68-57 in favour of the Guyana side. It meant that 11 points separated Grenada from a possible upset; but, again overshadowed by good offensive and defensive play from Guyana, they allowed Guyana to score an extra 22 points while they scored only 16 points in their losing effort.
At the end of the night, the score read 90-73 in Guyana’s favour. It represents the first nail Guyana has driven in the proverbial coffin of Grenada. The Guyanese are now only two wins away from clean sweeping Grenada in this series.
Scoring for Guyana were: Ray Victor with 39 points, Terron Welch with 19 and Travis Belgrave with 18. Scoring for Grenada were James Andrew and Jonathan Williams (17 and 15 respectively). They were the only two players to register double figures.
