Valencia Heat faces Trailblazers for title

Centre Christopher John led four players into double-digits, which helped guide Valencia Heat to the finals of the Super 10 Basketball League (SBL) Easter Hoops Classic on Thursday at the Jean Pierre Complex. Heat, which lost its opening match of the tournament, defeated Mt Hope Spurs 61–45 in their semifinals contest after leading 41–32 at the interval. John, who dominated the key, got valuable support from Javon Castillo (13), point-guard Ivan Williams 11 and Joel Gonzales ten.

For Spurs, which lost for the first time in the tournament, Shaquille Peters lead all scorers with 18 points, while the son of former national stand-out Roland Sylvester, Shaquille Sylvester  dropped 17 on the opposition’s defence. Heat will play Trailblazers Basketball Academy in today’s title match at 2 pm. Trailblazers defeated Mucurapo Secondary 49–34 to book its place in the finals. The winners  led 30–25 at the halfway stage of the match-up.

Nottingham leads Diego girls to finals
Anika Nottingham displayed an exceptional performance netting 25 points to carry the Diego Martin All Stars to the girls final. Shauna Sankar also assisted the Diego Martin effort with 14 points as their team close-out a 49-34 win over Blink Brian Chase Academy, which will then play for a third place finish. The All Stars never let up, leading 29-10 by the end of the second quarter. Shenice George topped the Academy scorecard with 14 points while teammates Shamika Phillip, Rochelle Cliff and Nyota Saldenha netted seven, six and six points, respectively.

All Stars will meet MSD Chaguanas Lions in today’s final from 12.30 pm at the same venue. The Lions thrashed St Martin’s Girls 55–28. Shanella Pierre was top pointer on 15, followed by Safiya Marcelle on nine and Michelle Glasgow and Crissa Boneo, both netting eight points. St Martin’s top points producer was Debra Edwards with 12 points. Today is the final day of the tournament and the organisers are calling on parents and friends to come out and support the players as they vie for glory. Jump-ball time is 9.30 am.

Results

Girls semifinal 1:
Diego Martin All Stars 49 (Anika Nottingham 25, Shaunna Sankar 14) vs Blink Brian Chase Academy 34 (Shamika Phillip 7, Rochelle Cliff 6, Natoya Saldanha 6)

Girls Semifinal 2:
MSD Chaguanas Lions 55 (Shanella Pierre 15, Safeya Marcelle 9, Michelle Glasgow 8, Crissa Boneo 8) vs St Martin’s 28 (Debra Edwards 12, Cherysse Aguillera 5)
Boys Semifinal 1:
Trailblazers Basketball Academy 49 (Juvani Andrews 6, Maxime Pereira Jr 7) vs Mucurapo Secondary 34 (Josiah Best 9, Nicholai Alfred 8, Christian Arthur 8)

Boys Semifinal 2:
Valencia Heat 61 (Christopher John 14 pts, Javon astillo 13, Ivan Williams 11, Joel Gonzales 10) vs Mt Hope Spurs 45 (Shaquille Peters 18 pts, Shaquille Sylvester 17)

Today’s final match-ups:

Girls Third Place:
Blink Brian Chase Academy vs St Martin, 9.30 am
Boys Third Place:
Mucurapo Secondary vs Mt Hope Spurs, 11 am
Girls Championships match:
Diego Martin All Stars vs MSD Chaguanas Lions, 12.30 pm
Boys Championships match:
Valencia Heat vs Trailblazers Basketball Academy, 2 pm.