Pacesetters defeated Guardians by a 60-57 score in overtime when the ‘One Guyana’ Basketball Championship resumed on Saturday evening at the National Gymnasium, Mandela Avenue.
Locked at 52-52 at the conclusion of the fourth quarter, overtime was required to decide the outcome.
This resulted in the Pacesetters outscoring the Guardians 8-5 to secure the victory. Prior to the overtime outcome, the Guardians led at the end of stanzas 16–14.
However, the Pacesetters secured a marginal halftime lead at 29-28 after outscoring the Guardians 15-12. Guardians then responded in the third quarter, netting 14 points, while restricting Pacesetters to 10 points to enter the fourth and final regulation time period ahead at 42–39.
An overtime period was then required to decide the eventual result, as Pacesetters out-hustled Guardians 13-10.
Zion Grey and Jaleel Duke were the main threats for Pacesetters, as they scored 12 and 11 points each, while Tafawa Daly and Shawn Gilkes tallied eight points, respectively. On the other side, Nikkoloi Smith amassed 23 points, while Ron Campbell tallied 13 points.
Meanwhile, Eagles, University of Guyana (UG) Trojans, and Mambas recorded comfortable wins. The Eagles clawed past Kobras 66-50. Travis Belgrave scored for the victory with 20 points, while Denzil Ross supported with 18 points. Sherland Gillis contributed 11 points. On the other side, the experienced Trevor Smith tallied 22 points, with Elijah David and Drexel Aaron adding eight and seven points apiece.
Similarly, UG Trojans defeated the Sonics outfit 64-33. Kadeem Peterkin led the rout with 22 points, while Jayshawn Bailey added 14 points. For the loser, Lerone Joseph recorded 16 points.
Also, the encounter from November 25th between Mambas and Black Caimans, which was halted in the second half due to rain, was resumed and resulted in a 74-36 victory for the former.
The quartet of Jonathan Pooran, Cosmo Evans, Brandon Bento, and Samuel Thompson scored 16, 14, 10, and nine points, respectively. For the loser, the duo of Akeem Miggins and Timothy Kissoon tallied 11 and eight points, respectively.
The tournament, which is a collaboration between the Ministry of Culture, Youth, and Sport (MCY&S) and G-Boats Incorporated, is being run by the Guyana Basketball Federation. It forms part of the National Sports Academy and features 14 teams divided into two zones, which are the Harpy Eagles and Jaguars Conferences, respectively.
A minimum of 56 fixtures and a maximum of 63 matches are projected for the competition, which concludes in March 2024. The winner of the tournament will pocket $1,000,000, while the loser will receive $500,000.
