Ravens thrash top seeded Pacesetters in League Finale

Apr 23, 2013 Sports

– ensure tie-break separates second to fourth seeds

By Edison Jefford
Ravens, after unforeseen losses to Pepsi Sonics and Colts in the Georgetown Amateur Basketball Association (GABA) Division I League, rediscovered their aura to completely demolish top-seed Trinity Grid Holdings (TGH) Pacesetters Sunday night.
Ravens was sublime against a lacklustre Pacesetters that showed little resistance perhaps because they knew win or lose they will top the League; nevertheless, Ravens enforced its full wrath with a 73-58 win on the Burnham Court in the League Finale.
Guard/forward, Akeem ‘The Dream’ Kanhai, had a dominant game

TGH Pacesetters’ Division I Captain, Royston Siland (left) collects the League Championships trophy from GABA President, Michael Singh in the presence of coaches and team-mates on the on the Burnham Basketball Court Sunday night.

with 26 points as point guard, Ryan Stephney added 18 points. The win for Ravens ensured them a 6-2 win/loss record that also forced a tie-break to determine the second to fourth seed teams.
Colts and Pepsi Sonics also finished with 6-2 records, but because both of them defeated Ravens, they were placed second and third respectively with Colts also beating Sonics. Pacesetters soared with a 7-1 record. Travis Burnett scored 18 points against Ravens.
Pacesetters were poor on transition defence; free-throw shooting was a nightmare and the offence that gave them an undefeated status before they met Ravens, completely collapsed in a one-sided Finale that failed to live up to the usual competitive standard.
Ravens led 34-15 at halftime and extended that lead with a 6-0 run early in the third quarter with Stephney and Kanhai finishing fast-break plays. However, with Burnett, a naturally gifted scorer on the court, Pacesetters remained hopeful of resurgence.
Burnett completed back-to-back inside plays on a brief rampage that invoked some memories of his Inter-Guiana Games performance when he won for Guyana seven years ago. He helped TGH Pacesetters to within striking distance, but he could not do it alone.
Forward Jermaine Slater finished a coast-to-coast lay-up that was converted to an And1 play for Ravens, which gave them a 48-29 lead near the end of the third quarter. Pacesetters missed their ninth straight free-throw in two minutes to add to their woes.
Kanhai scored three straight points to give Ravens their biggest lead of the game, 51-31. Royston Siland didn’t help Pacesetters’ cause when he was fouled out in the third period that ended 52-35 in favour of Ravens that extended its dominance in the fourth period.
In other deciding games Sunday night, Colts ensured that it continued its ascendancy with a 72-64 win that Shelroy Thomas (22 points) and Dane Kendall (20 points) engineered. Jason Squires scored 24 points for Pepsi Sonics.
Republic Bank Nets defeated Panthers 69-60 with Darrion Lewis scoring 14 points for Nets and Yannick December 14 points for Panthers. The Division III League that the Pacesetters also lead will conclude this weekend at the same venue.
Full ranking of Division I Clubs in Georgetown

Rank	Team	Games Played	Win	Loss	Points
1	TGH Pacesetters	8	7	1	14
2	Colts	8	6	2	12
3	Pepsi Sonics	8	6	2	12
4	Ravens	8	6	2	12
5	Republic Bank Nets	8	5	3	10
6	Plaisance Guardians	8	3	5	6
7	Panthers	8	2	6	4
8	Melanie Patriots	8	1	7	2
9	Knights	8	0	8	0