Category Basketball

Warriors take PwC U-16 Title

Fans could not have asked for a better final.  The two top teams of the highly contested PwC under 16 Boys league – Warriors and Heat – faced off for the 2017 bragging rights.  Both teams came out with a lightning fast pace! Attacking the basket with reckless abandon and playing “in your face” defense.  It was obvious that no team was intimidated by the other and both were hungry for the title. 

The Warriors decided to focus on Heat leader Ian MacRae, limiting his touches and making every basket difficult and highly contested. But his teammates Jabari Walrond and Lauren Brown stepped up to the challenge to carry the team.

The Heat decided to focus on taking Joshua O’Garro out of the picture. Although O’Garro was still scoring, he got into foul trouble early, which forced his Coach John Ebanks to sit him practically the entire 3rd quarter. While O’Garro was on the bench, Joanki Espinar and Shay Lalor rose to the challenge offensively. 

In the end, the Warriors were able to come up with some key defensive stops that allowed them to create a cushion in the final two minutes of the game to seal the championship! 

Warriors – 58 points vs Heat 49 points

Winners – Warriors – Joshua O’Garro – 27 PTS, 8 REBS, 4 AS, 3 ST
                                  Joanki Espinar – 9 PTS, 10 REBS, 4 AS
Losing Team – Heat – Jabari Walrond – 18 PTS, 5 REB, 3 AS, 6 STS
                                    Lauren Brown – 17 PTS, 10 REBS, 2 AS
FINALS MVP – Joshua O’Garro – Warriors
YG Goes Off for 53 and a Triple Double!

Joshua O’Garro a.k.a. “YG” which apparently stands for “Young O’Garro” set a league high and national record as the youngest player to ever score 50 or more points in a men’s league.  The record came at the hands of the Western Union Division 2 men’s team on May 24th as the Juniors came out to prove a point.

The Juniors have a definite game style; high tempo, high octane!  From the start, the Juniors applied a stifling zone defense with lots of pressure on the perimeter, forcing a-lot of early turnovers early and jumping out to a 30 point lead by the end of the first half. It was clear that Western Union could not come back, but Juniors Coach Duran “Trinity” Whittaker told his team not to take their feet off the gas and to respect the game by playing the right way.  So said so done, despite awesome performances by Tereque Simpson who had 22 points, 6 rebounds and 4 assists; and Trevin Williamson who added 23 points and 11 rebounds, YG was the star of the night, lighting up the stat sheet shooting 9 of 13 from 3 point range, 12 of 17 from two point range, adding 10 steals, 10 rebounds and 7 assists.  YG was just 3 assists short of a quadruple double, an achievement held only by his uncle Shaad O’Garro. The 53 point game was also the league high, just edging past the Warriors’ Collin Anglin who scored 49 points earlier this season. 

Final score: 137 – 64

For Western Union: Darrell Paddyfoot led the way with 25 points and a game high 24 rebounds, unstoppable in the paint.  Teammate Daniel Quinland added 19 points in a losing effort

Islanders Making Waves in 2017

Photo Credit: Wil Bignal Photography

No one saw it coming.  Everyone knows that building a team takes time, especially when most of your players are new to the sport. This was the Islanders in 2016.  They went through the 2016 season without a win, but established themselves as a “take no prisoners”, rough and tough team.  There was one critical ingredient that the team was missing…..EXPERIENCE.  

However, this year came as a shock to the other opponents who expected to pretty much the same team.  But when the defending Champions – Lady Warriors – saw some veterans step onto the court for the Islanders, their smiles disappeared quickly! And for good reason.  By the time the smoke cleared, the defending champions found themselves in shock; losing to the Islanders 42-33.  With the addition of players like Jennifer Cotarelo-Choice, Renee Thompson, Scimone Campbell, Krystle Barrett and Christsania Parker, the Islanders are now a force to be reckoned with.  

Coach Voot gives instructions to the Islanders by: Wil Bignal Photography
Wesleyan defeat St. Ignatius

Action continues in the KPMG Under 14 Boys basketball league. This week’s action saw Wesleyan Christian Academy take on St Ignatius Catholic school. Wesleyan jumped out to an early lead, playing at a frantic pace and trying to capitalize on their fast-break opportunities. St ignatius was trying to pound the ball inside where they had an obvious height advantage. It took nearly a quarter and a half for St ignatius to heat up but they came storming back with a vengeance. However after enduring St ignatius’ run, Wesleyan again turned up their defense and was able to force a few turnovers by their opponents. Those turnovers led to fast-break opportunities which also led to some easy baskets. Although St ignatius would make a run late in the fourth quarter it was too little too late and Wesleyan were able to raise their hands in victory from a very closely contested game. Final score 14-11 in favor of Wesleyan.

