Basketball: Curtain-raiser competition-Rockers rock Baya in OT to reach final |05 April 2013

Finishing with 21 points, Pascal Bibi sealed the deal for the Rockers who will be making a second consecutive final appearance against PLS Hawks after losing last year’s Seychelles Basketball Federation (SBF) Cup final to the same Hawks team on a 61-111 score.

Bibi led three other rockers in double digits – Daniel Hoareau (15 points), Brian Morel (15) and playmaker Nigel Sinon (12).

The Rockers got off to a good start in Wednesday’s game at the Victoria Gymnasium. They kept up the scoring in the first period to head into the second quarter with an eight-point advantage (20-12). But Baya won the second quarter 22-12 to go for the breather with a slim two-point margin – 34-32.

The third quarter had a similar pattern as the first as the Rockers outscored Baya 21-14 to bring the score to 53-48 and they carried a five-point lead into the fourth.
But Baya were not to go down without a fight. They came down hard on the Rockers in the fourth quarter which they won 29-24 and the game ended on a tie – 77-77 – needing overtime to decide the winners.

In OT, the Rockers outpaced Baya 10-3 to run out 87-80 winners.
Dave Roseline carried Baya’s scoring load with 31 points and he was helped in offence by Timmy Adam with 11.

PLS Hawks qualified for the final earlier in the week with an 89-76 win against Premium Cobras. Nigerian Alao Solomon scored a game-high 35 points for the Hawks in the semifinal win against Premium Cobras whom they also beat 83-60 in last year’s Curtain-raiser final.

G. G.