by Joaquin David Magana

 

Last night at the Sacred Heart Auditorium, the home team, Verdes (0-2) squared off against the San Pedro Tiger Sharks (2-0), with the Sharks delivering another winning blow to Verdes. From the very beginning, the Tiger Sharks did not waste any time to take a lead they never gave up ‘til the end. The first quarter started with a Tiger Shark 9-0 run. Then, Verdes got on the scoreboard through the hands of big man Elsworth Itza. What seemed to be a good start in the season for Itza: making four points, a steal and an offensive rebound in that first quarter – took a nasty turn. He was stunned by Douglas Valley with a huge and unexpected block! Itza displayed unusual sportsmanship, not often seen in the NEBL, he congratulated and gave recognition to Valley’s Herculean play, hats off for the big man! The Verdes team slowly got back on track with impressive plays from Ivan Flowers and Shemar White. The quarter ended close with a score of 21-28 in favor of the Tiger Sharks. The second quarter was equally emotional when the collision of titans took place.  Martevuius Adams intended to drive and hit the net with a jump shot, but Julien Travis intercepted him with a block that rocked the Sacred Heart Auditorium! Nevertheless, Adams got back right away and still ended up hitting a jump shot in Travis’ face! Later that quarter, “The Sniper,” Ashton Edwards, was unbelievably left open and hit a three pointer.  Worst yet, Verdes did that three times and, in all three occasions, he made them pay dearly! Excitement in the auditorium hit its climax when, with seconds left on the clock, out of nowhere, Elvis Usher Jr. hit a three pointer far behind half court! The score was still in favor of the Tiger Sharks, 55-45. In the third quarter, the Tiger Sharks continued to battle wave after wave of the Verdes attack but always responding with mortal threes keeping their lead. A heroic advance by Verdes came from Antwon McFadzean.  He had a glorious moment when he drove inside, beating the Tiger Shark’s big man Adams and scored! This was followed by Travis’ big time three point play from the foul and shot, and the extra free throw! The Tiger Sharks always responded with equal or even better plays; as was the case with a play orchestrated by Raul Roches after he had stolen a ball from the Verdes team. He ran past the half court; passed the ball to Jamal Kelly; and Kelly, with good vision (a prominent point guard in the making), setup an ally hoop which Jihad Wright slammed grandiosely, leaving the Verdes Fans with their mouths wide opened! By the end of the third quarter, Tiger Sharks were still up 83-67 and this was practically the end of Verdes. In the fourth quarter, the Tiger Sharks could have ended the game with one hundred points or more but the coaching staff decided to use their bench instead. The game turned into street basketball with nothing exciting occurring and was reflected with the final score for the quarter of 17-13 in favor of Verdes. The game ended 96-84, another win for the undefeated Tiger Sharks. The Verdes, so far, looked and played like their English name, “green.” Gene Myvett and Richard Troyer will definitely add improvement to the team. Hopefully, with their arrival, playoff aspirations will still be possible!

The Tiger Sharks were led by Raul Roches with 20 points, 2 steals, 1 block, Douglas Valley with 19 points, 3 steals, 2 blocks, Jamal Kelly with double doubles 17 points, 10 assists, 3 steals and Ashton Edwards with 15 points. In a losing effort, Jamie Carbajal scored 18 points, Ivan Flowers 17 points, 2 steals, Elvis Usher Jr. with 15 points, 2 steals and Julien Travis with double doubles 11 points, 11 rebounds, 2 steals, and 3 blocks.