Impressive basketball action on opening night
By Leeron Brumell
Guyana Chronicle
January 4, 2004
IMPRESSIVE performances were turned in on Friday night in the season opener as the Carib Malta and Courts Pacesetters-sponsored senior national Inter-ward basketball tournament bounced off at the Cliff Anderson Sports Hall.
Charlestown/Albouystown and Wortmanville/Werk-en-Rust both recorded victories of 10 points and over in front of a reasonably sized audience.
Charlestown/Albouystown defeated West Demerara Combined, 87-74 points, in the opening game with Randolph Goodluck, Rodwell Fortune and Alwyn Bellamy netting 18 points apiece for the former, while D. Williams and S. Roberts each had 20 points and R. Browne 13 for the latter.
The winners led at the half 46-39.
Meanwhile, in game two Georgetown champions Wortmanville/Werk-en-Rust had a 10-point win against South Ruimveldt, ending 76-67 with Neiland Loncke leading the scoring with 17, Kurt Elias 15 and Royston Siland 11.
South Ruimveldt had taken an early lead after the first quarter, but the Georgetown champs took the lead thereafter and never looked back, leading the game at the half by some 14 points, 49-35.
Kerywn Blades scored 20 for South, while Gavin Bearam and Stephon Henry both had 14 points.
Last evening, Central Mackenzie and East/West Ruimveldt met in the first match, while Kitty Campbellville/Wismar tangled in the other game.
Another double-header is set for this evening when East Bank play Lodge/Meadow Brook and North Ruimveldt bounce off against B.V./Melanie.
The tournament is being run under the auspices of the Guyana Amateur Basketball Federation (GABF).
Some 16 teams that have been divided into four groups will be contesting the tournament. The top two teams in each group, after completing the round robin stage, will advance to the quarterfinal round.
A total of $300 000 is at stake in the tournament with $150 000 for the first-placed team, $75 000 for the second, $50 000 for the third and $ 25 000 to the fourth-placed team.
This tournament is being used to select senior players for international engagements -- the visit of the DC Jammers and the CARICOM tournament.