The National Elite Basketball League (NEBL) had all eight teams playing games on Friday, January 24th and Saturday, January 25th across the country. The San Pedro Tiger Sharks (current NEBL champions) opened the season on January 18th with a big win, but on Friday, the island team could not keep the momentum going and fell short against Belize Hurricanes 85-77 at the Belize City Civic Center.
The island team started slow, from the first quarter, which ended 28-16 in favour of the Belize Hurricanes. During the second quarter, the Tiger Sharks tried to up their game with Jihad Wright leading the team. However, it was not enough, and by halftime, Belize Hurricanes led by 43-29.
In the second half of the match, Tiger Sharks’ Francis Arana was instrumental in his team’s efforts to overcome Belize Hurricanes. But their opponent played harder as well, nabbing the third quarter by an eight-point lead. The last quarter of the game was even tougher for the island squad, who found it difficult to avoid the 85-77 defeat by the Belize Hurricanes.
That same Friday, in San Ignacio, Cayo District, Verdes were able to hold on to a narrow victory over Orange Walk Running Rebels 82-74. The winners were led by last year’s MVP, Kris Frazier, who had the game-high with 23 points to go with eight rebounds and four assists, while Captain Richard Troyer knotted a double-double with 17 points and 11 rebounds to go with three steals. American Devin Thomas tallied 13 points and eight rebounds in his first NEBL game. Tyrone Hall finished with 12 points, four rebounds, and four assists.
The following day, NEBL’s newest team, Punta Gorda Panthers was led by D’Von Campbell to their first victory 95-88. The Punta Gorda Panthers debuted at their state-of-the-art venue in Punta Gorda Town and hosted the Belmopan Bandits. The Panthers started with a lead, which they kept until the end of the game, despite many offensive surges from the Bandits. American Campbell had a league record with 15 assists to go with 12 points, while Jevonte Hughes tallied a double-double with 24 points and 10 rebounds. Julies Travien also finished with a double-double with 17 points and 10 rebounds. Elbert Ariola had his breakout game with 17 points and five rebounds, hitting five shots from behind the arc and Elsworth Itza finished with the game-high 16 rebounds to go with 13 points.
Meanwhile, in Dangriga Town, Belize City Defenders blew out Dangriga Dream Ballers 84-55. Belize City Defenders were led to their victory by Nigel Jones, with a double-double of 27 points and 14 rebounds. Luther Page tallied 23 points and three rebounds, while Devin Daly finished the night with 12 points and nine rebounds.
The basketball action continues this weekend with the upcoming games:
Friday, January 31st.
Belize City Defenders vs Verdes at the Belize Civic Center at 8:45PM
Orange Walk Running Rebels vs Belize Hurricanes at the Orange Walk Multi-purpose Complex at 9PM.
Belmopan Bandits vs Dangriga Dream Ballers in Belmopan City starting at 9:15PM.
Saturday, February 1st.
The San Pedro Tiger Sharks will travel to the Toledo District, where they will face the Punta Gorda Panthers at 9PM.
For more information on the players, standings and the league visit www.neblbelize.com.
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