4th Brusche Basketball classic final…Ravens waltz away with title with emphatic 51-37 beating of Kings

Nov 05, 2013 Sports

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‘The Dream’ becomes a reality with MVP and best defensive player awards

National guard Akeem Kanhai, known in basketball circles affectionately as ‘The Dream’ became a reality when as guided his team Dyna’s Ravens of Georgetown to an overwhelming 51-37 win against Linden’s Kings, quarterbacking them to effectively landing themselves the 4th Brusche Classic basketball title and $100,000, and thus strengthened a claim to being the top basketball club in Guyana, Sunday night at the Mackenzie Sports Club hard court.

Kanhai, the all-purpose guard who was nurtured in Linden, returned home where his face overlooks the MSC facility and in one of the best all round displays, fashioned a commanding victory for the visitors after the Kings had started well. The Kings’ shooting guard Orin Rose started well by lighting up the scoreboard and partisan crowd with back to back 3-pointers, but that spark never caught on as the Ravens soon were ahead 7-6 and established their intent early with a comfortable 15-8 advantage by the end of the first quarter.
Kanhai, later named not only the Best Defensive Player of the final for his exploits defensively, also created matchup problems anytime he had the ball and helped Ravens dominate the final in all facets of the game.
However, this was a Ravens team that never depended much on any one player but they played as a unit with the ball doing the work, placing it into the cracks they created against their opponents who relied heavily on their most reliable players who could not put together an effective chemistry to counter this marauding City side.
In the end the new fiberglass backboards, compliments of the Kashif and Shanghai Organization to the Mackenzie Sports Club was finally erected through the efforts of the Linden Amateur Basketball Association for this important final, saw the Ravens outrebound the Kings 44-21 and Kanhai taking a liking on his way to the glass where he not only top scored with 17 points but also pulled down 11 rebounds off the glass.
The Kings never got their act going and on a number of occasions their seemingly aging players had to be taken off for different reasons and forcing changes to their lineup which reflected not enough adequate replacements invariably.
The Kings most consistent player in recent times has been forward Omally Sampson as he played well within himself, but only in spurts did Rose make his presence felt and their best players over the years Steven Neils (Jr.) and Marvin Hartman, never really made a difference as veteran Abdulla Hamid played his heart out in vain. By half time Ravens had maintained their grip of the proceedings and led 29-17  and while the exchanges were about even in the crucial third quarter, the spread of responsibility among the players were profound in the Ravens camp as it ended with the Georgetown side leading 39-27.
However, Ravens once more took control towards the end and with Kanhai executing blocks down the stretch as he pushed the clamps on. Any recovery thoughts the Kings might have had and with Ryan Stephaney playing that solid supporting cast, never allowed them a chance of seeing victory at the end of the tunnel.
The game ended 51-37 and showed that a Georgetown based team has now won three of the titles in the four years the event was played.  Kanhai with 17 points, 11 boards, four block shots and four steals carted off the Most Valuable Player Trophy Award. Ryan Stephaney netted 15 points and seven rebounds while Jermaine Slater had 11 rebounds for Ravens.
For Kings, Rose finished with 12 points, six which came in the first quarter as Omally Sampson played well for 11 points and six rebounds and four steals as Hamid added eight points inclusive of two from beyond the arc.
Kings Marvin Hartman was awarded the Ossie Douglas Trophy for Most Assists, Ravens’ Darcel Harris walked away with the John Davidson Best Coach Plaque and Kanhai the Robert Byass Trophy for his Best Defensive Player award; while the second placed trophy and replicas were compliments of Joan Quincy and Ronald ‘Glasses’ Bacchus, other trophy and replicas were donated by New York based former national player Leon Somerset and his wife Audrey. United States based former national captain James Brusche was assisted by members of the Brusche Basketball Foundation Ms. Dawn McCammon-Barker and Ms Kayla Brusche in handing over the trophies and replicas and plaques.
Shane Webster also collected the Best Defensive Player Trophy for the recently concluded LABA organized Trophy Stall Regulation Championship. Regional Chairman Sharma Solomon and successful National grade Six Regma Primary School Teacher Cheryl Wills were also honoured by the Brusche Basketball Foundation for their roles in the Linden community.

 

 

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