Basketball: First division playoff |14 February 2018

Premium Cobras Youth one game away from retaining first division status

Premium Cobras Youth can make sure of their place in the first division league today when they play MBU Boyz in game two of the best-of-three playoff after taking a win in the first match on Monday.

Inside the Palais des Sports, the Premium Cobras Youth team , who were ranked before last in the top flight at the end of the 2017 season, collected a 73-51 win over second division side MBU Boyz who finished as runners-up to second division winners Bel Ombre Marlins last year.

On holidays, Premium Cobras Youth Juan Collie who is studying in Malaysia, showed that he has not lost touch of the game as he scored four 3-pointers to emerge as the game’s top scorer with 22 points in a match that his team led from start to finish.

It was Premium Cobras Youth captain Stan Jean who opened the score on a quick lay-up after centre Damien Chang-Time had won the jump ball. They took an 8-0 lead before MBU Boyz scored their first basket in the fourth minute through Garry Louis.

Playing below-par basketball, MBU Boyz had trouble to beat the 1-2-2 Premium Cobras Youth zone defence while their opponents cracked their 2-3 zone defence to lead 24-7 at the end of the first 10 minutes.

MBU Boyz stepped up their game in the second quarter and led by Eddy Olivia, the team played on level term with their rivals and drew 16-16 at the end of the second quarter but trailed 23-40.

It was Olivia who showed the intention of bringing his team into the game early in the second half as he powered to the basket through an open defence in the middle to reduce the score to 25-40. Both teams made too many bad passes and missed too many baskets but Premium Cobras Youth always had the slight advantage as they won the third quarter 14-13 for a 54-36 score at the end of 30 minutes.

Again in the fourth quarter, the two teams’ game was marred by failed passes and missed baskets but Jean’s 3-pointer in the 33rd minute brought the score to 59-36 for a 23-point advantage for Premium Cobras Youth and the difference increased to 27 points as Collie scored another trey in the 37th minute followed by a lay-up (72-45).

As Premium Cobras Youth wind down the clock in the last two minutes, it was then that MBU Boyz decided they wanted to play some basketball as they fought for every ball and managed to score six points to one point for Premium Cobras Youth but lost the last quarter 15-19 and the first match of the best-of-three series 51-73.

Premium Cobras Youth manager Raymond Simeon was very pleased with the win especially with his team’s domination in the first half. “I am satisfied that the players kept their game spirit during all this time that we had not played any match and we hope to come into the second match with the same approach and I think we will make 2-0,” said manager Simeon.

MBU Boyz manager Davies Gerry was also satisfied with his team’s performance as they had known about the match at the last minute.

“We had to fulfil this formality, so we came to play. But we will take our next match more seriously as we are now aware of the play-off so we will look at the possibility of sending the series into a third match,” said manager Gerry.

The second match of the best-of-three series is today at 5.15pm at the Palais des Sports.

P. J.