Basketball: National League- Heat scorch Baya to maintain title charge |17 June 2013
Promoted to play with the elites after winning the bottom division title at the end of last season, the Heat have been defying all odds to top the league table.
On Saturday, Baya failed to set into any kind of rhythm in the first quarter and the Heat took advantage to set a commanding pace, winning it 25-9.
Their opponents managed to regain their composure in the second quarter which they won 19-16 but still the Heat were ahead by 13 points – 41-28 – at half-time.
The two teams tied each other at 18-18 in the third quarter, but in the final 10-minute spell Baya’s effort of 13 points proved to be too little as the Heat got 21 to run away with the win on an 80-59 final score.
Speaking to Sports Nation, coach Hall claimed that his team have been “moving mountains” and this could not be further from the truth as it has been proven time and time again that the so-called “smaller teams” always faced daunting tasks when they met giants PLS Hawks and Premium Cobras.
Coach Hall’s boys have managed to overcome every obstacle that has come their way, and surely this is a very promising sign for local basketball as the local game has become more competitive compared to the days when all titles would head to either Premium Cobras or PLS Hawks.
Coach Hall said his team headed into the season with the aim of maintaining their first division status, but with the way his squad has been performing, they now have every right to believe that they can challenge for the league title. And who would bet against them?
The former Premium Cobras coach added that they are focusing solely on the league for the moment, taking every game with a winning mentality, where he believes his main rivals are Baya and PLS Hawks.
Meanwhile, PLS Hawks managed to keep the pressure on the leaders last Saturday with a 96-76 win over Anse Boileau-based Angels.
S. N.