The San Pedro Tiger Sharks have the lead in the National Elite Basketball League (NEBL) finals after winning the first of the best-of-five games against defending champion Mirage/Smart Belize Hurricanes. On Saturday, May 18th, the Angel Nuñez Auditorium in San Pedro Town was the venue for a close game, with the visiting squad threatening to steal the victory throughout the four quarters with the visiting squad threatening to steal the victory. San Pedro’s Jihad Wright took the lead, pushing his team in the fourth quarter and grabbing the 87-70 win.
The game tipped off at 9:30PM with Tiger Sharks leading in the first minutes of the first quarter. Belize Hurricanes quickly caught up with a two-point lead, only to fall to the dominant home team with a score of 21-15. In the second quarter, Hurricanes and Tiger Sharks over took each other several times as they fought to grab the first half of the game. With the help of a couple free throws, Belize Hurricanes took a one point lead going into intermission, 41-40.
During the third quarter, the commotion was deafening inside the as the hotly contested game saw both squads battling for the first win of the finals. Belize Hurricanes’ windspeed increased as they outscored the San Pedro Tiger Sharks by two ending the third quarter. As the final quarter began, the audience inside the venue became louder, as San Pedro’s Jihad Wright and Francis Arana led their team to a drastic run. The gap was still tight, but in a series of three-pointers and dunks by Martevious Adams, the island squad took the first bite in the NEBL Finals, closing the game with a blowout margin of 17 points – 87-70.
With this first win, the San Pedro Tiger Sharks are one step closer to this year’s NEBL championship. If they win the upcoming two games against Belize Hurricanes, they will be crowned the 2019 NEBL Champions.
Game #2 is Friday, May 24th at the Belize City Civic Centre, followed by Game #3 on Saturday, May 25th at the Angel Nuñez Auditorium in San Pedro Town. If Hurricanes wins one of these games, the final series will be extended to a fourth game, which will take place on Friday, May 31st in Belize City. If a fifth game is necessary, this has been scheduled for Saturday, June 8th in San Pedro. All games for the different dates begin at 9PM.
For more information on scores, standings, player and team statistics can be found online at neblbelize.com.
