On Thursday 20th, the Lily Valley Sharks defeated the Elvis Welding Services Road Stars by the final score of 75-72 pts. The sharks came into this game, though not playing the excellent basketball that they are capable off, but full of confidence, after an exciting best of 3 series against the R.C. Bullets, which they overcame, the previous week. The Road Stars on the other hand, had finished with the best overall record of all he teams in the league, and topped their zone, and secured a first round bye.
They were on a weeks rest, before this important game. The road stars were without key players, Thomas Felix & Patrick Lafonce, while the sharks were without Ricky Toussiant, and may have also lost Earl “Jo-Bob” Matthew, who may have seemed to have abandoned the team, since he has not played the last 6 games. The referees for the night were Jeff Murdock & “Mc’doe”.
This loss for the Road Stars, is considered an “upset”, as this should not have been. But, in basketball… or sports on a whole, anything can happen. The 1st quarter began, and it was all about the Road Stars. As usual, the Sharks had all the support, with the basketball arena filled, but with 80% of the crowd support, for the sharks. Yet, this could not help them, as the Road stars dominated on all fronts. They closed off the quarter, leading by 8 points, 17-9. The 2nd quarter included a lot, or was identical to the 1st. Same dominance of offence & defence, belonged to the stars, although the sharks did show some signs of life in this quarter. The stars still kept the lead all through and closed the half leading by an increased lead, this time by 11 points, 38-27. This half was not a very high scoring one, but it still belonged to the road stars.
By the 3rd quarter, the game was more open, with the sharks creating a lot of chances and giving themselves an excellent chance to get back into the game, and this was exactly what they did. The might, Craig St. Rose, contributed 17 points out of the sharks 24, in this quarter. The game was still very tight and anxious as the road stars did not give up, but continued to work extremely hard to keep the lead. The quarter closed with the sharks trailing by only 4 points, 55-51. The crowd was now back in it, and ready to lead their team to victory, with their support in the 4th quarter.
The 4th quarter brought a lot more excitement than the opening 3. The sharks were now back into the game, and baskets were now being traded on both ends of the court. There was a bit of panic from both teams, and supporters, as no one wanted to lose this match. This game brought back memories of the previous night when the Upper Village Hoosier threw away a 26 point lead and loss against the Fond Canie Rebels. The same thing happened to the Road Stars as they had now thrown away their lead and were not trailing with about 4 minutes to go. The game came down to the wire, when the stars were down by 5 pts, but a 3 pointer from Fitzgerald Daniel put them back within 2 points. But this was not enough, as the sharks held on for a 3 point victory, and huge upset. They lead the 3 game series 1-0.
Top performers for sharks – Craig St. Rose – 29 pts, 6 reb, asts
– Clinton Charles – 13 pts, 2 asts
– Lester Denis – 11 pts, 3 asts
Top performers for road stars – Fitzgerald Daniel – 29 pts, 7 asts, 2 stls
– Julian Isles – 18 pts, 9 reb
– Javeed Joseph – 9 pts, 4 reb, 2 asts
Next games – Friday – 7:30 p.m. – Fond Canie Rebels vs. Upper Village Hoosiers
– Saturday – 7:30 p.m. – Lily Valley Sharks vs. Elvis Welding Services Road Stars
– Sunday (If Necessary) – 7:30 p.m. – Fond Canie Rebels vs. Upper Village Hoosiers
Thank you for the continued great coverage.
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