Botched free throws by Kurt English along with a timely Trenton Woolford block in the dying moments, relegated Colts to a 76-77 loss to Plaisance Guardians when the best-of-three division-1 finale of the Georgetown Amateur Basketball Association (GABA) league championships commenced on Friday.
Sent to the free-throw line with less than five seconds remaining and the score 77-76 at the Cliff Anderson Sports Hall, English succumbed to the pressure of the situation, missing both his attempts.
The resultant rebound was grabbed by Dave Causeway whose subsequent shot from the left side of the rim was blocked emphatically by the pursuing Woolford. The lanky defender then recovered the loose ball, running the clock down in the process to claim the hard-fought win.
The fixture’s climax came to be as Nikkoloi Smith tied the contest with less than six seconds remaining, nailing a three-pointer from the left side to push his side into the advantage after they trailed 74-76.
The resulting possession led to English being fouled and sent to the free-throw line where he missed both of his shots. Prior to that, Colts raced ahead at the beginning of the fourth quarter, initiating a 4-0 run to lead 64-52.
However, the East Coast of Demerara unit battled back to level proceedings at 70-70, outscoring Colts 18-6 with 1:13s remaining on the clock. Veteran player Enoch Matthews was the catalyst for the Guardians exploits as he netted 13 points inclusive of two three-pointers during the period.
The matchup was not without incident as emotions ran high resulting in several members of the respective teams having to be separated following an initial altercation between Kurt `Gypsy’ Elias and Matthews resulting in a technical foul for the latter.
Following the return to normalcy, the Georgetown outfit then pulled away once more, netting four points while restricting Guardians to a point to lead 74-71 with 21 seconds remaining.
Nonetheless, Smith made his presence felt when it mattered most, nailing a huge three-pointer from the top of the arc to level the score line at 74-74 with 14 seconds remaining.
With both sides in the penalty, Causeway was placed on the free-throw line after being fouled with nine seconds remaining. The national guard nailed both of his attempts to give Colts a 76-74 lead.
Nevertheless, Smith came to forefront once more, netting a dagger three while racing down the left side, in the process putting his side in the position to clinch the win following the failure of English at the foul-line and the brilliance of Woolford.
Matthews recorded a game-high 26 points in the win while Smith and Ron Campbell scored 20 and nine points respectively. On the other side, Causeway, Shane Webster and English netted 22, 21 and 16 points correspondingly.
The first period of the match failed to separate the sides, finishing 17 apiece. Woolford and Mark Richards netted four points each for Guardians while Causeway and English scored seven and four points respectively for Colts.
Guardians then seized control of the contest in the second stanza, netting 23 points while holding Colts to 12 points to lead 40-29 at half time. Campbell and Matthews were the primary scorers with seven points each.
For Colts, Causeway recorded five points, with the next best score of three points coming in the form of Webster. Akin to the second period, the third stanza witnessed Colts seizing the initiative as they outhustled Guardians 29-12 to take a 58-52 lead into the final period.
The third quarter assault was highlighted by a 17-5 run to begin the period, resulting in Colts taking the lead 46-45 with 5:12s remaining. Top scoring in the period with nine points was Webster while Causeway and English netted eight points each.
On another note, Nets drew first blood against fierce rival Pepsi Sonics in their best-of-three division two final, defeating the latter by a 64-58 score line. Mortimer Stewart top scored for Nets with 16 points while the next best scorer in the win with 12 points was Dorian Lewis.
Chipping in with nine, eight and eight points respectively were Michael Richards, Pelham Doris and Mortimer Robertson. For the losers, Jason Squires shot his way to 17 points while Kerwin Jackson, Earl O’Neil and Yannick December netted 14, 14 and five points each.
Leading 32-30 heading into the pivotal third stanza, Nets extended their lead to four points, outscoring Sonics by a 17-15 score line to lead 49-45 going into the final stanza. The win was subsequently sealed in the final period as they outshot their foe 15-13.
Action in the tournament resumes today at the same locale with a tripleheader. In the opening fixture at 18:30hrs, Eagles will faceoff with Pacesetters in the second match of their u-23 finale.
The second fixture at 20:30hrs will then witness Nets opposing Pepsi Sonics in the second matchup of the division-2 finale. Similarly, the main attraction at 22:30hrs will pit Colts against Guardians in the second fixture of the division-1 finale.
