By Rawle Toney

SIXTEEN of Guyana’s top basketball clubs will begin their quest to see who will be crowned National Champions, when the Guyana Amateur Basketball Federation’s (GABF) third installation of their ‘Road to Mecca’ tournament bounces off on Friday.The Cliff Anderson Sports Hall will be the battleground for local basketball’s marquee event which will see the winning club pocket $500 000, second-placers $250 000, third-placers $150 000 and fourth-place finishers take home $100 000.
On the tournament’s opening night, last year’s finalists Colts will begin their journey to redemption when they play Block 22 Flames of Linden from 19:00hrs, while game two, which gets on the way from 21:00hrs, will feature an all-Linden affair when Half Mile Bulls meet the Amelia’s Ward Jets.
Three matches will be played on Saturday March 5, with Plaisance Guardians coming up against Republic Bank Nets from 17:00hrs, followed by a clash between Berbice’s New Amsterdam Warriors and Linden’s Retrieve Raiders at 19:00hrs. Friday’s final game brings together the University of Guyana (UG) Trojans and Pepsi Sonics.
Defending champions Trinity Grid Holding (TGH) Pacesetters’ quest to secure a title will see them face Eagles on Sunday, March 6 from 19:00hrs.
Victory Valley Royals play the Rockets at 17:00hrs, while Ravens, winners of the inaugural edition, come up against the Amelia’s Ward Falcons in the final game of the day’s triple-header at 21:00hrs.
The tournament’s quarter-finals will be played on March 11, semi-finals of March 13, and final on Saturday March 19.
Nigel Hinds, president of the GABF, said, “It is important that we keep the sport at a very high standard. We’ve done so for both Mecca I and Mecca II, so we look forward to a competitive championship”.
According to the GABF boss, “The plan is to make the championships bigger and better,” adding that the Federation is “committed to good halftime entertainment and entertainment during the two-minute breaks”.