-await semi-final decision

By Daniel Haynes
IN the final game on the fifth day of the Caribbean Basketball Confederation Male Under-16 Championships, Guyana secured a win against a well-oiled Jamaican side which had come into the game undefeated. The chips were stacked, Guyana had to win and not just win, but convincingly so in order to advance.
Guyana came out gunning early on, running at Jamaica and forcing the “yard boys” to rethink their strategy. With a 12-6 run, Guyana took the lead early and from then never relinquished control to the Jamaicans utilising the same three-point shot that was present on Wednesday night. However, Jamaica battled back into the game to be down by only 3 at the end of the quarter.
The first quarter finished with Guyana leading the Jamaican team 16-13.
The second quarter saw Guyana continue their hot hand, and breaking in transitions to extend their lead to double digits. Jalen Menzies was prolific once more, this time on the offensive end pouring in 12 of his 25 points in the first half, with the half ending 33-19.
Coming into the third quarter Jamaica was hungry, forcing turnovers and beating up the smaller Guyana team on the defensive as well as offensive glass. Often times, the Guyana side gave up 3 or 4 rebounds on the same defensive possession to the Jamaicans. Shamar France, who prospered against Trinidad, returned to form hitting 2 huge threes within the quarter which finished 54-35.
The fourth quarter saw Guyana running away with the game, pouring in 19 points to finish off the game, finishing 73- 57. Jordan Alphonso had a game-high 22 points for the Guyana side while adding 12 rebounds. Akeem Crandon had 22 rebounds and 10 points while Kevon Wiggins had 16 points.
For Jamaica Menzies had 25 and Samora Williams 17.
Meanwhile, the British Virgin Islands took out Dominica to secure their first win 82-37. The Bahamas also continued their undefeated streak while ending Barbados’s win streak with a score of 101-41. Suriname also won a pivotal game against Trinidad and Tobago 72-56 and also await a semi-final decision.