Basketball: League championship-Baya and Stars remain in the lead |10 May 2005

In the women’s league, Anse Etoile Stars and defending champions Bel Air are still running the show as they continue to occupy the top-two positions on the table.

Baya 93 ... PLS Dynamics 69

After a poor start to Saturday’s (May 7) match and losing the first quarter 9-20, Baya, still missing injured captain Dave Roseline and could eventually lose Luciano Moumou to Cascade Bullets, started dictating things in the second 10-minute spell which they won 21-13.

In the second period, Jude Talma’s Baya quickly erased the three-point half-time deficit and turned the game into their favour by outscoring PLS Dynamics 63-36 for a 93-69 win.

Nigerian Ugoh scored 16 points for Baya who also got 15 from centre Robert Léon, 13 from playmaker Giovanni Laval and 12 from Bernard Cherry off the bench.

PLS Dynamics’ Hendricks Denis led all scores with 19 points, including two 3-pointers, while captain and centre Emmanuel Larue added 16 and Tony Marday made a contribution of 12 points.

The win is Baya’s fourth in a row after losing their opening league match against Premium Cobras and they lead the Men division 1A standings with nine points, while PLS Dynamics suffered their third defeat in as many matches for three points.

PLS Hawks 86 .... SMB Razorback 50

PLS Hawks, with shooting guard Bernard Bristol still nursing an ankle injury, protected their lead throughout the match to cruise to an 86-50 win over SMB Razorback on Sunday.

Coached by Pascal Fostel, last year’s 1B champions SMB Razorback wanted to surprise former champions PLS Hawks by getting the ball into the front court quickly but their strategy was short-lived as the players of coach Tony Juliette read the game well to counter with devastating effects.

PLS Hawks won all four quarters – 13-11 28-13 32-12 and 15-14 – on the way to their fourth successive victory.

Ugandan Stephen Omony gave PLS Hawks the kind of energy they needed coming off the bench with a game-high 19 points, including two spectacular dunks, one from a Thomas Collie alley oop. Jefferson Nganga added 17 points, six of which came from beyond 3-point range.

Jean-Paul Camille, a former PLS Hawks player, matched Nganga’s 17-point performance to lead SMB Razorback in scoring. Nigel Cafrine was the only other SMB Razorback player in double figures with 10 points.

Second-placed PLS Hawks now have eight points while SMB Razorback are in fourth position with six points after one win and four losses.

Anse Etoile Stars 44 ... Hot shots 35

After having won their first five matches, Anse Etoile Stars might have expected an easy win over middle-of-the-table Hot Shots but had to work a little harder for their 44-35 win and they should thank the Anse Boileau-based team for missing easy lay-ups down the stretch on Sunday.

Following their midweek 113-22 victory over Juniors, the Stars had only two players in double digits - centre Simone Malbrook with 20 points and Lucia Souffe 11 - including her team’s four fourth-quarter points.

With 11 points, Myra Solin finished as the best scorer for Hot Shots who beat Cadettes 65-31 last week.
The Stars remain in the driver’s seat of the seven-team standings with maximum 12 points, while Hot Shots are in fourth place with five points after one win and three defeats.

Bel Air 73 ... Mont Fleuri 46

A game-high 23 points from Malagasy forward Lalatiana Razaiarisoa propelled defending champions Bel Air to a 73-46 win over Mont Fleuri who have now lost to the top two teams in the league.

The Bel Airians, under the leadership of 42-year-old captain Thyra Boniface who added nine points to the win, won all four quarters – 21-10, 16-13, 18-12 18-11 – against the Mont Fleurians who had three players – captain Bernadette Songor, Christine Eulentin and Tracey Moustache – with 12 points each.

With the win, Bel Air, whose only loss was against leaders Anse Etoile Stars, stay second on the table with seven points from a possible eight.

Mont Fleuri are in third position with six points.
Meanwhile, MBU Rockers continued their quest for a quick return to the Men division 1A league with a 76-45 victory over AAP Brothers to remain unbeaten in the  1B division with six points.

In the same division, Praslin Warriors made the most of home court advantage to beat visiting Ex-Champs 51-48 and LMS Jazz defeated Anse Etoile 55-52.

In the men’s second division, Pointe Larue got their second consecutive win on a 70-41 score against LMS Youth and Bel Air Blazers beat La Misère Youth 61-47.

G. G.