Guyana in must-win situation against Trinidad tonight -lose to Suriname in third quarter meltdown

Jul 06, 2016 Sports

Guyanese centre, Berbician, Jermaine King (right) goes up for a put-back in the paint Monday night against Suriname at the Cliff Anderson Sports Hall.

The Guyanese get together in a huddle Monday night during their second game of the CBC U16 Championships at the Sports Hall. They play a deciding game against Trinidad and Tobago at the same venue tonight.

The jitters continued for Guyana Monday night at the Cliff Anderson Sports Hall, forcing a loss to Suriname in a game that was basically gift wrapped for the Guyanese in the first round of the Caribbean Basketball Confederation (CBC) Under-16 Championships.
Guyana loss 56-64 against Suriname to match the neighboring country’s record of 1-1 after two games; Suriname played Aruba yesterday, while Guyana will play Trinidad and Tobago tonight in a game they must win to keep their Final Four hopes alive.
Guard, Andrew Blijd top scored for Suriname with 18 points while Keatan Weibolt contributed 13 points for the visitors. Suriname had lost to Jamaica in their opening game on Monday while Jamaica played Trinidad in the feature game last night.
Forwards, Nigel Bowen and Jordan Alphonso had 14 points apiece with Bowen pulling down 11 and Alphonso 12 rebounds. The Guyanese were caught off-guard to the Surinamese grit and their passion, understanding they were in a must-win situation.
Suriname had to beat Guyana to stay in the tournament and Guyana handed them the game with an inability to take care of the basketball, which resulted in 36 turnovers – an amount that means 72 points if converted on a two-point basis.
In addition, Guyana shot just 25.71 percent from the field and failed to convert on 46 free-throw attempts. Their trouble from the charity stripe continued. Add 72 points off turnovers, and the 46 points from freebies and you get an astonishing 118 points.
Guyana bounced to a quick 5-0 run to open the game, but the timidity of the Guyanese in the paint prevented what could have well been a blowout for the Surinamese, but that opportunity was not seized though Guyana led 29-26 at halftime.
Suriname took the lead for the first time in the game with 3:27 left in the third period. The Dutch -speaking nation sensing the third quarter offensive meltdown of the Guyanese became hungrier for the win and began to throw their bodies around for hustle plays.
Suriname went into the fourth quarter ahead 45-40 and protected the ball well to secure the win eventually. In the third game Monday night, Antigua and Barbuda thrashed Dominica 113-34 to grab their first win of the tournament.
Anthony Greer dominated the game for Antigua with 27 points while Lincoln Weeks had a near triple-double with 20 points, 12 assists and nine rebounds. Eric Joseph also had 15 points and Ahmani Browne 13 points in the win.
Scoring for Dominica came from Sherquan Jino Baptiste who had a team high 12 points. The Caribbean U-16 Basketball Championships continue today from 1pm with Jamaica taking on the Arubans. Dominica will play the best team in the tournament thus far, Bahamas, before Barbados take on Antigua.
The feature game tonight will be the important Guyana vs. Trinidad and Tobago clash scheduled for 8pm. A win for the Guyanese will keep their hope alive for a place in the Final Four as hosts of the tournament.