Rose Hall Town Jammers clinched the Berbice Amateur Basketball Association [BABA] ‘Karibee Rice’ Championships by defeating Canje Knights 40-31 on Sunday at the Rose Hall Court.
In a cagey and low scoring affair, the home side dominated proceedings in front of a small but energetic crowd.
The event’s eventual Most Valuable Player [MVP] Royburn Murray recorded 15 points with three three-pointers. He was supported by Michael King and Ezequiel Simon, with nine and six points respectively.
For Canje Knights, the dangerous duo of Kevon Emmanuel and Travis Sutton battled their way to 11 points apiece while Steve Roopnarine chipped in with six points.
Jammers pocketed the championship trophy and a cash incentive while the runners-up pocketed the corresponding accolade and a trophy.
The opening period typified the nature of the contest as the home side secured a marginal 8-4 advantage.
The nature of the fixture did not improve in the second period as both teams struggled for offensive fluency.
Jammers increased their lead heading into the halftime interval, netting 11 points, while restricting the visitors to eight points to lead 19-12.The pivotal third period proved to be the difference between the teams, as Jammers significantly strengthened their grip on the fixture.
It was their best defensive performance, as they held Knights to an embarrassing three points while tallying their best effort of 13 points to lead 32-15 heading into the final quarter.
With a sizable lead at their disposal, Jammers avoided an attempted comeback from the visitor who outscored the home side 16-8.
Vibert Garrett, President of the BABA and coordinator of the tournament said, “The association regrets that UG [University of Guyana] was unable to play in the exhibition match after making the long journey.”
According to Garrett, “UG was scheduled to play a Berbice U23 All-Star team but the match was unable to be played because we didn’t have access to the lights. It was very unfortunate that the game was not played and we apologize to UG for the situation that happened.”
