Guyana’s National Basketball men’s team are gearing to bring the CBC title home following a magnificent undefeated run during their Caribbean Basketball Championships’ (CBC) playoffs.
Having never previously achieved such a feat, the Guyanese are confident of their chances of winning the competition. They had their hands full, so to speak, contending with a formidable Barbados team in the semi-finals on Friday evening, but their 2-1 victory over Barbados in a friendly series at the Sir Garfield Sobers Sports Complex prior to the beginning of this tournament proved to be a great confidence booster for these representatives of the Golden Arrowhead.
Guyana started out hot in the first quarter, leading Barbados 32-15 by the end of the first ten minutes. However, although the local boys continued their match-winning momentum, the Bajans had also seemingly found their momentum, and they closed Guyana’s 17-point lead to statistics that read 45-41 in the Guyanese favour by the halftime buzzer.
But the likes of captain Stanton Rose, Ray Victor and Anthony Moe ensured that Guyana maintain a slim lead ahead of their Barbadian counterparts. Victor had another great night, racking up some 25 points, which consisted of three 3-pointers. An aggressive Moe added 17 points to Guyana’s total. And despite feeling the pressure from the Bajan defense, Captain Rose also managed to score in the double figures.
With commendable contributions coming from the rest of the team, Guyana surged to 76 by the final buzzer, just 5 points ahead of Barbados. With the match ending in Guyana’s favour, the ecstatic national team will advance to the final against Antigua and Barbuda.
Should Guyana win at the finals, it would be the best outing they have ever had at the CBC tournament. Their best performance yet came in 1994, when they won silver in this tournament.
