Eagles and Pacesetters stormed to comfortable wins when the ‘One Guyana’ Basketball League continued on Sunday evening at the National Gymnasium on Mandela Avenue.
Last year’s defeated finalist, the Eagles, maintained their undefeated record in the tournament following a 97-37 thrashing of the Plaisance Guardians. Zion Gray led the rout with 38 points. He was supported by the duo of Travis Belgrave and Denzil Ross, who were the next best scorers with 13 points.
Adding nine and eight points apiece were Daniel Bailey and Timothy Richmond. On the other side, the trio of Colwyn Nurse, Kadeem Beckles, and Nduko Horatio scored eight, seven, and seven points, respectively.
The tone of the contest was established in the first quarter as the Eagles soared to a 23-12 advantage. This lead was extended in the second stanza, as the Eagles netted 16 points while restricting the Guardians to 11 to enter the halftime interval in control at 39-23.
The contest was then effectively over in the third stanza, as the Eagles outscored their foe 24-7 to enter the final period ahead at 63-30. The eventual result was then secured following another lopsided quarter, with the Eagles tallying 34 points while limiting the Guardians to a meagre seven. In the second encounter, Pacesetters defanged Kobras 76-46. Jaleel Duke top-scored with 16 points in the rout, while Walman Delgado added 14. Supporting with 12 and 11 points, respectively, were Tafawa Daly and Troy David.
On the other side, Elijah David and Trevor Smith recorded 13 and 12 points, respectively. Adding eight points was Carlos Edwards.
A 15-13 score at the end of the first period was suggestive of a competitive encounter. However, that possibility changed in the second stanza, as Pacesetters recorded 20 points while restricting their opponent to 10 to secure a commanding 35-23 advantage heading into the halftime interval.
This lead was then built upon in the third quarter, as they outscored the Kobras 19-16 to enter the final period in control at 54-39. The win was then sealed in the fourth quarter as the Pacesetters tallied 22 points while restricting the Kobras to a mere seven points.
A total of 26 teams from across the country are participating in the championship, with the winner walking away with $1,000,000.
The event, which is pencilled to conclude in May 2025, continues tomorrow at the same venue with another round of matches.