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*** SEYCHELLOIS MEN BASKETBALL MAIN PAGE ***
 | 16th tournament of the CCCOI - Hawks and Stars returned home | |
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| |  | The teams of the Seychelles, the PLS Hawks (Men) and Anse Etoile Stars (Women) returned home after participating in the 16th Tournament of Champions Cup for Clubs of the Indian Ocean (CCCOI), which had been held in Mauritius last week.
On their arrival yesterday afternoon, members of both teams received bouquets of flowers presented by the cadet-national players.
The President of the Seychelles Basketball Federation, Jude Talma, as well as some of his colleagues were also present to congratulate the players.
The Hawks finished second in the men's competition, after losing 54-77 to Malagasy MBC Sebam who celebrated their victory for the third consecutive year.
Coached by Tony Juliette , PLS Hawks had two victories against Real SC of Mauritius (76-66) and Africa Games of Mayotte (81-76) to finish at the top of Group B.
They then beat St Pierre from Reunion by the score of 83-76 in the semi-finals.
The coach said Juliette was satisfied with the performance of his team.
'There were no easy matches in this tournament which was played at a very high level.
We had a good start against MBC Sebam in the final, but my players were tired in the third quarter. The Malagasy took advantage of it to win the match.
Despite this defeat, I am satisfied with the performance of my team', told the coach the local press. |
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| Cyril Agrippine leads Rockers, Solomon gets season-high 49 | |
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| | | s as they hurried their game when leading, bridged an eight-point deficit to send shivers down Baya coach Michel Malbrooks spine.
Agrippine got 10 of his 12 points in the fourth quarter and he was helped by captain and playmaker Nigel Sinon with 12 of his team-high 23 points as the Rockers outscored Baya 33-17. They had lost the first three quarters 19-20, 14-19 and 17-19.
Assistant coach Paul Denis was proud of his players and said they had given him a nice 46th birthday present.
Happy to have led MBU Rockers, who had two other players Timmy Adam (16 points and two slam dunks) and Alvin Marie (14) scoring in double digits, Agrippine said:
Winning against Baya is good. But we still have a lot to work on and all players must step up when the game is on the line.
Jean-Paul Camilles game-leading 26 points went to waste in the defeat as Baya, who also got 18 points from Robert Lon and 11 from playmaker Giovanni Laval, need to rethink tactics.
Both Baya and MBU Rockers, who had Gonzague Agrippine, Nigel Henriette and Alvin Marie fouling out, have nine points after four wins and a loss apiece. The two teams remain in the title hunt.
Premium Cobras 135 Beau Vallon Heat 37
There seems to be no heat coming from Beau Vallon, and Premium Cobras made the most of the situation to bring the new highest winning margin of the season to 98 as they steamrollered Beau Vallon Heat 135-37.
The previous high was 78 points and it lasted just one week. Premium Cobras, who had beaten Razors 126-48 in their previous encounter, got a season-high 49 points from Nigerian Alao Solomon, who has now improved his average to 42 points per game after getting a total of 210 points in five games 34 against Cascade Bullets, 46 against Praslin Warriors, 39 against MBU Rockers and 42 against Razors.
Former champions Premium Cobras won all four quarters, 27-7, 32-6, 34-12 and 42-12, for their fifth consecutive win to shoot to the top of the 10-team table with a maximum 10 points.
Abdel Sylla (17 points), Nigerian Simon Pusam (12), Tony Moustache (12) and Steve Allisop (11) were the other Cobras in double figures, while Cliff Furneau again led winless Heat in scoring with 14 points.
PLS Hawks 99 Praslin Warriors 59
Defending League and Cup champions PLS Hawks missed out on reaching the century mark against Praslin Warriors last Saturday with a 99-59 victory bringing their win tally to four.
Runners-up at this years Indian Ocean Club Championship, PLS Hawks had four players Rodney Loz (25), Daniel Victor (17), Wellington Adeline (16) and Bernard Bristol (12) scoring in double digits as they dominated the Warriors in all four quarters 19-14, 24-16, 29-14 and 27-15.
With just one win in four games, Praslin Warriors, last years champions of the old Mens Division 1B league, got 22 points from Joseph Souffe, 16 from captain Jackson Auguste and 13 from Edmond Flicie.
Cascade Bullets 81 Angels 86
Angels had a huge fourth quarter outscoring Cascade Bullets 33-18 to run away with their second win in four games.
After winning the first quarter 20-11, Anse Boileau-based Angels lost the second and third 16-30 and 17-22, but had the energy to come back in the fourth 10-minute spell with Daniel Dodin scoring 12 of his game-leading 33 points.
He was helped in offence by Darren Lesperance with 22 points, while centre Steve Antat added 12.
