… Raiders win over Flames 40-34

UNSEEDED Kwakwani and fourth-ranked Retrieve Raiders have virtually landed themselves final-four spots in the Linden Amateur Basketball Association/Hamid Foundation Under-23 basketball championship, after winning their second game of the group encounters, Sunday night, at the Mackenzie Sports Club hard court, the tournament venue.Kwakwani thrashed Bankers Trust Falcons 84-32, while Raiders whipped Block 22 Flames 40-34.
The two teams now have one game in hand and should not be denied advancing even with a loss.
However, the other teams are battling to survive to the next round. Last Friday’s washed-out matches are scheduled for tonight from 18:30hrs.
The Half Mile Bulls/Christianburg Pistons game is set to bounce off first while Amelia’s Ward Jets and third-ranked Victory Valley Royals will match skills in the second game.
Another win for the Jets could spell doom for the Royals, who lost their first game against Kwakwani, and place the Ward side into the final four.
But the Kwakwani team, with a tournament-high score from Domar Gladstone, saw them hammer the Falcons 84-32 after taking the initiative 40-14 at lemon-time.
Gladstone had six three-pointers in that top score, which matched the 31 piled in by Terron Welch for the Bulls in the opening game of the tournament against Block 22 Flames.
Gladstone was ably supported by Shafeeq Thomas, with 21 and Leonard Primo who got six points.
Stephen Duncan was the best player for the losing Falcons side with nine points, as Akeel Primo and Raphael Robertson had six apiece.
In the other game Sunday night, Retrieve Raiders calmly gained their second win and are assured a place in the final four. They got past Block 22 Flames after leading 23-15.
Coel Winter led the scoring for the Raiders with 13 points and solid play by Travis Sutton accounted for 10. Otis Williams chipped in with six for the winners.
Selwyn Henry remained the scoring chief for the Flames, getting 17 points, with the next best score coming from Rondel Fraser with seven.