New Amsterdam Warriors defeat Fyrish Black Sharks

New Amsterdam Warriors survived a fourth quarter surge from Fyrish Black Sharks before emerging victorious 67-65 when the inaugural NPG Packaging First Division Basketball competition continued on Sunday at the Fyrish Basketball Court.

Possessing a 10 points lead going into the final quarter with the score 54-44, the Warriors would endure a final quarter offensive surge by the Black Sharks before squeaking out the win as they were outscored 13-21.

Randy Caesar led the scoring for the winners with a game-high 35 points highlighted by five shots from beyond the arc while the duo of Kevin Thom and Edmar Semple netted 15 and 10 points each. On the losing side, Jowel Fraser scored 30 points.

He was supported by Linden Joseph and Rayel Franklin with 15 and seven points respectively. The earlier exchanges in the matchup saw Warriors taking the early lead they marginally outscored Black Sharks 20-19.

The closely-fought contest would continue in the second quarter as they both registered 11 points allowing the New Amsterdam unit to maintain their one point lead going into the halftime interval 31-30.

The visitors would then pull away in the third period, outshooting the home side by a 23-14 score line to setup the game’s eventual tense finish.

Action in the tourney continues this Sunday at the Ithaca Court with a solitary matchup between hosts Ithaca Hard-Liners and Smithfield Rockers. The Berbice Amateur Basketball Association (BABA) sanctioned event features a total of seven teams from both the East and West Berbice area.

The other competing teams are divided into two groups. Group-A features Rose Hall Town Jammers, Hopetown Steelers and Canje Knights while group-B consists of New Amsterdam Warriors, Smithfield Rockers, Fyrish Black Sharks and Ithaca Hard-Liners. The other playing area is the Port Mourant Training School court.

The winning team will walk-away with the championship trophy and a financial incentive while the runners-up will pocket the respective accolade and a financial incentive. Similarly incentives will also be awarded to individual players.