Defenders tops Hurricanes in clash of city rivals

by Glenn Tillett

My Belama neighbor Euan “Bulgie” Gillet gave me a lift after I decided almost spur of the moment to attend tonight’s game at that grand edifice, the Civic by the Riva. DJ Special generously gave me one of his courtside seats and I had a grand view of the Clash of the Titans, Smart Hurricanes versus Digi Defenders.
What was a mere scattering of fans when I got there turned into a roaring crowd of several hundred by half time. 
Besides the fact that their sponsors are fierce business rivals, and they are the City’s two teams, they were also just about tied in the standings and in what could be an abbreviated season, this was not the time to take that step back that a loss meant.
I spoke briefly to Devin Daly before the game and while he assured me he was good to go, the scuttlebutt was that he was not 100%.
The defending champions are a polished team and when in synch and running on all cylinders they are the best I have seen so far. Tonight they were not at their best, at times they seemed a step slow and they missed far more shots this game than I had seen in their previous game.
It was one of those nights where they missed from outside and missed from inside too.
The Defenders are a far more physical team who want to pound you inside. They are not the quickest, but they are all aggression all the time. They did not seem to have much outside shooting. Early on Darwin “Puppy” Leslie missed badly from distance and with the exception of one make and a miss, Rivero was the only other player to shoot from beyond the arc.
The first quarter ended tied 18-18, and the Defenders led by two 38-36 at the half. What looked like a three-guard line-up led by a ball-hawking guard par excellence Ty Bradley, along with Monsell Crawford, Auburn Rivero and Greg Rudon, disrupted the Hurricanes’ second unit. They were able to go to the locker room with the lead.
The Hurricanes led by four at the end of the third but lost the lead and it seemed the game in the middle of the fourth when sparkplug lead guard Glyncy Lopez had to be helped off the court after a collision. He returned after a few minutes but was never quite the same.
Meanwhile, Darwin “Puppy” Leslie, easily the most emotional player on the court tonight, caught fire and hit a couple of threes, and three free throws, and then two free throws and his team held on to grab the four-point win.
The Civic was rocking tonight as these two heavyweights traded blows in easily the best game of the season I have seen so far. The best team may not have won tonight but the team that played best did.
The NEBL takes a two-week break after tomorrow night’s game in Griga, where the hometown Dream Ballers host visiting San Pedro Tiger Sharks. I’ve been told Russel Chiste Auditorium is the hardest place to play for visiting teams.