THE eagerly anticipated, One-Guyana Basketball Premier League tipped off on Saturday last at the National Gymnasium on Mandela Avenue from 17:00hrs and fans were treated to a triple-header.

In the tournament’s opener, South Ruimveldt Mamba made light work of the Guyana Defence Force (GDF) 72-50. Jonathan Pooran (19 points), Samuel Thompson (16 points) and Brandon Benton (12 points) were the standout performers for Mambas in their 22-point win over the army men. Kevon Richard top scored for GDF with 10 points.

Kitty/Campbellville Ravens registered the biggest win of the night after crushing Plaisance Guardians 74-40 in the penultimate clash on the night. Captain Dominic Vincent led from the front with 21 points inclusive of four three-pointers. Vincent was supported well from former Eagles player, Shemar Huntley with 15 points and 10 points each from Tyrone Hamid and Jude Corlette.
Eagles won the feature match of the night 66-52 against the Bounty Colts. Eagles were led by Caribbean Champion Travis Belgrave who scored a game high 26 points. In fact, Belgrave’s 26 points, which included three 3-point field goals, is the best performance of the tournament thus far. Kwesi Thompson (10 points) was the only other Eagles player that reached double figures.
The tournament continues this Saturday with another triple- header from 17:00hrs. The first match will feature Pacesetters and Black Caimans. The second league game of the night, which bounces off at 19:00hrs, will allow Nets to match skills with Kobras. Meanwhile, the feature clash will see Sonics pitted against D-Up from 21:00hrs.

This One Guyana Basketball League features 14 teams grouped into the Harpy Eagle Conference and the Jaguar Conference, set to compete in a projected range of 56 to 63 games.
During the league, teams from the Jaguar and Harpy Eagle Conferences will face each other twice within their respective groups. The top four teams will progress to the playoffs, where the first-ranked team will compete against the fourth-ranked team, and the second-ranked team will take on the third-ranked team. The victors of these playoff matches will move on to the Conference Finals, where they will engage in a best-of-three series to determine the finalists for the National Championship.

Participating teams in the Jaguar Conference include Stabroek Eagles, Leonora D-UP Rising Stars, Cummingsburg Bounty Colts, Lamaha Park/Springs Pepsi Sonics, Bagotstown/Prospect Kobras, Cummings Lodge, and UG Trojans. Meanwhile, the Harpy Eagle Conference features teams including Kitty/Campbellville Ravens, South Ruimveldt Ravens, Plaisance Guardians, Guyana Defence Force, Wortmanville/Werk-en-Rust Pacesetters, North Ruimveldt Caimans, and Kwakwani Untouchables.
The championship-winning team will receive a prize of $1 million, along with trophies, while the runners-up will be awarded $500,000 along with trophies. The successful execution of this tournament has been made possible through sponsorships from the Ministry of Culture, Youth and Sport, G-Boats Guyana, the National Sports Commission, the Guyana Basketball Federation, and the Georgetown Basketball Federation.