BABA Premier League takes a break

FOR the month of May, Co-operators General Insurance, the Barbados Amateur Basketball Association Premier League, will be taking a break due to the unavailability of the Barbados Community College (BCC) Gym.

With exams being carried out at BCC and the gym being used as an examination room, the BABA organising committee decided to start the BABA First Division competition, which plays outdoors during the Premier League break.

The second round of games in the league has been an exciting one, with close battles and blow outs in the mix. Leading the teams at the top is the Barbados Lumber Company Lakers, with only 3 losses for the season and 10 wins. The Lakers are bent on not only making it to the playoff rounds, but taking home the crown after a failed last season in which they were eliminated from playoff contention.

The Station Hill Cavaliers also have 10 wins but only two losses, and are in second place due to having played one less game, causing them to be behind in the overall standing points. The young team has played with heart and are growing every year as a team, with the players maturing under the watchful eye of Coach Adrian Craigwell.

Urban Vybz Sonics have the third spot secured with 9 wins and 3 losses, and could easily leapfrog the Lakers as they also have a game in hand. The Sonics have proved that though they have new pieces in the team, they have already found a way to mesh and win games. The defending champions, Orange 3 Pinelands, find themselves in fourth position with 8 wins and 4 losses, and have looked at times a formidable side. However, the team has also been stricken with an attitude of blaming the referees and complaining, causing them to lose focus on winnable games throughout the season.

The top four teams will advance to the playoffs, but the Barbados Hilton Resort Warriors have shown that they can hang with the best of them. They have defeated both the Lakers and the Sonics during the season, when the team has pulled together down the stretch. The Warriors are known for self-destructing when the game gets tight in the dying minutes, but this season a difference has been seen. It is possible that with the break, weaknesses can be worked on to make the playoff push a 5 team race. (AS)