… complete Guyana tour unbeaten

WITH a gritty win over the Bounty Colts on Sunday, the De Arend Club showed why they are one of the top clubs in Suriname.It was the combination of holding their nerves, hitting clutch shots and Colts’ missed attempts that saw the Dutch side home by 4 points, 71-67.
From the tip, the game showed it would be a close encounter with both teams trading baskets. De Arend’s swing-the-ball style saw them pass the ball around the perimeter and hit the open man for the shot.

The same was said for Colts who found the open man for the open shot as well as focused offence through their centre. The quarter finished 19-21 in favour of the visitors.
The second quarter saw a dip in offence since both teams had come out swinging and were now settling into the game. The defensive intensity of both teams improved and turnovers became more frequent. However, most turnovers came at the expense of the court being too slippery. The first half finished at 33-38 with De Arend in the lead.
In the third quarter of the game neither team looked to relinquish anything. High-paced offence was the order of this quarter and on the back of Shelroy Thomas, Kurt English and Shane Webster, Colts looked to push on. The quarter finished 51-53 with Colts within two.
In the fourth quarter Colts showed why they were ‘Road to Mecca’ champions, answering every shot that the Surinamese threw up. Once again the trio of English, Webster and Thomas were instrumental.
However, the Surinamese did not let up, and their five of Denzell Leter, Mitchell Zeefuik, Emile La Rose, Xavier Elburg and Chayf Elbung would not let up.
Ultimately it was back-to-back threes by Denzell Leter that saw the Surinamese close out the game with 1:10 seconds left. Thomas had two opportunities to salvage the game for Colts, but missed two threes of his own and, with 8 seconds left, the game was over, 71-67.
For the locals, Shelroy Thomas had the top score of 18, supported by Kurt English’s 16. For the visitors, Denzell Leter had 15 points and Xavier Elbung had 13 while Emile LaRose turned in 11 in the win.
In the supporting games, Pepsi Sonics knocked off Rose Hall Jammers 72-55 and Victory Valley Royals prevailed over Dynas Ravens 63-57.