By Daniel Haynes

IN the third game of the day, Suriname captured their second win of the Caribbean Basketball Confederation (CBC) male Under-16 championship with an 80-68 win on Tuesday night against Aruba. Defence was the order of the day as the boys next door shut out Aruba in the last quarter to stop their offence after the Arubans fought back to a 1-point lead at the end of the third.
It was Andrew Blijd who led the way for Suriname with 21 points while Serdinio Rozewijn and Farai Stoffels had double doubles with 14 points, 13 rebounds and 15 points 10 rebounds each.
For the Arubans it was star shooter Leonardo Winterdal who dropped a game-high 25 points, going 5/9 from the three-point line to lead the Aruban squad. Jahleel Heemstadt also had 18 points while Giomar Madura scored 12 points in the loss.
The first quarter was highly competitive with Suriname focusing the point of their attack on the paint and had a quick 12-6, but it was a four-point play by Winterdal tied the game at 20. Aruba seized the lead 24-22 due to buzzer-beater dagger 3 from NBA range courtesy of Gomar Maduro.
In the second quarter Suriname displayed the pace Surinamese were known for, steaming past Aruba in transition pushing their stamina to the limits. They regained the lead and turned it into a 43-32 lead heading into the third.
The three-point shot was Aruba’s deadliest weapon in the third quarter. Stunning defence and sparkling offence were key to winning the third quarter. The zone defence of Aruba held Suriname to 9 points while scoring 21 of their own to go into the fourth with a 53-52 lead.
Suriname returned to dominant form with the same pace and shooting they had in the first half and Aruba had no answer. However, the Arubans never let their spirit down fighting to the end to pull the game back to just a 12-point loss 80-68.
In the final game of the night, Jamaica held their nerve against a Trinidad and Tobago side determined to register a win. The game ended 72-64 in favour of Jamaica.
It was once again the dynamic duo of Jalen Menzies and Samora Williams who were Jamaica’s biggest playmakers on the night, with Menzies kicking his game into high gear in the second half.
Menzies ended the game with 23 points and six steals while running mate Williams had a double-double of 16 points and 13 rebounds in the game. Backing them up was Jabari Cunningham who had 11.
For Trinidad and Tobago Jordan Persad who had posted 34 points in the first game, finished 7 short with 27 in their loss. Theo Devoren also scored 18 points in the loss.
In the first quarter Jamaica came out gunning with an up-tempo style of play. The Trinidadians proved they were up to the challenge, matched the speed but failed to convert on their attempts.
Persad was visibly frustrated by the defensive presence of Jamaica. Every time he touched the ball he was either double teamed or trapped. The defence definitely worked and Persad went 2-12 from the field.
Despite Persad out of commission, Trinidad and Tobago kept the game close by sharing the ball and playing as a team. This contributed to the score being 36-30 after one half of play.
Putting his team on his back with drives to the ring, or simply stopping and popping jumpshots, Menzies had a explosive third quarter, sinking 4-8 for 10 points allowing the Jamaicans to take a 54-48 lead heading into the fourth.
Fourth quarter was much of the same and the animated Menzies factored into the Jamaicans’ win.
The Jamaican coach Tarry Upshaw cited that toughening up on defence is the key to winning. He also commented on the fact that getting Menzies to stay out of foul trouble is important to extending and keeping the lead.