Photo below: St. Ignatius Catholic School

St Ignatius
Women of Valor put the Brakes on Islanders

Women’s basketball continues to heat up as the national women’s league is enjoying very balanced competitive games. The women of valor took on the Islanders who are much stronger this year and have gotten off to a great start by defeating the defending champions, Lady Warriors, in their season debut. The woman of valor however wanted to make sure that this start would not continue with them. Led by Guiesha Smith, The women of valor played a very up tempo game and focused their efforts on Islanders’ leader Scimone Chin. Both teams were neck and neck for the vast majority of the game and it was only until the final four minutes of the fourth quarter that the women of valor were finally able to pull away and get a small amount of breathing room.

Final Score 45-40 in favor of Women of Valor who are the only undefeated team thus far and will face the Lady Warriors this coming Sunday.

Guiesha Smith led the WOV with 14 points, 17 rebounds and 6 blocks.
Jade Wheeler also posted 14 points, but added 9 rebounds and 3 steels to her tally.

For the Islanders, Scimone Chin had 6 points, a league high 13 steals and 11 rebounds, just shy of a triple double.
Teammate Renee Thompson had a monster game on the boards, pulling down 18 rebounds. Jennifer Cotarelo-Choice also had an impressive game, finishing with 8 points, 6 steals and 6 assists.

Photo Credit: Wil Bignal Photography

Lady Warriors wake up Dream

The defending champions Lady Warriors were able to defeat their rivals the Dream despite suffering their first loss in their season opener.
The Warriors, led by Captain Dionne Anglin, got off to an early start, pounding the ball down in the post and taking advantage of their post mismatches. The Dream made A few runs in an attempt to bring the game back but each time they cut the deficit the Warriors would take a turn of their own and open the lead back up. Although Maggie Ebanks fouled out halfway through the third quarter the Lady Warriors were able to hold off the Dream to a final score of 34-29. In the end, the Warriors defense proved too difficult for the Dream to overpower as the warriors had a team league high 10 blocks and also had 17 second chance opportunities. 

For the Warriors, Dionne Anglin led with 12 points, 12 rebounds and 4 blocks. Teammate Stacey Kelly added 4 points, a game high 18 rebounds and 4 blocks.

For the Dream: Kimberley Ebanks led with 9 points and 10 rebounds. 

Warriors Hold Off Sol Blazers

The Warriors defeated the defending champions – Sol Blazers at Clifton Hunter High School Gymnasium last night.  The Blazers came out firing on all cylinders, jumping out to an early lead; but the Warriors switched their defense to keep the Blazers off the glass: it paid off!  Back came the warriors with a reckless abandon, erasing a 12 point deficit.  From there, both teams would trade baskets and runs the entire game, but the Warriors would take the lead with 2 minutes to go and not look back.  In the dying seconds of the game, only down by 1 point, the Blazers stole the ball and attacked the basket for what seemed to be a definite lead change and possibly a game winner.  But the Warriors’ Kenval Bryan had a different idea!  Bryan leaped into the air and pasted the Blazer’s shot attempt against the backboard in what can only be described as a look-alike to Lebron James’ game winning block in last year’s NBA finals. Final Score – 70-67. 

For the Warriors, Collin Anglin led all Scorers with 26 points, 9 rebounds and 2 steals while Omari Corbin added a monster 18 point, 20 rebound game. Kenval Bryan added 18 points, 15 rebounds and 3 blocks. 

For the Blazers: Kevin Maxwell Led the way with 23 points, 18 rebounds and 2 blocks while Philip Reid added 17 points, 10 rebounds and 5 assists. 

Watch the interview below as Dionne Anglin interviewed him.  She was a true sport because she had just finished playing in her season opener right before the men’s game.

Basketball Up and Running

Basketball season in the Cayman Islands is once again off to a successful start. Led by the Cayman Islands Basketball Association (CIBA), several leagues and clinics have taken shape offering vast opportunities to participate in this growing sport on Island. Whether a veteran or beginner, young or “seasoned”, female or male, all are more than welcome to come out and participate.

CIBA provides a fun, safe environment to engage in the sport of basketball, learn about teamwork and commitment as well as gain local and international recognition. CIBA provides youth the opportunity to play overseas at the High School and/or Collegiate level. To date, over a dozen local male and female youth have continued their education overseas through participation in CIBA programs.

These opportunities would not be possible without CIBA sponsorship. PwC generously continues their community outreach through their longstanding sponsorship of The PwC Basketball Under 16 Boys and Girls Leagues. Additionally, KPMG once again has been gracious in sponsoring The KPMG Basketball Under 14 Boys and Girls Leagues. Amongst many other benefits, these sponsorships allow proper statistical record keeping along with the opportunity to play games indoors, crucial for player development.

