The rollicking action in the Malta Supreme Christmas Magnificent Seven basketball championship will change gears this weekend and overflow into the new week as teams battle today, tomorrow and Monday in what should help indicate the teams to advance to the final four from the lot of seven.
The Mackenzie Sports Club hard-court is the venue for this evening’s first double header
with Victory Valley Royals taking on Block 22 Flames at 7.30pm in the opening game.
The second game will be between the unbeaten Kashif and Shanghai Kings who will face the recent championship BOSAI Open Challenge winners Half Mile Bulls.
This game will be the main attraction since fans will remember that the Bulls beat the Kings when the two sides met in the BOSAI championship. However, the Kings with a perfect start will want to maintain that record straight through to the final if possible.
The Bulls are the new kids on the block and would like to get their act going from jump ball and their dependency of the shooting skills of skipper Michael Turner, Keon Cameron and to a lesser extent centre Shane Lewis and shooting guard Sean Easton, could very well work against the experienced Kings lineup.
The Kings have shown they are back to their dominant best even without their big centre Jason Alonzo. They will be led by the wily Steve Neils (Jr.), Marvin Hartman and Orin Rose all back court players supported up front by Abdulla Hamid and Omally Sampson.
The other match will see the Flames seeking not to be extinguished from the competition after two losses.
They face a Royals side which would want also to be among the contenders with a win following their one win and one loss record going into tonight’s match.
The competition continues tomorrow at the same venue from 7pm with Retrieve Raiders opposing Wismar Pistons while at 9pm the Kings and Amelia’s Ward Jets will each put their unbeaten records on the line. On Monday, the rescheduled game between Bulls and Block 22 Flames will continue with the Bulls leading 33-23.
