By Daniel Haynes
THERE were big wins, upsets and heartbreaks as the second day of the Youth Basketball Guyana (YBG) National Schools Basketball Festival (NSBF) concluded yesterday at the Cliff Anderson Sports Hall. Four games were played on day two, with two in the U-16 category, one in the U-14,and one in the female game. In the first game of the day,Mackenzie High School took on Bishops’ High School and beat them 27-13 in a blowout game where Bishops’ High School looked complacent.
For Mackenzie, it was Shamar Savory and Kobe Tappin who did most of the scoring for the team from the bauxite town. Rasheed Liverpool and Jeremiah Nurse scored 8 and 7 points respectively. For Bishops’, it was Duwon Younge who top scored in a losing effort with 7 points.
In the Girls match-up,Berbice females also took down the females of Bishops’ High School in a close matchup that finished 15-12.
Mackenzie jumped ahead to an 8-point lead at the half-way point with the scores at 4-12. However, Bishops’ battled back into the game to draw within 3 pts, with the scores 13-10 with under a minute to go. It was a crucial lapse in defence by Bishops’that led to Mackenzie scoring and extending their lead to 15-1,and eventually winning the game.
Tandica Bouyea finished with 6 points for the Berbice side,while Kesann Charles also finished with 6 pts for the Georgetown side.
The third game was scheduled to be a U-16 matchup between Bladen Hall andQueen’s College.However,Queens College failed to show up with the required five players,thereby conceding a walkover to Bladen Hall.
The final game of the day saw a complete domination by St. Rose’s U-16 over Bishops’ High School, 36-18. Once again,Bishops’ looked lackadaisical and devoid of fighting spirit as St. Rose’s had their way when it came to scoring.
Whether it was a shot inside or outside the paint, Rose’s got what they wanted. Led by national player Kwesi Roberts,they finished the first half 18-10. In the second half,it was more domination and Rose’s simply turned on the jets to the finish.
Roberts finished with 14 points and 8 rebounds and was supported by Anthony Yansen who also had 14 points in the performance.
After the game,Roberts commented on the win stating “We just have to keep getting better as the competition goes on”. The youngster stated that he felt no pressure to be the leading scorer on the team since it was a team sport and getting the win was what counts.
Action continues today at the same venue with four games to be played after the opening ceremony at 15:30 hrs. The tournament is sponsored by Digicel, Banks DIH,and Beharry.