Home Sports Trojans and Eagles draw first blood in opening match of U-23 Division…...
By Timothy Jaikarran
It was a night to remember, as the Guyana Amateur Basketball Association (GABA)/Let’s Bet Sports 1st and 2nd Division Knockout Tournament commenced under lights at the Burnham Hardcourt on Carmichael Street with two matches being played.
In the first matchup in the under 23 division, the UG Trojans battled against the Pepsi Sonics and emerged victors with a score-line of 82-60 after a shaky start.
The Trojans, who won the Banks DIH/GABA League under 23 division in 2018, looked to announce their presence early on in the match. However, the Pepsi Sonics had the upper hand in the first quarter, the score-line reading 15-8 as the Trojans found it difficult to launch a counterattack. But things took a dramatic turn when the Sonics lost the second quarter 12-21 due to minor technicalities, resulting in free throw given to the opposition.
Going into the third quarter, the score was 29-27 in favour of the 2018 champions. From there on it was smooth sailing for the Trojans, as they won 23-16 and 30-17 in the third and fourth rounds respectively. Leading the Trojans to victory was their captain Kadeem Peterkin with 33 points.
The second U-23 matchup saw the Eagles winning via walkover as the Kobras failed to show up.
The other fixture for the evening saw a similar matchup, as the Trojans and Sonics were at it again in the 1st division league. In 2018, the Sonics had the upper hand over the Trojans, and they continued to prevail as the Trojans lost 70-62.
Heading into the first quarter, the Trojans won 12-11, but leading by only one point meant the window of opportunity was still open to anyone. The Sonics bounced back to lead the second half 23-16 and put themselves in contention for victory, but the Trojans miraculously won the third quarter 14-9, leaving the score in favour of the Sonics at 43-42 heading into the final round.
Eventually, the pressure got to the Trojans, and they lost the final round 20-27 to hand the Sonics victory and their ticket into the next round of the tournament.
The Trojans will now have to face the Pacesetters in semifinal number one, while in semifinal two the Guardians will be looking to overthrow the Eagles, who are yet to play a game. The Sonics have defeated the Trojans in Division One of the tournament, and have therefore secured themselves in the top 8 of the competition.
The Sonics will now go on to play the Ravens.
On game night, the matches will commence at 18:30 hrs and 20:30 hrs respectively.
