BASSETERRE, St. Kitts (April 8, 2015) -- Bad Boyz got a taste of badness Tuesday night (April 7) when they suffered a shock defeat 89-95 at the hands of a reinvigorated Heights in the on-going Development Bank Challengers Exodus Basketball League at Challengers basketball hard courts.
Bad Boyz had reached the playoff stage having lost only one game to the hot favourites, Flawless Construction Lions, while Heights were clear underdogs coming into the playoffs having lost three games including one to Bad Boyz where they had been handed a thorough beat down 46-68 on March 7.
However, when the two teams got onto the courts Tuesday night Bad Boyz were without their star player Javal Hodge who was on the bench (due to a serious ankle injury) barking out orders to his teammates while Heights had the services of Alex Thomas who was not on the team when they received the beating by Bad Boyz.
The game brought an end to Bad Boyz’ campaign for the inaugural Development Bank Challengers Exodus Basketball League trophy, and will therefore watch as Heights do battle in a best of three final with Flawless Construction Lions who crushed a hapless Runners 67-48 in a game that ended prematurely due to rain.
Runners showed the true sportsmanship spirit when they conceded the game after rain interrupted the game when they were trailing 48-67 in the fourth quarter. Another team would have demanded a continuation of the game on a different day. Not Runners.
According to Development Bank Challengers Exodus Basketball Club Team Manager Mr Roger Gumbs, the first of three finals will be played on Thursday night (April 9), while the second of a possible three finals will be played on Tuesday April 14.
Mr Gumbs has explained that the finals could not have been played over the weekend as the National SKABA league would have started and some of the players in the Development Bank Challengers Exodus Basketball League will be doing duty out there.
In the first game on Tuesday evening, where Heights stepped onto the courts as underdogs, the game was fast and at times hot exchanges were heard among the players. At one time, former national player and former area parliamentary representative Glenn ‘Ghost’ Phillip of Heights reported an opposing player to the referee.
For Heights, Shawn Forbes scored 24 points, 10 rebounds and five assists; Alex Thomas scored 19 points, 9 rebounds and two assists; while Glenn ‘Ghost’ Phillip showed the younger players that his stint as a government minister had not made him rusty as many would have tried to imagine, as he scored 15 points, five rebounds and managed two blocks.
Taslin Hodge of Bad Boyz overcame the loss of on-the-field company of his brother Javal Hodge who is side-lined by injury, as he raided the Heights end time and again, scoring a massive 39 points, 11 assists and two steals. Others on his side were Sheeno Berridge (14 points, 10 rebounds), and Dermaine Rawlins (14 points, 9 rebounds).
In the second game of the evening Flawless Construction Lions, having seen how their arch rivals Bad Boyz got humbled by a less endowed team, did not take any chances and went for the kill right from the first whistle, and were leading 67-48 when rain stopped play in the fourth quarter. They were declared winners as Runners conceded the game.
For Flawless Construction Lions, top scorers were Jourvette Leader (18 points, 6 rebounds, 2 steals), Ansel Revan (16 points, 9 rebounds, 3 blocks), and Delvin Marshall (15 points, 18 rebounds, 6 blocks), while for Runners, they were Joshia Morton (20 points, 18 rebounds, 6 blocks), Javed Clarke (9 points, 3 assists, 2 steals), and Calvin Wallace (7 points, 3 rebounds, 4 assists).
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