BASSETERRE, St. Kitts - IT was a bittersweet evening for fans of the Sandy Point PRIDE Basketball team as they celebrated with their team after the unit claimed their maiden national divisional title.
Last evening (Apr. 11) the PRIDE won the A Division Championship after their opponents, the Wolf Pack, failed to show for the crucial game three, in the best of five series.
That forfeiture guaranteed an unassailable 3-0 lead in the series after the PRIDE unit comfortably took the opening two games in the series.
In the opening game of the series, the Wolf Pack blew a 20 point lead in the dying seconds of the match to go under, while in game two, they were outclassed by the PRIDE in a 96-78 defeat.
Speaking with SKNVibes Sports, PRIDE team manager, Randy De Souza stated that it was a great effort for his team to go through the season with a 19-0 record.
“From the time that the team was assembled, we already knew that we were going to win the championship. What was an accomplishment to us was to go undefeated and make a statement in the league.”
The delighted De Souza noted that now that the championship is with them, the clocks and all other aspects of the team would now move to “zero-zero” with them moving into the Premier Division.
By virtue of them qualifying for the finals of the A Division, the team was able to qualify for top level basketball in St. Kitts.
“We are now turning over a new leaf with this championship which we won last night - and now we are looking forward to the Premier Division.”
Speaking to the finals, the Manager explained that they were slightly disappointed with the way their opponents played.
He noted that the below-par performance that was shown during the regular season, could be attributed to the nearly year-long delay in the staging of the championship series.
“To be honest, the games were more difficult during the regular season than in the finals. I don’t know but the factor could be the long layoff because the finals was a while after the regular season had finished.
“The first game was a bit back and forth, the second was a bit easier because we really got ourselves together and basically put our stamp on the series.”
The PRIDE team has no time to enjoy their victory as the Premier Division is expected to bounce off shortly.
And the team manager disclosed that they would be drafting in several players to bolster their roster for what is expected to be a challenging new level for them.
He added that with them moving up divisionally, they would want to carry over the same confidence and repeat the same undefeated run at the First Division.
