The winners of the opening games of the Cayman Islands Basketball Association National Men’s League finals series were decided on Sunday, 24 May.
The games, hosted at the Camana Bay Arts and Recreation Centre (ARC) saw four teams battle it out for the first game of the Best-of-3 Championship Series format.
The action kicked off with Division 2 where team Pilipinas successfully defeated the U17 Storm 87-75.
Reflecting on the win, Ferdie Ramiento, head coach of Pilipinas, said, “This victory means a lot to the team. Being the defending champions, we knew that the young under-17 boys would come prepared to challenge us.”
“Every year, these boys are getting better and always ready to play head-to-head, physically and mentally, against the seniors and tough teams and I really appreciate that. We know that … they will come back stronger [and] we will expect more from them in the next game, but we will be prepared.”
Ramiento, who joined the team last year, said he believes that “being together for four years is our advantage” for the first win.
“The camaraderie, teamwork and trust we have for each other was the key to our win. We started very slow and were surprised the way these young boys played and their determination to win,” he said.
Following that game, in Division 1, the Sol Blazers captured their first win of the series after defeating the current defending champions Lions with a final score of 73-50.
Tarik Smith-James, a point guard of Sol Blazers said, “[This victory] means we are one step closer to achieving our goal of winning another championship.”
For Smith-James, he believes his team “executed well on both ends of the floor” to take the first win.
“Defensively, we forced them to take contested shots and didn’t overreact if they made them. Offensively, we hunted mismatches and took the best shots for the team. This showed the deep trust we have in one another,” he said.
The second games of the series for both divisions are set to take place on Sunday, 31 May at the ARC.
Related Videos
