Suriname tighten IGG basketball stranglehold

Oct 22, 2016 Sports

-win opening games against Guyanese

By Edison Jefford

Suriname tightened its Inter-Guiana Games (IGG) stranglehold on the Guyanese last evening at the Cliff Anderson Sports Hall with a blowout win against the girls and a narrow victory versus the boys in the first of a three-game goodwill series.
Suriname opened their campaign for supremacy with a 69-25 mauling of the Guyanese girls who posed little challenge. Cyanah Kensmil poured in 17 points while Stephanie Hubard and Mirelva Marica scored 10 points apiece for Suriname.
Kennesha Leacock was the top scorer for Guyana with nine points. The male game that followed was set to restore some pride with Guyana coasting with a 39-27 lead early in the third period. It seemed then that Guyana had the game firmly in its grasp.
However, Suriname switched its zone to press defence and awoke the adversary of the Guyanese, which was an inability to control the ball; the Guyanese squandered seven straight possessions in the middle of the period and paid a heavy price.
Forward, Bjorn Ewijk nailed a three-point jumper from the left side arch on the southern end to equalise the scores at 39-39 after Suriname consistently scored off turnovers.
The visitors continued to capitalise on a bad ball-handling period for the home team when Charf Elburg finished a baseline drive then stole an inbound pass for another fast-break play to solidify an important lead for the Surinamese.
Both teams exchanged points in an intense battle that was marked with early foul trouble for them because of its physical nature, but it was the Surinamese who held on to a 54-48 lead at the end of the penultimate period – a lead so significant it was never relinquished.
The visitors raced to a 60-53 lead in the final stanza with forward, Dancell Leter symphonising the beauty of the game with a well composed march through the lane for an easy front-rim finger roll that besides being fundamental, also extended the Surinamese lead.
The play also underscored the hosts’ lack of defence in the paint where they were so dominant in the first half with local forward, Jamal Gilkes playing with real tenacity; that ‘fight’ dissipated in the second half to more or less gift-wrap the game for Suriname.
Despite a few last minute signs of hope, Suriname used the clock well to take the first game 74-68 and tighten their IGG grip on Guyana. Elburg finished with 17 points, while Leter had 15 and Ewijk 13 points. Emile LaRose also scored nine points.
For Guyana, Travis Belgrave had 15 points while forward, Stanton Rose added 14 points and Gilkes 13 points. Nathan Saul had nine points for the Guyanese, who will play a must-win game today to keep hope of a series win alive.
The games was officially opened at the Leonora Track and Field facility with the ceremony followed by athletics competition last evening.

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