By Carlena Knight (Caribbean Times)
With a brief opening ceremony to declare the 2016 season open, defending champions, Kennedy’s, edged out newbies, Antigua Barbuda Transport Board Authority, 59-57, on Saturday night in the Cool & Smooth Digicel Business Basketball league at JSC.
In the feature match, the champs who are on their quest to become three time back to back champs, expected to run over the newest team in the competition but were blindsided as the new kids on the block made it clear that they were here to compete for the top prize.
Led by Kareem ‘Macky’ Edwards with 24 points and Sean King with 12, Transport board took an early lead and sustained it until the dying seconds of the game where a three-point bomber by Kevin Francis of Kennedy’s gave them the lead and later the victory.
Francis ended the game with 12 points while teammates, Xavier ‘Xman’ Meade and Warren Bogle chipped in with 13 and 10 points respectively.
Marlon ‘Buju’ Charles had 10 points for Transport Board.
Digicel also came away with a victory on opening night, blowing out Dixie United, 62-28.
George Francis led the charge for the victors with 14 points with teammates, Andy Bass and Adissa ‘Rass-I’ Harris netting 12 points each.
Ironie Joseph of Dixie scored 12 points.
The action continued on Sunday night at JSC as Fitzroy Rewinding Transformers battled Eye Mobile Vision Care.
Transformers ran away with the victory, 72-64 in the highly contested match with Sharife Sergeant leading the way with 22 points.
He was assisted by youngsters, Javon Simon and Lincoln Weekes who had 17 and 11 points respectively.
Eye Mobile’s Chaz Samuel, had 20 points while Adonis Humphreys contributed 12 points in a losing effort.
Sandals surpassed the first century in the 2016 season running a clinic on APUA Water, 103-54.
Devon Benjamin was an unstoppable scoring machine with 46 points while highflier, Coy Quinland netted 28 points and powerhouse, Kenya Achom made 17 for the victors.
Humroy Wright had 30 points for APUA Water while teammate Devon Payne chipped in with 10 points in a losing effort.