Ravens and Pacesetters secured the top spots in the first stage of the Open and U-23 division of the Turbo Hard-Court Basketball Championship, defeating Pacesetters and Plaisance Guardians respectively in the finale at the Burnham Park on Sunday.
In the Open finale, Ravens made light work of rival Pacesetters 55-35. Tyrone Hamid top-scored with 24 points while Ryan Stephney and Jermaine Slater assisted with six and four points each.
For the loser, Stephon Gillis shot his way to 14 points while Randy Richardson netted six points alongside 10 rebounds. Although both teams struggled offensively throughout the contest, Ravens took the opening quarter 11-2.
They built on their advantage in the second stanza, netting 10 points to their foe’s seven points to enter the halftime interval ahead at 21-9.
Ravens then exploded in the pivotal third period to put the game beyond the home side, outscoring their foe 20-9 to lead 41-18 entering the final period.
The hosts eventually added some respectability to the score line in the fourth period as they outshot Ravens 17-14.
In the earlier U-23 final, Pacesetters defeated Plaisance Guardians 77-60. Keon Marks registered a double-double of 17 points and 12 rebounds while Nathan Saul bagged 14 points and Jaleel Duke recorded 10 points and seven rebounds.
On the losing side, Terrence Daniels recorded 17 points while Malcolm Powdar netted 10 points and eight rebounds and Anton Fileen scored nine points.
Marginally ahead at 36-32 going into the third stanza, Pacesetters began to distance themselves from their counterparts, scoring 18 points while restricting their opponents to 10 points to lead 54-42.
Pacesetters then closed out the showdown in the final period as they outshot Guardians 23-18. The event will now move to the second stage tomorrow which will be hosted at the Plaisance Community Court.
The overall divisional winners of the event will be the teams that win two out of the three stages. The third aspect will be staged at the National Gymnasium outdoor venue.
