– both coaches confident
Division Three League winners Beepat Scorpions and fourth seeded Courts Pacesetters will bump heads in the much-anticipated Georgetown Amateur Basketball Association (GABA) Pepsi Street Playoff Series, which gets underway on Saturday at the Burnham Basketball Court from 18:00 hours.
The match-up is expected to ignite the playoffs from the inception as the two Division Three powerhouses will clash in the opening game of the best-of-three playoff series. Game One is an opportunity to get the first jump on the opposition by taking an early win and both teams appeared to be working toward this common goal as they were observed undergoing intensive training yesterday at the competition venue. Speaking to Stabroek Sport via telephone on Tuesday, Scorpions head coach, Vijay Panday was brimming with confidence as he emphasised his team’s readiness for their upcoming encounter against the rival Pacesetters line-up.
“From a coach’s point of view, I’m very confident that we can beat them… we did it in the first round already and we can do it again,” Panday assured.
Pacesetters, who are last year’s league winners, suffered a shocking defeat at the hands of the Scorpions as they were outdone and nearly blown-out in their earlier Division Three match-up during the continuation of the league at the Burnham Court. Their earlier game was also eagerly anticipated but failed to live up to the expectations of the Pacesetters’ supporters after they were handed a 65-80 point defeat. The win certainly boosted the Scorpions’ confidence and they were evidently a much more improved team than the side their competitors saw prior to the league’s postponement. Panday on Tuesday attributed this victory to the all-round effort his team delivers during their games and reiterated that he expects his side to replicate their previous game winning performance.
“We have a very well balanced team,” Panday stated.
The Scorpions head coach also explained that this victory came through having some exceptional players on his team. He especially highlighted the team’s point guard and former Junior National player Shelroy Thomas, who he noted has drastically improved and is a definite asset to the team. “Shelroy is exceptional and can be very effective on the inside as well,” Panday noted.
Pacesetters’ head coach, Bobby Cadogan also commented on the performance his team will be delivering on the other end of the court when they meet the Scorpions in game one of the playoffs. “We weren’t properly prepared to deal with the Scorpions in the earlier game, but our practice sessions are going well and we are now in a position to deal with them… It’ll be a total team effort,” Cadogan said.
Cadogan added that his team will be looking to restrict Scorpions’ lead scorer, Thomas, whom he says is the leading Division Three scorer and averages 26 points a game.
Also speaking to this newspaper yesterday was Pacesetters’ starting guard and junior national player Richard Mohandatt. Mohandatt, being a key player in the Pacesetters squad, said he was confident that his team will defeat the Scorpions when they meet this weekend. He did not play in his team’s last encounter against the Scorpions, but suggested that his team’s defeat was most likely due to the fact that “they did not properly execute the game plan.”
Mohandatt stated that his team “went back to the drawing board” and intend to follow the game plan come Saturday.
“I plan to step my game up, because this is a very important game and we’re in the knockout stage now,” Mohandatt added.
Following the Scorpions-Pacesetters opening game, the second match of the night will see second-seeded Ravens going up against Melanie Patriots, who are a relatively new club and are contesting their first GABA league.
Ravens and Melanie Patriots will also be playing Game One of the best-of-three format and the two teams which advance will contest the final.
The same format will be used for the Open Division, which will commence on Sunday. The number one seeded and unbeaten Ravens will take on fourth seeded Scorpions in the first match that evening followed by number two seed Pacesetters versus Macabees, who finished the league as the number three seed.
