Big showdown in little Cliff Anderson
SOMEONE once said, “Basketball doesn’t build character. It reveals it” and tonight when Charlestown/Albouystown take on Central Mackenzie and North Ruimveldt tackle Christianburg in the GABA Mackeson National Super Ward, that statement will certainly be exemplified. All four teams have qualified for the semi-finals of the tournament that fetches a $500 000 first prize. They are also all undefeated; sweeping through their respective groups with authority and will now want to end the preliminary round on a high.
But there could be only one winner because when James Naismith devised the rules for the sport he invented, games ending on level scores were never a part.
Defending Georgetown Inter-Ward Champions North Ruimveldt and Christianburg will open the night’s highly anticipated featured double-header and fans could be kept on the edge of their seats through out this game.
Matching the two sides in terms of skills, North certainly have the upper hand but what the Linden team lack individually, they make up well with their team coordination.
In the back court, North will rely heavily on the expertise of team captain Darcel Harris and Ryan Stephney along with the always energised Stephon Henry while Christianburg will have to turn to Trevor Profitt and Nevin Grenville and that’s where their weakness lies.
Should Profitt and Grenville be placed in serious trouble by North’s usual stifling defence, the offence of the Linden unit will or could be shut down.
Nkossi Gurrick has been a beast in the front court and all of Christiansburg’s offence flows through him. Even though he’s not known as a big scorer, his passing and unselfish nature is what’s dangerous because he draws the double team and when the ball leaves his hands it finds his lethal scorers on the side – Quincy Jones, Profitt and Grenville.
Meanwhile, in the Central Mackenzie and Charlestown/Albouystown clash, the winner could be determined by who out-thinks the other.
Charlestown have won the hearts of many pundits with their style of play in the tournament but many question their bench rotation which smacks of favouritism over skills.
They’re by far one of the more complete teams in the competition with players such as Dwayne ‘Brown Sugar’ Roberts, Kevin ‘Two Feet’ Joseph and National Junior captain Akeem ‘The Dream’ Kanhai; all of whom have touched double digits and double-double in almost all the games.
The said players are just as effective on the defensive end as they are with the ball while the bench players have the same amount of potential.
Central Mackenzie have been living through the heart beat of Steve Neils Jr because the other players Marvin Hartman, Omolly Sampson and Jason Alonzo are yet to step up to the plate.
Neils has scored over 20 points in all three of his games in the tournament while Hartman has had one good game. Alonzo is not much of a scorer but his presence in the paint can scare the best player in Guyana because he gets the blocks and rebounds using his massive reach and towering height.
On paper anyone would give the game to Charlestown but on the court, real supporters and followers of the game with out a bias bone in their body would say ”it’s too close to call”.
In tonight’s game everyone wants to finish at the top of their group because the two winners will play the losers in the semi-finals. So there can be a Linden and Georgetown final or an all-Linden or all-Georgetown final.
What is certain is that at the end of the day, the long dry palettes of basketball’s thirsty fans will be soaked and their thirst quenched because it will be non-stop action from tip off.