by Charles Gladden
BELIZE CITY, Mon. May 6, 2024
On Friday night, May 3, the Belize Hurricanes hosted the Belize City Defenders in their final home game of the 2024 Belize Elite Basketball League (BEBL) season at the Belize City Civic Centre in Belize City.
The rematch was a highly anticipated matchup to see if the Hurricanes would sweep the season series, since the Hurricanes had won the first game by 47 points, or both teams would secure a win against each other.
The game was closely contested throughout the first half, as both teams weren’t giving each other any breathing space, and they ended the half at 30 points apiece. Entering the second half, the Defenders stepped on the gas pedal and opened a 12-point lead. However, that lead diminished to as low as a single point as time ticked down; but the Defenders managed to hold on to the small lead and eventually walked away with the win, 60-56.
“By four, it’s much sweeter, when you lose by what we lost by last time. You could get over it, but this one tonight is good; especially going into the playoffs, it was a big game for us,” said Stephen Williams, assistant coach of Belize City Defenders. He further mentioned, “Getting wins, especially against a team like the Hurricanes, takes your confidence pretty high, especially going into the playoffs. Last time we spoke, I mentioned about winning this game to gain that confidence and show ourselves that we can beat Hurricanes.”
Nigel Jones led the Defenders with a double-double of 14 points and 10 rebounds with 6 assists, and John Kelly added 12 points. Meanwhile, the Hurricanes were led by Sidibe Bourama with a double-double of 13 points and 15 rebounds, and Amar Ross with 11 points.
Griga secured a playoff spot, beating the Trojans
The Belmopan Trojans hosted the Griga Dream Ballers on Friday night, May 3, at the UB Gym in Belmopan to close their season. However, the match would go to Griga, 91-81.
The scoring for the Trojans was led by Tramarcus Levi, with 31 points and 5 rebounds, and Jayden Lopez, who netted 21 points and grabbed 14 rebounds. For Dream Ballers, Edgar Mitchell scored 24 points, and Johnathan Guzman secured a double-double with 20 points and 10 rebounds.
Tiger Sharks beat Western Ballaz
In the final game of the weekend, the San Pedro Tiger Sharks ventured to San Ignacio Town to face off against the Cayo Western Ballaz at the Sacred Heart Auditorium on Saturday night, May 4. The game finished with Tiger Sharks winning by 23 points over Cayo, 81-58.
Francis Arana led the Tiger Sharks with 20 points, and Bobby Arthur-Williams, who had 13 points and 15 rebounds. Meanwhile for Cayo, Mark Gordon had a double-double of 22 points and 11 rebounds, and Aaron Allison dropped 13 points.
Up next:
Sat. May. 11 – Cayo Western Ballaz vs Belize Hurricanes – SHC Auditorium – 9:00 p.m.
PLAYOFFS START – Fri. May 17 – seeding is yet to be determined.
