SAN IGNACIO TOWN, Sun. Feb. 21, 2016–Ballaz beats Burgess’ Belmopan Bandits: Friday saw the return of Kurt “Chengo” Burgess to his old home town, San Ignacio, as Cayo Western Ballaz hosted Belmopan Bandits at the Sacred Heart College auditorium. Belmopan Bandits jumped out to an early 21-12 lead at the end of the first quarter, which they extended to 21 points in the second quarter, to take a 15 point lead into the locker room, 40-25. However, in the third quarter the home team made a huge run to cut that deficit to only 3 points, going into the fourth quarter. Cayo Western Ballaz’ defense and free-throw shooting sealed the 67-60 victory, in a huge game for both teams. Cayo Western Ballaz (3-3) was led by Elvis “Zui” Usher with 17 pts and 3 steals, complemented by his great defensive effort that sparked the comeback. James Milton finished with another double-double, tallying 16 pts and 10 rebs, while Brandon Flowers and Jamal Harris netted 11 and 9 pts, respectively. Belmopan Bandits’ (1-4) top scorer was Jarell Velasquez, who had the game high with 18 pts to go with 6 rebs and 5 assists. Nick Brown finished with 4 three-pointers to tally 12 pts, 4 rebs, 3 steals and 2 assists, while Kyle Pascascio finished with 10 pts and 5 rebs. Cayo Western Ballaz led in points off turnovers, 21-10, which was instrumental in their comeback, and they also dominated the paint, outscoring the Bandits, 38-18.
Hurricanes continues to destroy teams in its path, remains undefeated
Orange Walk Running Rebels traveled to Belize City on Friday night to take on the undefeated Smart Belize Hurricanes at the Belize Elementary School gym. The home team, Smart Belize Hurricanes jumped out to an early 28-13 lead at the end of the first quarter, which they extended to 58-23 at the half. Hurricanes controlled the entire game, easily sealing up the 112-78 victory, while extending their winning streak to 6 games. Smart Belize Hurricanes (6-0) was anchored by big man Farron Louriano, who had a double-double with the game high 29 pts and game high 11 boards, to go with 3 steals. Randy Usher finished with 21 pts and 2 assists versus his old squad, while Akeem Watters clocked in a double-double with 17 pts and 10 boards. Rookie sensation Glency “Coope” Lopez netted 12 pts to go with 3 boards, 3 assists and 2 steals, while Brian White finished the night with 8 pts and 8 boards. The visiting team, Orange Walk Running Rebels (1-2) was led by Lupito Acosta, who sank 20 pts, while the league leading scorer, Roger Reneau netted 19 pts to go with 8 rebs. Bernard Felix and Darren Neal scored 11 and 10 pts, respectively. Smart Belize Hurricanes dominated points off turnovers, 27-7, while gaining a huge rebounding edge of 54-34.
Griga wins battle of the south versus Independence: Dangriga Warriors traveled further south to take on Independence Thunderbolts at the Independence High School on Friday night. Dangriga Warriors gave the first punch, taking a 26-9 lead at the end of the first quarter, which was increased to 46-32 at intermission. The visitors were able to hang on to the easy 86-74 victory. Dangriga Warriors (3-3) was led by Macario Augustine, who posted a monster game with a huge double-double, as he got the game high 21 pts and game high 20 rebs to go with 3 steals. Edgar Mitchell had another great outing with 21 pts, 7 assists and 3 rebs, while Jamir Flores and James Ewing netted 12 and 11 pts, respectively. Independence Thunderbolts (0-6) was led by Arnold Torres, who had 19 pts and 4 rebs, while Dominique Guzman finished with 15 pts and 5 boards. Alroy Foreman scored 14 pts to go with 8 rebs, and Aaron Valerio and Kareem Andrews netted 10 pts each. Dangriga Warriors led the entire game, while outscoring Independence Thunderbolts 14-9 off the bench.
Belmopan Bandits bounces back with a win against Orange Walk: Belmopan Bandits returned home on Saturday night to take on Orange Walk Running Rebels at the UB gymnasium in Belmopan. At the end of the first quarter, the home team had an 18-13 lead, which ballooned to 41-26 at the half. Belmopan Bandits led the entire game, handily winning, 94 – 62. Belmopan Bandits (2-4) was led by Nick Brown, who had the game high with 26 pts while ripping down 10 rebs. Kyle Pascascio scored 12 pts with 7 boards, and Jevaughn McKenzie and Stephen “Muerte” Williams netted 11 pts apiece. Orange Walk Running Rebels’ (1-3) top scorer was Leith Paulino with 17 pts and 2 rebs, while Roger Reneau tallied 14 pts and 5 rebs. Lupito Acosta finished the night with 12 pts, 6 boards and 2 assists. Belmopan Bandits doubled up Orange Walk Running Rebels on the glass, 63-31, and had a huge 21-2 advantage on second chance points.
San Pedro Tiger Sharks reclaimed home turf with a big win: On Saturday night, San Pedro Tiger Sharks hosted Belize City No Limit at San Pedro High School. At the end of first quarter, San Pedro Tiger Sharks had a 17-15 lead, which they increased to 37-27 at the half. Belize City No Limit was able to shrink the lead to 7 points going into the fourth quarter, but the home team was able to secure the win, 83-70. San Pedro Tiger Sharks (5-1) was led by Caleb Sutton who had the game high with 30 pts while grabbing 8 rebs. Ashton Edwards netted 15 pts, while Andrew “Bynum” Ortiz scored 13 pts while grabbing 8 rebs, and Gene Myvett finished with 12 pts, 5 assists, 4 rebs and 4 steals. Michael Babbles was the top scorer for Belize City No Limit (2-2) with 20 pts and 3 rebs, while Greg “Chippy” Rudon scored 19 pts to go with 3 boards and 2 assists. San Pedro Tiger Sharks out-rebounded Belize City No Limit, 38-25, while they had greater contribution off their bench, with a 33-16 advantage.
Upcoming games:
Friday at 9 p.m. – Belmopan Bandits at Smart Belize Hurricanes
Saturday at 8 p.m. – Belize City No Limit at Dangriga Warriors
Saturday at 8 p.m. – Cayo Western Ballaz at Independence Thunderbolts
Saturday at 9 p.m. – Smart Belize Hurricanes at Orange Walk Running Rebels
All games can be followed live on our website at nebl.sportingpulse.net, with real time box scores while the game is being played. The website also has all game scores, box scores, players and teams’ statistics, along with standings for the season.