Ravens oust #1 seeded Pacesetters from GABA Playoffs

Jul 21, 2013 Sports

-set up riveting final showdown with Colts tonight

The number four ranked Dyna’s Ravens ousted number one ranked Trinity Grid Holdings (TGH) Pacesetters from the Georgetown Amateur Basketball Association (GABA) top-tier Playoffs held at the Cliff Anderson Sports Hall Friday night.
Ravens blew out Pacesetters for the second consecutive time 74-57, ousting them from tonight’s final at the same venue. Ravens were the only team that defeated Pacesetters in the recent GABA Division I

Colts’ veteran forward, Dane Kendall goes up in the lane amid heavy Pepsi Sonics traffic Friday night at the Cliff Anderson Sports Hall in the GABA Playoffs.

League on the Burnham Basketball Court.
Ravens took their dominance indoors with Ryan Stephney scoring 25 points and Akeem Kanhai 17 points in a composed and collective effort. Guard, Stephney was a menace to the Pacesetters defence all night with some huge jumpers when it mattered.
Nippy Pacesetters guard, Travis Burnett struggled with his offence, especially his ability to shoot the ball as Ravens gave him space at the top of the arc. However, Burnett dropped 18 points with Naylon Loncke scoring 11 points for struggling Pacesetters, playing for the first time this decade without Coach Robert Cadogan, who migrated to the United States.
Ravens played excellent defence inside with forward, Jermaine Slater the main defensive leader in the paint. The defence frustrated Pacesetters in a physical game that forced Pacesetters to claw back from a 14-4 deficit to equalise at 21 in the first half.
However, Ravens went back to a 2-3 defensive zone that clogged up the driving lanes to prevent easy points for Burnett; with their scoring in the paint neutralised, Pacesetters were forced to take the outside jumpers with both Loncke and Stephan Gillis misfiring.
In the other Division I semi, played among the top four clubs in Georgetown, Colts romped to a 68-53 win against the number three ranked, Pepsi Sonics. Ravens, and the number two ranked, Colts will play in tonight’s Division I final at the Sports Hall.
Colts continued its giant slaying form, running the ball from the first whistle to the last. Shelroy Thomas was an offensive beast with some big jumpers that always kept Colts ahead. He had the next best individual score with 15 points as Dane Kendall scored 17 points. Sheldon Thomas and Nikkoloi Smith scored 13 and 11 points respectively. Sonics’ Jason Squires dropped 22 points for Pepsi Sonics.
Meanwhile, in the Division III contests, Buxton topped Colts 43-29 to reach that final while Pacesetters will have hope in its Division III team following a walkover from Sonics in the first game of the night.

Ravens defenders trap Pacesetters guard, Keith ‘Bull’ Tute trying to drive in the paint Friday night at the Cliff Anderson Sports Hall.

Both Division I and III finals will be played tonight in battles that will surely decide who won the battles and who won the wars of the GABA programme.