UG, GTI book spots in Tertiary Basketball League final

On Sunday the action continued at the Cliff Anderson Sports Hall in the inaugural Tertiary Basketball League. The University of Guyana put a stop to the New Amsterdam Technical Institute (NATI) and Government Technical Institute (GTI) blindsided Linden Technical Institute (LTI) in two intense semi-final battles to secure their spots in the final set for June 5, 2022.

In the earlier match-up, the Most Valuable Player (MVP) leader Shaquawn Gill scored a game-high 27 points and 15 rebounds, with good support from Timothy Richmond (15 points and 16 rebounds) and Thariq Duncan (12 points) for UG as the University defeated NATI 77 points to 71 points. For NATI, Charles Williams finished with 27 points and Kadeem Dover with 20 points.
In the second semi-final, GTI maintained a perfect record with a comfortable win over rivals LTI 73-69. Kobe Tappin was the lead man with 20 points, with Rakin Mc Donald (16 points and 12 rebounds) and Royon Shortt (16 points) playing equally important roles. For LTI, Shamar Savory finished with 23 points and 20 rebounds and Damarcus Adams 22 points and 7 rebounds.
Giving his view on what to expect in the finale on June 5, 2022, co-founder of Youth Basketball Guyana (YBG), Chris Bowman said, “They have responded well. It’s been very competitive as we have seen a high level of competition. What we are witnessing is the future of Guyana basketball. What should they expect from the finals? A really good final (with) the top two teams in the tournament – GTI, which is the number one team as they got to the final unbeaten, and UG, who would feel that by birthright as the highest learning institution in Guyana, they should win this competition as they have the resources such as the players and coaching staff.”

Bowman noted that he expected the final to be great, and encouraged all basketball lovers to come out and watch the games as they would discover that Guyana has a lot of talent. He further explained that club officials who are looking to recruit new players should come out as talent was not only exhibited by the top two teams but throughout the entire league.
“The guys from Berbice are really talented, they don’t have the same resources, but just imagine if they had those things. So, the talent level and the level of play on the court has been very high, comparative, in my view, of any basketball you will watch at the Sports Hall. So, it should be a quality final and a quality third-place play-off,” Bowman shared.

The final and third-place game will be contested Sunday, June 5 from 16:00h at the Cliff Anderson Sports Hall. The third-place play-off will see NATI locking horns with LTI.
The tournament is sponsored by National Sports Commission, ExxonMobil, G-Boat Guyana, Edward B Beharry & Company Ltd, Fireside Grill and Suites, and Banks DIH Ltd.