Latest update January 19th, 2025 2:31 AM
NCBL finalists to be decided tonight
By Edison Jefford
With all the usual big contenders of the Inter-Ward Basketball Competition eliminated from the now rebranded National Community Basketball League (NCBL) and with the emergence of new forces in the sport locally, tonight is set to produce pulsating basketball from 7pm at the Cliff Anderson Sports Hall.
McDoom/Diamond and Plaisance/Vryheid’s Lust are the only two remaining teams from Region Four still in the competition. Plaisance/Vryheid’s Lust will play Wismar in one of the semi-final. The opposition for McDoom/Diamond was decided last night when Kwakwani faced the Central Mackenzie ‘Dream Team’ in a quarterfinal game in Linden.
Plaisance will hope that Ryan Gullen continues his form from the International Weekend where he represented Guyana against the Washington D.C Jammers. Gullen, who was known to play in the power forward position, had a guard/forward role on the national team.
Gullen was deadly from three-point range against the Jammers. In addition, he knocked down 15 foot jumpers with super tall players in his face. The Ravens Basketball Club forward played huge minutes for Guyana and will have a similar role to play tonight.
If his form continues, Wismar will struggle to defend Gullen with his inside-out game that made him a firm fixture on the national team. Fortunately for Plaisance, their Coach, Andrew Hercules was also on the coaching staff for the national team.
Hercules would have also seen his shooting guard, Steffan Gillis on the national team. Gillis will be a major part of Plaisance’s offence tonight. His sharp-shooting was on point against Jammers. It will be an asset for his still developing Plaisance/Vryheid’s Lust team.
Veteran guard, Enoch Mathews has been consistent for Plaisance with their emerging guard, Ron Campbell having a major role to play as well. These were the four players who led Plaisance to a place in the semi-final. Against Wismar, they will need more support.
This is the one area where Plaisance seem to be vulnerable the most. They do not possess enough depth in the face of their biggest challenge of the tournament. Wismar knows their basketball and will be hoping to shut down the ‘Big Three’ for Plaisance tonight.
Quincy ‘Prag-Z’ Jones is a usual handful in the paint. He does the dirty work for Wismar and is a tough player to defend. He gets inside and usually forces the opposition to foul, which creates the offensive advantage for his team. Jones will get sufficient support.
Forward, Trevor Profitt has been around time immemorial and is vastly experience. Wismar will need him and their other senior player, guard, Nevin Grenville to guide them against a very good Plaisance/Vryheid’s Lust team. To support them, Wismar has integrated guard, Marlon Pollydore and shooting guard, Chris Williams to senior roles in the team.
The game is expected to be a good contest between two good teams. The Travis Burnett-led McDoom/Diamond against either Kwakwani or Central Mackenzie will be another contest to watch as the NCBL provides a night of entertaining basketball.
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