by Charles Gladden
BELIZE CITY, Mon. Apr. 8, 2024
The Belize City Defenders ended their two-game losing streak in the 2024 Belize Elite Basketball League (BEBL) season against the Belmopan Trojans on Friday night, April 5, at the Belize City Civic Center, as they won by 36 points.
The game finished with Defenders on top, 107 – 71, the win completing a sweep of the season series with Belmopan. “I always try to go out there and do the little things, and win. We trying to get back on the right track after losing two games, so it’s small steps to go where we need to be,” said Fenton Bradley, who led his Defenders team with 25 pts and 7 rebs. Nigel Jones contributed with a double-double of 20 pts and 15 rebs.
Jayden Lopez had a team-high for Belmopan with 21 pts, and Tramarcus Levi with 11 pts. Head coach of the Trojans, Aldo Manzanero told Amandala how they will bounce back after facing their biggest loss of the season. “We had a slow start; but with every other game, we had learning points, we have positives. We had Jayden who had a really good game [and] had some good defensive stops. Again, [they’re] a really tough team [and] a very well-coached team. We have to go back to the drawing board and execute, and have our plays set and guys in the correct places.”
New coach, same losing; Griga beat Cayo in OT
On Friday night, Bernie Tarr made his season debut with the Cayo Western Ballaz at the Sacred Heart Auditorium as they hosted the Griga Dream Ballers; however, the Dream Ballers were able to return to the Culture Captial with a huge win.
At the half, the Cayo team seemed to be in command, holding an 11-point lead, 44–33, over the Dream Ballers; but that lead evaporated, as overtime was forced at the end of regulation, with Dream Ballers coming out on top, 87–83.
Upcoming games
Thurs. Apr. 11 – Cayo Western Ballaz vs Belize Hurricanes @ Belize City Civic Center
Sat. Apr. 13 – Belize City Defenders vs Griga Dream Ballers @ Russell Chiste Garcia Auditorium
Sun. Apr. 14 – Belmopan Trojans vs San Pedro Tiger Sharks @ Belize City Civic Center
