Royals go down to Garrison Chargers

Roberts Royals fought a losing battle as they went down to the Garrison Chargers 58-64 in a battle of the veterans in a Barbados Amateur Basketball Association First Division matchup.

 

The two teams were mostly made up of veteran players who were just looking to enjoy playing basketball this season. The pace of the game was slow and steady, in keeping with the ages of the players, but there was a methodical organised style of play by each team. 

 

Chargers had the better start to the game, outscoring the Royals 14-10, following the lead of Junior Clarke scoring 6 of his 10 points in that quarter. 

 

Chargers pushed the ball a little more in the second quarter and swung the ball on the wings, creating free open looks for their sharp shooters. The strategy worked well and allowed them to extend their lead by the end of the half. Royals found themselves down 8, with the score at 29-21, because of their inability to stop the open looks that the Chargers were having. It wasn’t due to lack of effort, but the defence arriving late, just in time to box out the shooter but not stop the shot.

 

The second half started evenly with the two teams swapping baskets and settling into a more focused application of their plays. The Chargers were sticking to the outside game and the forwards worked on rebounding the misses for second chance points. The Royals on the other hand pounded the ball into the paint and the big guys went hard at the defenders to either score or were fouled and earned their points from the line. 

 

Unfortunately for the Chargers, their accuracy dropped in the third quarter while the Royals were able to score easily from down low to cut into the lead and went into the final period of the game only down 4.

 

The fourth quarter was a battle of perseverance with both teams trying to score the ball, but fatigue had set in since the previous quarter. The Royals were able to come as close as two points behind with 2 minutes to go, but two quick baskets and a two free throws allowed the Chargers to hold on for the six point win in the end. 

 

Trevor Alleyne of Royals top scored in the game with 18 points while Ezra Leacock contributed 9 and Paul Grimes 8. For the Chargers, the scoring responsibility was shared well with Shawn Grosvenor and Cedric Proverbs finishing with 13 a-piece and Junior Clarke and Selwyn Cambridge both had 10.

 

(AS)