CBC U-16 Championships...

CBC U-16 Championships…

Jul 05, 2016 Sports

Bahamas maul BVI, T&T loose to Aruba despite Persaud’s class

Played before virtually empty stands at the Cliff Anderson Sports Hall (CASH), day two of the afternoon session of the Caribbean Basketball Confederation (CBC) Under-16 Championships saw Bahamas mauling the British Virgin Islands (BVI) 101-40 and Aruba getting past Trinidad & Tobago 77-59 despite a game high 34 points from Canadian Samaroo Persaud.
Matches began after the National Anthem of the respective teams were played and at the end of the first quarter BVI had managed just eight points while Bahamas, arguably the best team in the tournament, registered 20.
BVI started with a 2-3 zone defence formation to block inside penetration, while Bahamas looked to deny ‘long shots’ from BVI as both teams played fast paced Basketball.
Bahamas forged ahead and dominated proceedings with several turn overs while BVI, who lost to Barbados on Sunday, missed many chances to put points on the spanking new scoreboard which read Bahamas 48, BVI 17 and the lead for the Bahamians was already 31 at the half way stage of a one-sided contest.
The third stanza continued in similar fashion and BVI were only allowed six points as Bahamas pilled on the pressure as the final quarter commenced with the score 79-23.
The 10 minutes scoring in double digits in a period for the first time as K’mol Walters sunk a three-pointer, another shot from ‘downtown’ with under two minutes saw BIV register their 17th point in the final quarter but it was too little too late.
Bahamas, scored 109 points in their win on opening day against Antigua, were led to a second successive three digit score.
They were led by 17 points and 9 rebounds from Michael Lawright, 14 each from Samuel Hunter and Rica Bridgewater and 13 from Micheal Williams, who netted two three-pointers. Kenrick Burrows was next best with 8 points and 8 rebounds.
Walters and Layne Donaldson, who hit a couple of three-pointers, both scored 10 points for the BVI.
The second game was more competitive and by the end of the opening quarter T&T were enjoying a slim 6-point lead over Aruba with the score on 20-14.
The 14-year-old Persaud, born in Canada to a Trini father and Guyanese mother was already displaying excellent ball weaving skills.
Leonardo Waterdal sunk in a pair of three-pointers and looked really promising for Aruba to end an evenly fought period with T&T leading 44-36. Young Persaud, who attends school in Canada, looks extremely talented and his confident attitude reminded some of Stephen Curry, the Golden State Warriors point Guard.
Persaud exhibited dribbling and finishing skill both from outside the area and from under the basket and had scored 30 of T&T’s 44 points at the halfway stage.
But the problem for Persaud and the T&T team was that he was a one-man army with only Christopher Nottingham (11 points and 8 rebounds) offering any real support for Persaud, who was beginning to tire, doing most of work on his own while Aruba played as team.
The third period saw Aruba doing a remarkable job marking the crafty but tired Persaud who was criticised for at times playing selfishly. But when he passed the ball to the others they consistently failed to complete the job.
So well was Persaud neutralized that he only managed two points in the entire third stanza which ended with the score on 50 all.
Things got progressively worse for the team from Carnival country as Persaud, on tired legs could only manage another two points to end with 34 points and 9 rebounds and only four points in the second half. However, he became the highest individual scorer in the tournament up to yesterday by overtaking Jamaica’s Sherveny Williams’32 against Suriname.
The unified Arubans, led by exuberant Waterdal, upped the tempo and were the more aggressive of the teams during to last quarter to limit T&T to nine points in the final period as the game ended 77-59.
Aruba got 27 points in the closing stanza as five of their played reached double figure scores while only two Trinis reached double figures, with the next best effort being four points.
Waterdal (24 and 6 rebounds), Kenneth Maduro (15), Geraldo Bryson (13) and Nazir Milton and Rusheed Heemstadt with 12 each registered double scores for Aruba who were beaten by Guyana on opening night.
This was T&T’s first match and the competition was scheduled to continue last evening.