By Neto Baptiste
Defending champions Flyers Basketball, kept their unbeaten run in the Antigua and Barbuda Basketball Association (ABBA) Division 1 competition alive while handing title hopefuls Northside Stingerz their first defeat in four games with a close 65-62 triumph on Sunday at the JSC basketball complex.
Playing in the feature clash of a double-header, Stingerz started strong, outscoring Flyers 22-10 in the first quarter. However, they ran out of steam, losing the next three quarters 19-12, 20-15 and 16-13 as Flyers won their fourth straight to move to the top of the standings.
Adonis Humphreys led the scoring for Flyers with 13 points and 10 rebounds with Selassie Brathwaite contributing 12 points and eight rebounds. Kwame Brathwaite chipped in with 10 points and seven rebounds.
In a losing effort for Stingerz, Keroi Lee top-scored with 17 points snatching 13 rebounds, while Shaheim Omarde contributed with 13 points and seven rebounds off the bench. Jayzee Saltibus had 10 points and 10 rebounds.
In Sunday’s opening clash, Potters Steelers enjoyed a blowout 96-72 triumph over Spanish Heat as they improve their record to three wins and two losses.
Steelers dominated three of the four quarters, outscoring their opponents 23-21 in the first quarter, 26-17 in the third, and 26-10 in the fourth. Spanish Heat won the second quarter by a 24-21 margin.
Cohen DeSouza top scored for the victors with 18 points while grabbing 10 rebounds while Felix Hamilton contributed with 16 points and nine rebounds off the bench. Darnell Azille added 13 points and 17 rebounds to the winning effort.
In a losing effort, Darius Richards sank a game high of 25 points and grabbed eight rebounds for Spanish Heat while Coy Quinland picked up 15 points and six rebounds. The loss was Spanish Heat’s fourth in as many showings.