Stay tuned for updates and developments as the basketball season persists, including plans for a new facility, along with upcoming basketball related events taking place within the Cayman Islands.

For more information including sponsorship opportunities, please contact Michael Diamond at +1 (345) 916-2430 and / or Coach Voot at +1 (345) 916-5083 or visit https://caymanbasketball.com/

“Things turn out best for the people who make the best of the way things turn out.”

-John Wooden (Renowned Basketball Player and Coach)

Leagues

Men’s League

Start Date: February 19, 2017

End Date: End of May, 2017

Location: Sundays at Clifton Hunter High School, Thursdays at the ARC at Camana Bay or the CIBA Court on Eastern Avenue

Women’s League

Start Date: April 23rd

End Date: TBD

Location: Clifton Hunter High School

 

The PwC Basketball Under 16 League (Boys and Girls)

Start Date: April 1, 2017

End Date: June 3, 2017

Location: Clifton Hunter High School on Saturdays, 4 PM – 6 PM (Girls) and 6 PM – 8PM (Boys)

Sponsor: PwC

Sponsor Statement: Craig Smith, Partner at PwC says, “PwC is proud to support the PwC Basketball Under 16 boys and girls leagues as we believe that organizations such as CIBA provide a positive outlet for the youth of the Cayman Islands and encourages the kids to stay active, develop their talents and provides local and overseas opportunities which in turn forms a strong foundation for success in the future. We also recognize the individuals who are vital to running the league efficiently by volunteering their time and efforts to ensure the season is a successful one.”

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

(From left to right: Coach Voot (CIBA), Leslie Wilson (PwC), Craig Smith (PwC), Michael Diamond (CIBA))

The KPMG Basketball Under 14 League (Boys and Girls)

Start Date: End of March, 2017

End Date: May 11, 2017

Location: 3:15 PM or 3:30 PM Mondays and Thursdays at various venues (Boys), 3:30 PM Tuesdays and Wednesdays at various venues (Girls)

Sponsor: KPMG

Sponsor Statement: “KPMG continues to support the Under 14 Basketball program as we see the value and benefits over the years that the students receive from participating, thanks to Coach Victor “Voot” O’Garro and his colleagues. We have seen the success of some of the participants continuing abroad and we look forward to the future success of other students in the program.” Andrew Stepaniuk, Partner at KPMG in the Cayman Islands stated.

 

(One of the John Gray High School Academy Teams Posing at halftime of a recent match in the KPMG Basketball Under 14 League play)

One thing is for sure; Basketball is alive and well in Cayman!  

Sol Blazers Remain Undefeated

The defending champions are continuing the dominance throughout the National Men’s League 2017 Season.  Although they aren’t doing it in the emphatic fashion as in past seasons, the Blazers are still a force to be reckoned with.  Off season trades saw the exit of started Deandre Simpson (who went to the Warriors) and Davie Cotterell (who went to the Silver Bullets) but the Veteran Kevin Maxwell and Triple Double Monster Shaad O’Garro are holding the fort with their team.  They Look forward to the return of Samuel O’Garro when he returns from his professional season in Germany.  On April 9th the Blazers took on Fix-It Celltronics in a fast paced, physical game.  Although Celltronics were keeping within striking distance, the Blazers never trailed during the game and didn’t seem to be bothered by the fact that their opponents lingered near.

Celltronics 63 points v Sol Blazers 76 points

  • Winner- Sol Blazers – Josh Cotterell 19 pts; 9 rebs; 2 as; 1 st, Kevin Maxwell 15 pts; 18 rebs; 1 as; 2sts; 2 bls, Nicholas Beverly 12 pts; 7 rebs
  • Losing Team – Celltronics – Davion Foster 20 pts; 15 rebs; 2 bls, Daniel Mowatt 17 pts; 7 rebs
Warriors Edge Past Hoopsters

The undefeated Warriors took on the young Hoopsters team at the Clifton Hunter High School on April 9th.  The Hoopsters came out with a full court press and took an early lead; in fact, they would lead for 90% of the game and it wasn’t until the final 5 minutes of the game that the Warriors would see their first lead.  This game proved experience over youth as the Warriors stuck to their strategy of attacking the basket and getting a few key Hoopsters into foul trouble. 

Hoopsters 65 points v Warriors 74 points

  • Winner – Warriors – Collin Anglin 31 pts; 2 as; 2 sts,  Kenval Bryan 15 pts; 12 rebs; 3 as; 1 st; 3 bls, Andrew Wisdom 13 pts; 22 rebs; 3 sts
  • Losing Team – Hoopsters Jamaal Miller 19 pts; 9 rebs; 3 as; 4 sts; 1 bl, Juawon Ebanks 17 pts; 7 rebs; 3 as; 3 sts, Jamel Winton 13 pts; 7 rebs; 3 as; 3 sts