Colts edge Bulls 63-59 to win inaugural Forbes Burnham title

SWINGMAN Shelroy Thomas with a game-high 29 points was sublime in his execution at both ends of the floor as Georgetown’s Colts won the inaugural Forbes Burnham Memorial basketball final with a tense 63-59 win over Linden’s Half Mile Bulls. The game was fitting to the expectations of a tribute in honour of Guyana’s first Executive President early Sunday morning at the Mackenzie Sports Club hard court in Linden.
The win by the Colts was their second nationwide tournament since claiming the official National Club Championship in 2004 which was also staged by the governing Guyana Amateur Basketball Federation (GABF).
Colts must give credit for their win to shooting guard Thomas. He was clinical in posting the leading score after opening the score. He later piloted his side from early danger against the young Bulls, who were taking the challenge to their more seasoned opponents, by holding the advantage early after trailing 2-0 when Thomas scored off the glass.
But the Bulls led at the end of the first quarter 21-10 through fine displays from guard Terron Welch and power forward Travin Dryden.
The Georgetown side did come with some support in the stands and Thomas engineered a nice comeback as they were adrift 20-25 as he hit a ‘trey’ from downtown with 4 mins 16 secs to go in the second quarter.
A steal by Thomas resulted in a two-point game 27-29 and back-to-back scoring by Dave Causeway pushed the City lads ahead, 31-29 with 1 minute 16 seconds remaining. A garbage basket and a follow-up jumper by Thomas ensured the Colts had opened a 37-31 cushion to conclude the first half.
The Bulls had, to some extent, been able to control the run-and-gun game of the Colts but in the process Dryden found himself in foul trouble with four fouls and this took away from his game defensively, as he was assigned to mark Colts’ centre Shane Webster. With him being limited, the Colts opened double-digit leads of 46-36 and then 50-40 to coast along 54-40 when the third period ended.
Soon it was 58-40 and the game seemingly was slipping away from the home side. However, the Bulls with several players, who in recent times were wearing junior national colours, showed their potential and reduced the deficit to trail 58-62 when a glass bottle and plastic chair were thrown on the court after a no-call by the game officials on what appeared to be a foul on Michael Turner of the Bulls.
This caused the game’s first of two stoppages and the game officials concurred and awarded the infringement on Colts with 1 minute 37 seconds to go, but Turner was unable to capitalise from the stripe.
The final seconds saw frenzied play and play was halted after a call was blown against the Bulls; and what appeared like three bottles were pelted in response by a disgruntled spectator.
However, quick action by president of the GABF, Nigel Hinds, ensured the playing area was brought back to normalcy and the game continued as the Colts held their nerves to romp home winners 63-59.
Causway contributed 14 points, three steals and two assists in tandem with Thomas for the champions. Dryden top-scored with 16 points and hauled in 12 massive rebounds for the losers, while Welch notched up 13 points, ten rebounds and five steals, Terron Welch had 13 points, five rebounds, five steals and three assists and Turner added 10 points in a losing cause.
President of the federation, Nigel Hinds, presented the $100 000 cash incentive to the winners, $60 000 to second-placers Bulls and third-placers Pacesetters collected $40 000.
Trophies and medals are to be presented to the champions Colts along with a Most Valuable Player award and the Most Disciplined award for the tournament.
Hinds reported that President David Granger was supportive of the championship.

By Joe Chapman

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