Ravens, Pacesetters to set up dream Final tonight

Apr 09, 2011 Sports

– National Basketball Championships continue

By Edison Jefford

When the lights are turned off at the Cliff Anderson Sports Hall tonight following two Final Four games in the Guyana Amateur Basketball Federation National Club Championship, two clubs are going to leave knowing that they will be returning next weekend.
Georgetown’s second ranked, Courts Pacesetters, take on Beepat’s Scorpions in the feature game of two semi-final clashes in the Division I Championships. First up will be Ravens vs Macabbees scheduled for 7pm tonight in a showdown for a place in the Final.
The odds are heavily piled against Scorpions and Macabbees with a dream final featuring Ravens and Pacesetters on the cards. However, underdogs producing upsets in big games cannot be ruled out and both Pacesetters and Ravens will be cognisant of that fact.
After what can be called a slump last year with Pacesetters losing against teams they would have usually beaten, such as Pepsi Sonics, the club has restructured its roster and re-emerged as one of the leading contenders for the one title they desire more than any other. And why not, any team would relish the opportunity to be branded the best franchise in a country and Pacesetters is no different, Ravens is not different, but standing in their path is Scorpions and Macabbees respectively-two teams that can be considered minnows.
Principally, the Macabbees generally lack the resources necessary to beat Ravens. Junior national forward, Yannick Dundas, guard, Hodayah Stewart and centre, Darren Thomas make up the core of the Macabbees. Generally, the buck stops at them on the offensive end.
Bearing in mind the fact that defence is always a team’s responsibility, meaning anyone can play defence, Macabbees has no worries there. It is there scoring that is a problem.
Three players with the responsibility of scoring can be a disadvantage against the Ravens.
Because of those facts, Macabbees’ tactic could be to ensure that their defence is in tact, stop the Ravens from scoring and ensure they convert with clinical offensive plays. If not, Ravens, with a bunch of offensive driven players, can impress with a heavy Final Four win.
Among the troubles for Macabbees is how to stop players like Rodwell ‘Kobe’ Fortune, Akeem ‘The Dream’ Kanhai, Stephan Henry and Ryan Stephney, who are all quick, and as proven again and again, can destroy defences at will.
They are the ball distributers and play-makers for Ravens and shutting them down will be Macabbees first step toward an upset.
Ravens’ Coach, Darcel Harris is eager to establish himself as one of the best coaches in Guyana, and that means that he will not be taking the game for granted.
He’s right; after all, Macabbees is a team that has grown from strength to strength and there could be no telling if this could be their time. Head-to-head, Ravens lead this battle on paper and on potential.
The feature game has a slightly different dynamic with Pacesetters proving to be shakier in those big games than the Ravens.
It is a question of whether or not Pacesetters will enter tonight’s duel with levelled heads, knowing that they are one win away from their dream.
Pacesetters’ Coach, Robert ‘Bobby’ Cadogan, who experimented in their initial game when there was a real chance to make a strong statement, has done this year what he failed to do last year.
It took a slump to tell Cadogan that the time has come for a changing of the guard. He has gone for some young players among the stalwarts on his roster and is already seeing results.
Though those players did not produce the momentum Cadogan had hoped for in their first game, the fact that the club is transitioning Division III and II players to the Division I level is not only a refreshing fact, but one that can ensure the safety of a contingency plan.
Former national junior point guard, Travis Burnett, has settled into his role as the starting guard on the side. His speed and ability to score at will makes him the x-factor for Scorpions.
Burnett is the last junior national captain to win the Inter-Guiana Games title.
To support him at the top, Cadogan has gone for the experienced shooting guard, Stephan Gillis, who is not at his lethal best from beyond the arc as was evident in the first game against Linden’s Raiders last weekend. Gillis must play a greater role for the team. Skimming the perimeter, and bottom, will be Jermaine Hamilton, a tough inside player, forwards Naylon Loncke and Royston Siland.
The combinations will worry any local defence and with the Scorpions lacking serious venom, Pacesetters has the clear advantage.
Scorpions have lost Travis ‘Cook-up’ Foster to the Ravens. Their main offensive player has been junior national guard, Shelroy Thomas and the emerging, Marvis Hillman. Veterans for the team, Alwyn Bellamy and Trevor McCleod have not been in the best fitness.
Cadogan will not let Thomas and Hillman beat him. So the question for Scorpions will be who to shoulder some of the offensive burden for the team.
Again, while an upset is farfetched, tonight’s Final Four games will bring out the best in basketball in Georgetown.