By Joe Chapman

FIREWORKS are expected tonight when four of the country’s top basketball clubs collide in the 6th Brusches Classic semi-finals tonight at the Mackenzie Sports Club (MSC) Hard Court.

Bounty Colts, Georgetown’s number one club, will come up against another City power house in Ravens in the opening game of the planned double-header at 19:00 hrs.

In the second game, Victory valley Royals, Linden’s hottest club at the moment, will face the Amelia’s Ward jets at 21:00 hours.

Colts will be led by their brilliant guard and captain, Shelroy Thomas, who has led them superbly this season and with such talented players like Dennis Niles, Shane Webster, Timothy Thompson, Dave Causeway and the likelihood of young prospect Stanton Rose being available, this team will be hard to beat.

Ravens on the other hand will be no pushovers and can cause an upset, based on their showing against Plaisance Guardians.

Ryan Stephney’s input will be the key for the Ravens tonight and with Travis Burnett controlling the back-court, the battle will be won by the team which settles in better than the other at the MSC outdoor facility.

Tyrone Hamid and Jermain Slater will make up the front court setting and with the experienced Ryan Gullen, a game is on hand for basketball fans to see.

The second semi-final is one that will also grip attention as Royals have been unbeaten in the last tournament which they are certain to win, and having beaten Jets in that championship, they are confident that they can win again tonight.

Harold Adams, captain Chris Williams, Alwyn Rodney who had a good game after a long break from the game and veteran Trevor Profitt will be pressed by the Jets. How well young Yannick Tappin asserts himself can also be a factor for the Royals chances winning this game.

At the same time, Jets have some good inside players in Adrian Webster and Donnel Benjamin but they will depend on their floor-general, Akeem Kanhai and shooting guard, Orin Rose, to see them through.

However, the likes of Joel Webster and Shannon Cadogan will be handy once they come to the party and play well.

This semi-final set of matches will pave the way for the grand final where at stake is $300,000, while the beaten finalist receives $200,000 and third place finisher $100,000.