SAN IGNACIO TOWN, Sun. Apr. 19, 2015–With four weeks remaining in the National Elite Basketball League (NEBL) regular season, this weekend fans were treated to 2 huge upsets, while the third game also proved to be crucial.
Fans are reminded that all games have a live webcast, where the play-by-play, along with box scores, are available for all games. Fans can follow every game live on the internet, as scores are in real time, at nebl.sportingpulse.net
Belize Yellow Pages Hurricanes stage huge upset against San Pedro Tiger Sharks
On Friday night, San Pedro Tiger Sharks (6-3) traveled to Belize City to take on the Belize Yellow Pages Hurricanes (3-6), who were in need of a win to remain in the playoff hunt. At the end of the third, Belize Hurricanes had a one point lead, which they were able to protect, as they narrowly edged the defending champs, 83-81. The Hurricanes were led by Winston Pratt, who had 24 points with 4 rebounds and 6 assists; and Brian White had 19 pts and 7 rebs. Also in the win, Akeem Trapp tallied 17 pts, 5 rebs, 5 assists and 3 steals; while Earl Johnson sank 11 pts, and Ty Bradley finished the night with 8 pts and 7 rebs, and Leon Williams finished with 4 pts and 7 boards, 2 of those pts being for the game winner. In a losing effort, San Pedro Tiger Sharks was led by Darwin “Puppy” Leslie, who had the game high with 26 pts, along with 6 assists and 5 rebs; while Ashton Edwards tallied 18 pts with 4 boards, and Milton James finished with another double-double, as he scored 18 pts and ripped 15 rebs.
Dangriga Warriors defend home court against the mighty Belmopan Red Taigaz
Also on Friday night, the league witnessed another upset, as Dangriga Warriors (4-5) was also able to defend their home court against the powerhouse Belmopan Red Taigaz (5-3), winning 78-70, while greatly keeping their playoff hopes alive. The home team was led by Edgar Mitchell, who had game highs of 22 pts and 10 assists, to go with 4 rebs and 3 steals; while Brandon Flowers also recorded a double-double with 15 pts and 10 boards. Macario Augustine had 6 pts with 10 boards, while Daniel Nolberto finished with 12 pts and 2 assists. Belmopan Red Taigaz had Farron Louriano scoring 17 pts and grabbing 8 rebs, while Terrel Eskridge also scored 17 pts with 4 rebs and 3 steals. Stephen Williams sank 12 pts while pulling 8 rebs, and Jarrel Velasquez scored 11 pts, while grabbing 3 boards and dishing out 3 assists.
With the loss, both Belmopan Red Taigaz and San Pedro Tiger Sharks are tied for the #2 seed, as both teams have 3 losses.
Belize City No Limit defeat Orange Walk Running Rebels
On Friday night, Belize City No Limit (4-5) was able to secure a huge victory, as they defeated Orange Walk Running Rebels (1-7) by the score of 89-72 in Sugar City. The final score is still unofficial, and all player statistics are unofficial, due to technical issues the league had with the laptop that was doing the statistics and score, which will be cited for the first 33 minutes of the game only. No Limit was led by Gregory Rudon, who had 22 pts with 5 steals, while Allison Rivers scored 11 pts. Brandon Rogers finished the night with 9 pts and 8 rebs, and Jacob Westby scored 9 pts with 4 boards. The home team, Orange Walk Running Rebels was led by Randy Usher, who had 16 pts and 3 rebs, while Roger Reneau tallied 14 pts, 7 rebs, 4 assists and 3 steals. Jason Grant finished the night with 10 pts and 7 caroms.
All Star Night
On Saturday, the All Star Night was held at the Sacred Heart College auditorium in San Ignacio Town in front of a packed audience, with standing room only.
The Smart All Star Game was a showcase of all the top players in the league, where fans were treated to exciting offense and monster dunks. The South Team came out victorious, with a 107-98 victory. The South was led by Farron Louriano, who had the game high 26 pts with 8 rebs, while Richard Troyer finished with 21 pts and 6 rebs. Trevaughn Usher scored 13 pts, and Terrel Eskridge finished the night with 10 pts, 7 rebs and 5 assists. For the North Team, the top scorer was Andrew Ortiz with 24 pts and 5 dunks, while Gregory Rudon finished with 17 pts. Kevin Domingo, Lennox Bowman and Roger Reneau finished the night with 15, 14 and 12 pts, respectively.
The Scotia Bank Three Point Shootout was the fan favorite, as Darwin “Puppy” Leslie advanced to the final round, to put up 9 pts, followed by Richard Troyer, who was able to seal the victory with 14 pts.
The night ended with the much anticipated Mek Mi Rich Slam Dunk Contest, where Jarrel “Bird” Velasquez walked away as champion with his highlight dunk, where he jumped over three persons for his final dunk, defeating teammate Farron Louriano in the finals.
Upcoming Games
On Friday night, Cayo Western Ballaz (7-1) will host Dangriga Warriors (4-5) at the Sacred Heart College Auditorium in San Ignacio Town at 9:00 p.m., while on Saturday night, Belize City No Limit (4-5) travels to Belmopan to take on Belmopan Red Taigaz (5-3) at the UB gym. Orange Walk Running Rebels (1-7) will take on Belize Hurricanes (3-6) on a date to be announced, due to the availability of the venue. San Pedro Tiger Sharks has a bye this weekend.