Royals down Jets to capture title

By Joe Chapman

THE Victory Valley Royals shot down the Amelia’s Ward Jets, 76-63 to capture the Nigel Hinds/ Linden Amateur Basketball Association (LABA) Senior League Championship on Saturday evening.
The country’s top club was led to their win by their big three in national players Harold Adams, Yannick Tappin and Orlan Glasgow.
The eventual winners took a 16-7 first-quarter lead and at the end of the first half were coasting 48-29, a 32-22 run which seemingly silenced the home team’s fans.

However, after the break, with an inspired display and rival spectators on hand chanting for their teams, the Jets revved up and outdid the Royals, 30-14.
This was engineered by Shannon Cadogan who netted eight of his 10 points of the game in that pivotal session, with Dennis Niles (Jr.) in fine form getting seven points along with their leading scorer Quincy Easton who added four.

This brought the Jets to within striking distance when the third quarter ended with them trailing, 59-62.
But with Dennis Niles (Jr.) being fouled out, the hopes of an upset by the Jets never materialized, as Yannick Tappin and Harold Adams combined for 10 of their final 14 points of the game and the champions coasted to victory, 76-63, to remain unbeaten in the tournament.

Adams finished with 17 points as Orlan Glasgow and Keifer Tappin netted 11 apiece for the winners.
Easton had 15 points with Niles netting 12 and Shannon Cadogan 10 in that losing cause.

Earlier in the evening with trophies and $100,000 at stake for the winning side and $50,000 for the losers, Block 22 Flames edged Retrieve Raiders to claim third position with an exciting, 58-57, win after both teams were 55-55, when regulation play ended.

This followed the Flames leading, 11-6, at the end of the first quarter and 26-20 at half time before the scores remained level when the third quarter ended, 36-36.
Jonathan Clarke led the scoring for the Flames with 18 points and Cleon Johnson had 13 as Shawn Cameron added seven in that win.
Shemar Savoury got a game-high 19 points for Raiders and Neil Marks (Jr.) 10, for the Raiders.

For their win, the royals walked away with $400,000, the winners’ trophy and bragging rights, as the Jets for their flight earned $200,000 and a trophy.
To witness the night’s action was Nigel Hinds, the former national player and past president of the Guyana Amateur basketball Federation, whose firm was the major sponsor of the tournament.
The tournament was also sponsored by United States-based James Brusche and Gary Stephens, Aubrey Major and the 20/20 Bar