by Charleston Gladden
Thursday, January 19, 2017
Belmopan City
On Thursday night, January 19th 2017, it was the season opener for Belmopan Bandits against the reigning NEBL Champions, Smart Belize Hurricanes, at the UB Gym in Belmopan City. As tip off commenced, Belmopan Bandits were on the attack, making every possession count, ending the quarter with a lead of 19 – 13. Midway through the second quarter, Bandits outscored their opponent 19 – 9, and increased their lead to 38 – 22. Bandits maintained their lead until the fourth quarter, when Smart Belize Hurricanes came back and eventually tied up the score. In the final minutes of the fourth quarter, it was an evenly scoring match as both teams were playing crucial basketball and not giving their opponent any leverage. But fortunately, the game couldn’t be over in regulation forcing an overtime with a score of 77. It was the same in overtime, until Brian White of Smart Belize Hurricanes went to the free throw line and spit his free throws giving Hurricanes the lead with a score of 92 – 90 with 2.5 seconds remaining in overtime. Smart Belize Hurricanes celebration of winning the game was temporary when American Import, Richard Smith III, hit a buzzer beater 3, giving Belmopan Bandits their first win of the season with a score of 93 – 92.
Smart Belize Hurricanes was led by Akeem Watters who finished the game with 22 points and 4 rebounds; shooting 53% from the field and 66% from beyond the arc. Brian White finished with a double-double of 14 points and 14 rebounds along with 4 assists. Finally, Andrew Ortiz who came off the bench, finished with 22 points and 5 rebounds. Belmopan Bandits secured the win with the help by American Import, Richard Smith III, who earned himself a triple-double with 29 points, 11 block shots and 10 rebounds; shooting 57% from the field and 50% from three. Also, the newest member of Belmopan Bandits Gregory Rudon scored 24 points, to go with 5 steals and 4 assists. Their captain, Stephen Williams finished with 14 points, 7 rebounds and 2 steals while Edgar Mitchell, nearly posted a triple-double with 11 points, 14 assists and 9 rebounds. Both teams will play each other again on Friday, March 22th, 2017 at the St. Catherine’s Academy Gym at 9 pm.