Bulls and Wildcats cruising in Summer Jam
THE Clapham Bulls and the YMCA Wildcats both won big to cop their second win of the season in the Barbados Amateur Basketball Association (BABA) Summer Jam competition.
Clapham made very light work of Bucaneros at the Barbados Community College, winning by 42 points – 68-26. Bulls got off to a brilliant start to the game, with Bucaneros struggling badly to get organised on both the offensive end and the defensive end.
Bucaneros, the younger of the two teams, looked pressured under the referee’s whistle, but had moments of class throughout the game. However, a 20-1 first quarter by the Bulls set the trend for the matchup, and every quarter the lead grew, and Bucaneros were unable to do much on the defensive end to stop the points from pouring onto the Bulls’ score sheet. Bucaneros did give a good effort, but the 1 point in the first and a 3 point fourth quarter was indeed a tough pill to swallow for the players.
Justin Pile was dominant in the game, and ended with the top score of 20 points for Clapham. Andrew Ifill played well for his 9, and Amal Smith finished with 8. The two Shaquans, Newton and Carrington, both added 7 points apiece for the Clapham victory.
On the Bucaneros side of things, Shaquille Newton top scored with 7 points while Nathan George and Arrio Pile both scored 4 points each. After the game, ‘Yank’, the coach of the Bucaneros, could be heard telling the youngsters not to be disheartened, and that once they stuck to the basics and learned from the mistakes, in a year or two, they would earn their way to the top.
The YMCA Wildcats were merciless against Pinelands A, dispatching them forthwith by 48 points at the YMCA courts. In some games, it can be said that the score did not tell the true story, but the 84-36 end score represented exactly the events that occurred.
The Wildcats went at the Pine hard with the intention of ensuring that they did not ease off the gas, no matter who the opponents were, strong or weak.
Three players who stood out on the night were Joel Hunte and Zachary Cave of the Wildcats, and Nathaniel Waithe of Pinelands. Hunte and Cave have experience in the Premier League of the BABA, and continue to play tough against all defenders. Hunte led the game in points with 23, and Cave added 15, and the two carried the Wildcats from start to finish.
Waithe of the Pine tried his best, and at times looked a player on mission, but with little help, especially when Wildcats pressed the ball, it was all in vain. Waithe finished with 15 points, and Michael Tannes stepped up for 6, while Stephen Yarde finished with 5. (AS)