… Half Mile Bulls bounce back

BEHIND the shooting of Stephan Gillis, Pacesetters chalked their second win in this year’s Guyana Amateur Basketball Federation (GABF) National Club Championships, with an entertaining 74-68 victory over Plaisance Guardians, when the tournament continued on Wednesday at the Cliff Anderson Sports Hall with a double-header.

Half Mile Bulls rebounded from their 94-55 opening night’s loss to Bounty Colts, and emerged 81-53 winners over Rose Hall Jammers, thanks to a ‘double-double’ (31 points, 10 rebounds) performance by Michael Turner.
Coming into the game, Rose Hall Jammers had the perfect start in the tournament when they came out 64-60 winners over Ravens and were hoping to carry over their sensational play in the showdown with the Linden side (Bulls).

However, the Bulls came to Georgetown ready to play and were led by Turner’s ‘two-way’ game and the shooting of Terron Welch.
Welch, who ended the game with 20 points, scorched the Jammers in the first half, leading the Bulls to a 23-14 first period score, and 46-22 at the end of the first half.

Combining for 51 on the night, Turner and Welch rallied the Bulls to a great third quarter, where they out-scored the Jammers 23-14, to head into the final stanza leading 69-36.
Michael King, who was the Berbice team’s best performer on the night, fought hard for his 12 points and the Bulls in the fourth quarter had already taken their feet off the pedal as they cruised to a well-deserved win.

Meanwhile, the night’s second game was entertaining from the first toss of the ball, despite Pacesetters being in control throughout the night.
With Gillis and emerging star Nathan Saul causing trouble in the back court for the Junior Hercules-coached Guardians, Pacesetters raced to a 20-8 lead in the first quarter but the Plaisance team rebounded well in the second (period) to enter the second half still trailing 26-36.

Power forward Trenton Woolford (15) and point guard Colwin Nurse (13), along with the lanky Akeem Crandon (13) tried valiantly to keep the Guardians in the game upon the resumption of the second half, but Gillis and Saul had already found a groove.

Pacesetters led 54-40 at the start of the final quarter and though the Guardians had a 24-point quarter, as compared to the winning side’s 22, it was not enough to see them pick up their first win, having lost 59-82 to Victory Valley Royals on night one.
The tournament will continue tonight, with a Linden invasion, when Bounty Colts take on Amelia’s Ward Jets from 19:00hrs and Victory Valley Royals oppose Retrieve Raiders in the second game.