A HIGHLY anticipated contest should be raging when the top seeded Kashif and Shanghai Kings collide with a rampaging Retrieve Raiders tonight at the Mackenzie Sports Club (MSC) hard court.

There should be no holds barred between the two Wismar-based clubs, Victory Valley Royals and Half Mile Bulls, who are expected to play their hearts out after losing their opening matches, as action in the Linden Amateur Basketball Association’s Malta Supreme Christmas basketball championship continues.
In fact, after acquiring the overall sponsorship for this tournament, the organisers were advised to allow patrons in free up to the semifinals, and this should generate more interest for spectators who wish to enjoy the rivalry between the clubs seeking a chance to emerge victors of this lucrative championship.
In the first game of the night at 19:00hrs, the Victory Valley Royals are out to secure their first win after losing their opening game against Raiders, while the Bulls are expected to recover ground following their opening loss to the Wismar Pistons.
They have each won and lost in their previous head-to-head battles with Royals winning against the Bulls 87-44 in the Trophy Stall tournament early this year and the Bulls avenging that big loss with a 69-48 win when they clashed in the recent BOSAI Open Challenge basketball tournament.
Considering that they have lost their first match in this round-robin group phase of the tournament being contested by the seven Linden clubs with LABA, the BOSAI Open Challenge winners Bulls may still think they are favoured to win this game.
But the Royals have regrouped for this tournament with former national forward Alwyn ‘Shaq’ Wilson, giving them inside presence along with former junior national guard Stephen Couchman joining in the fray of things with Marlon Pollydore on offence.
However, their biggest worry may be the absence of national junior forward Chris Williams who is expected back anytime.
It will not be easy for the Bulls but they continue to look for leadership from their two leading scorers, guards Michael Turner and Keon Cameron, who have been in rich form. Add to those two scorers veteran Sean Easton who can shoot the ball and the Bulls can be a threat offensively.
However, they need to tighten up their defensive play and this should make the match-up very enticing. Key to the Bulls’ success will be their backup players during this tournament which could be suspect.
Following this game the Kings take on the Raiders and recently, the Kings were playing in patches as they are without national centre Jason Alonzo who can be a positive factor in their quest for victory.
With Alonzo not around the Kings have struggled, but with the undoubted talent in their lineup the Kings can be a handful for the Raiders. They can rely on national player Steve Neils (Jr) and Marvin Hartman and young Orin Rose to lead their attack.
No one can doubt the importance of veteran Abdulla Hamid to their chances of winning and should Rose find his scoring touch the Raiders may be in for a surprise.
On the other hand, the Raiders will be without their power forward Dwayne Roberts who is on provisional suspension for his ball-throwing incident with referee Lloyd Ross.
However, his absence has shown that the Raiders are a talented bunch and can play team basketball which is one of the biggest concerns for this Kings team.
Alexander Rose for his quickness and Anson Durant, young talents like Geoffrey La Rose and Sheldron Noel, along with Rose and Omar Sam, make this match very tough to predict.
It will be a severe test for the Raiders without Roberts and even more for a Kings team without Alonzo that lacks a deep bench, even though Hartman and Neils are coming back into form.
The out-of-form Orin Rose will also have to deliver if the Kings are to overcome this Raiders side, while the question is whether the Raiders can win for a third straight time against the Kings?
They actually lost to the Kings earlier this year in the Trophy Stall tournament, but rebounded to win both clashes recently when they played against the Kings in the BOSAI Open Challenge championship, where they won close games 48-45 and 48-44.
With the battle lines drawn it is left to be seen what will result in these clashes tonight at the MSC hard court, while in tomorrow’s action Block 22 Flames meet Bulls in the first game at 19:00hrs and Royals oppose Pistons in the second game at 21:00hrs.