Thursday, January 19, 2017
Week two of the National Elite Basketball League (NEBL) tipped off in Belmopan City as defending champs, Smart Belize Hurricanes, traveled to Belmopan in defense of their NEBL trophy. With 2.5 seconds remaining in this overtime NEBL game and Smart Belize Hurricanes leading by 1 point, Smart Belize Hurricanes inbounded the ball to Brian White who got fouled with 1.2 seconds remaining. White missed the first free throw and hit the second. The Bandits immediately called time out and advanced the ball to the half court. Coach Tarr’s designed play saw Richard Smith III, the Belmopan Bandits 6’8’ import from Cleveland, catch, turn and hit a game winning buzzer beating 3 pointer to beat the Smart Belize Hurricanes 93-92 in the Belmopan Bandits home opener.
The defending champions, Smart Hurricanes, had a very low scoring first half, tallying only 22 points. The loss of Darwin “Puppy” Leslie and Farron Louriano, two of the NEBL’s best scorers, were definitely visible in this half. In the second quarter the Smart Belize Hurricanes could only muster 9 points. The Bandits went on a 11 point run in the second quarter and extended the game to a 17 point lead; however, finished the half leading 38-22.
In a reverse of what happened in the first half, the Smart Belize Hurricanes rallied back in the second half to take the game into overtime, outscoring the Bandits 55-39. The starters for the Bandits namely, Richard Smith III, Edgar “Boogie” Mitchell, and Gregory “Chppy” Rudon logged heavy minutes, while Hurricanes’ Brian White and Andrew Ortiz killed the Bandits on the offensive glass and with second chance points, while Akeem Watters netted several big 3 pointers to take this game to overtime. Although the Bandits led for 37 out of the 45 minutes, the second half also saw the game tied 9 times with 10 lead changes. The Hurricanes shot 20 more free throws than the Bandits, but shot a dismal 41 % from the charity stripe.
For the winning Bandits, Richard Smith III had a triple double with 29 points, 10 rebounds and 11 blocked shots. Edgar Mitchell missed his own triple double registering 11 points, 14 assists and 9 rebounds. Gregory Rudon also had 24 points and 5 rebounds. For the Hurricanes, Brian White had a beastly game, scoring 14 points, caroming 14 boards and 4 assists. Both Akeem Watters and Andrew Ortiz finished with 22 points.
Although it is just the first game of the season for the Smart Belize Hurricanes, the defending champions will need to get more scoring from Winston Pratt and decide whether their primary point guard will be Leroy Louriano or last year’s rookie of the year, Clency Lopez.
The Belmopan Bandits are no doubt still high from their dramatic victory last Thursday night, but must quickly come down to earth and figure out how to give their starters relief, and where they will get support from their bench.
San Pedro Tiger Sharks continues to roll
Friday, January 20, 2017
by Karim Juan
NEBL Commissioner
On Friday night, Orange Walk Running Rebels hosted San Pedro Tiger Sharks at the Orange Walk Multi Purpose Complex up north. The game started out evenly matched, as San Pedro Tiger Sharks held a narrow 22 – 19 lead at the end of the first quarter, extending it to 7 points, 37-30, going into intermission. At the end of the third quarter the lead was 57 – 45 in favor of the visiting squad, and they maintained that lead to secure their second victory in as many tries, 77 – 62. Ashton Edwards had the game high with 23 points, on 62% shooting from the field, including 3 shots from behind the arc, while George Williams finished the night with a solid double-double, netting 15 points while dishing out 11 assists. Raul “Thumpy” Roches finished the night with 14 points and 3 boards and Kurt “Chengo” Burgess tallied 11 points, 10 rebounds, 5 dishes and 2 steals. Orange Walk Running Rebels was led by Roger Reneau who netted 16 points to go with 6 dimes and 3 caroms, while Lennox Bowman finished with 12 points. Shemar White scored 10 points and Randy Usher sank 9 points.
San Pedro Tiger Sharks led for most of the game, and had a 11-2 advantage on second chance points. Orange Walk had a 16 – 11 edge on bench points, while shooting 65% from the charity stripe and 53% from the field. San Pedro Tiger Sharks shot 56% from the field and 62% from the free throw line.
Dangriga Dream Ballers upsets Belize City No Limit in their season opener
Saturday, January 21, 2017
by Karim Juan
NEBL Commissioner
Dangriga Dream Ballers traveled to the old capital to take on Belize City No Limit at the Belize Elementary School on Saturday night, as both teams fought to register a win in their season opener. The home squad, Belize City No Limit jumped out to an early 15 – 2 lead, which they held at the end of the first quarter, 25 – 14. However, in the second quarter the Dangriga Dream Ballers was able to get rid of the early jitters, and they were able to close the lead to 2 points going into the half, 46 – 44. With momentum on their side, the visitors extended the lead to 64 – 53 at the end of the third quarter, handily sealing their first victory of the season, 83 – 70. Dangriga Dream Ballers was led by Quinton Bowen who had the game high with 21 points, to go with 15 rebounds, 4 steals and 3 assists, while Dilmore Conorquie finished the game with 13 points, 8 rebounds, 2 assists and 2 steals. Davis Guzman tallied 11 points and 8 boards while Hyram Augustine finished the night with 9 points and Akeem Trapp had 9 rebounds and 4 points. Marcus Lewis was the top scorer for Belize City No Limit, tallying 16 points and 7 rebounds, while Lincey Lopez finished with 14 points, 9 rebounds, 6 assists and 4 steals. Russel Staine sank 13 points to go with 6 steals and 3 assists and Egbert Walford finished the night with 10 points and 4 rebounds.
Dangriga Dream Ballers had a 56 – 46 edge on the glass, which gave them a 17 – 8 advantage on second chance points. Belize City No Limit had most of their scoring coming from off the bench, accounting for 48 of their 61 points. However, they shot a dismal 34% from the field, compared to Dangriga’s 40% from the field. Both teams had at least 30 turnovers, which contributed to the sloppy play on the court.
Upcoming Schedule
Friday Cayo Western Ballaz vs. Dangriga Warriors at Ecumenical College at 9 p.m.
Belmopan Bandits vs. Belize City No Limit at the Belize Elementary Gym at 9 p.m.
Saturday Smart Belize Hurricanes vs. San Pedro Tiger Sharks at San Pedro High School at 9 p.m.