FORMER Club champions Bounty Colts showed they still possess the skillset to perform at a high level, as they gave Stabroek Eagles only their second loss in the last two seasons of the One Guyana Basketball Premier League Playoffs.
Their match took place on Sunday at the Cliff Anderson Sports Hall.
Eagles, who played undefeated last season before losing the final against North Ruimveldt Ravens, have picked up where they left off and played flawlessly through-out the regular season before their loss to Bounty Colts.
Colts, on the other hand, have been average over the past two seasons, but threw a wrench in Eagles wheels to achieve an 87-80 victory in their Best-of -hree semifinal playoff series.
It was Colts who stepped on the gas from the onset, leading by 2 points after the first quarter, 14-12, which they extended to 43-33 to be up by 10 points at the half.
Shelroy Thomas put in a vintage showing to drop 19 points, Evan Johnson and Dominte Rankin also finished with 11 points, each, as they dominated the third period, 67-51, before completing the win in the fourth, 87-80.
Eagles skipper Travis Belgrave finished with 26 points in a losing effort as they go behind, 1-0, in the Best-of-Three series.
Meanwhile, Kobras opened their series with a 62-57 points victory over defending champion, Ravens.
Ravens looked good from the onset as they held a slim advantage at the end of the first period, 15-11; they also led at the half-way point, 29-23.
However, a third-quarter surge from Kobras saw them rebounding to overtake the lead by one point, 40-39, over Ravens.
They then improved in their fourth quarter with their offence game to eclipse Ravens altogether for a 5-point victory, 62-57.
The win in the First-of-the-Series gives Kobras the edge, with Ravens’ next game being a ‘must win’ game to stay alive and advance to the finals.
The League is sponsored by the Ministry of Culture, Youth and Sport, and the National Sports Commission.
The League’s regular season featured 22 teams evenly split in the Jaguars and Harpy Eagles conference drawn from all across the country battling for a place in the playoffs with the top team from both conferences advancing.
The winner of the overall One Guyana Title will have bragging rights, a million dollars, and the coveted national club league trophy.