The Bullets, who had Christopher Camille (30 points), Kenneth Sophie (20) and Sandy Julienne (18) combining for 68 points, have themselves to blame for their fifth loss on the trot.
Coach Grgoire Scholastiques team will only start winning games if they cut out their high level of individual and selfish play.
Razors 0 RC Dynamics 20
As the Razors could not field a team, RC Dynamics did not have to sweat to garner two points and their second win of the season.
Formerly SMB Razorback, the Razors, who lost a number of players during the off-season, face relegation if they miss another match.
Meanwhile, in two Mens Division Two matches, LMS Youth beat Fire Brigade 63-40 and Anse Etoile defeated Cadets 67-39.G. G |
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| SEYCHELLES : High-scoring wins, big-three stay unbeaten | |
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| | | HIGH-SCORING wins were registered in Mens Division One matches played over the weekend at the Palais des Sports as the big three Premium Cobras, Baya and PLS Hawks extended their winning streaks.
Premium Cobras 126 Razors 48
SOLOMON 42-point performance for Premium CobrasTHE 126-48 win was the biggest victory margin so far this year in the top flight as Alao Solomon had another 40+ match for former champions Premium Cobras.
On Sunday, the Nigerian shooting guard finished with 42 points, making him Premium Cobras and the leagues best scorer so far with 161 points in four matches.
Averaging 40 points per match, Solomon also scored 34 in the 96-57 win against Cascade Bullets, 46 in the 97-58 win over Praslin Warriors and 39 in the 88-68 victory against MBU Rockers.
The Cobras had another six players Dominic Pillay (21), Steve Allisop (18), Abdel Sylla (12), skipper and playmaker Tony Moustache (11), Steve Servina (10) and Biko Biong (10) scoring in double figures as they won all four quarters, 34-13, 31-10, 31-8 and 30-17.
A volleyballer with Premium Spikers, Ricky Vel finished with 17 points to lead the Razors who find themselves on a razors edge after losing for the third time in four games. Their only win was against fellow strugglers Cascade Bullets on an 85-76 score.
The previous highest win was registered by PLS Hawks against Beau Vallon Heat on a 115-50 score.
PLS Hawks 83 Cascade Bullets 53
With a depleted squad, the Bullets wanted to surprise Indian Ocean Club Championship runners-up PLS Hawks, but they came up short after holding the defending champions for more than 25 minutes.
PLS Hawks coach Tony Juliette was not happy with what he saw on the court and had to bark instructions from the sidelines and he even regrouped his players during a time-out to rethink tactics as Cascade Bullets were playing on a par with them.
After trailing 31-34 at half-time and 41-43 midway through the third quarter, the Bullets were thinking of getting their first win in four outings but they probably forgot that the Hawks could move up a gear.
This is exactly what happened and the Hawks won the third and fourth quarters, 24-11 and 25-11, to close the game at 83-53.
Veteran power forward and captain Jim Domingue led the Hawks in scoring with 19 points, with Rodney Loz (14), Neddy Oye Fanchette (13) and Bernard Bristol (12, all from 3-point range) combining for 39 points.
Bullets skipper Kenneth Sophie led all scores with 21 points which went to waste in the defeat.
Beau Vallon Heat 41 MBU Rockers 91
Like Cascade Bullets, Beau Vallon Heat are also without a win in four games and their latest loss was at the hands of MBU Rockers, who rediscovered the winning feeling after losing to Premium Cobras the weekend before.
The Rockers were always in control of the match, winning all four quarters, 22-8, 28-11, 19-14 and 22-8, as they won by a 50-point margin.
Coach Alvin Alcindors MBU Rockers were led in scoring by swingman Cyril Agrippine with 21 points, while playmaker Nigel Sinon (15) and Nigel Henriette (16) also scored in double digits.
Cliff Furneau and Tony General Barb had 10 points each for the Heat, who need to start winning if they are to survive in the top flight.
Praslin Warriors 65 RC Dynamics 71
After getting a win in their second match on a 70-66 score against the Razors, Praslin Warriors went back to losing, this time against RC Dynamics, who got 20 points, including two 3-pointers from Kenneth Domingue.
Captain Tony Marday added 11 points in the win for RC Dynamics, who trailed 11-15 at the end of the first quarter but won the other three 18-16, 22-18 and 20-16. This was their first win in three games.
Ryan Volcre had the hot hands for the Warriors with 17 points, 12 of which came from 3-point range.
Baya 92 Angels 64
Baya extended their winning streak to four games by steamrolling Angels 92-64 on the back of 19 points from both centre Robert Lon and shooting guard Jean-Paul JP Camille.
Nigel Cafrine came off the substitutes bench to get 17 points, while playmaker Giovanni Laval added 13, including three treys.
Coach Michel Malbrook was back on the bench after missing two games while on regional mission with womens team Anse Etoile Stars, and his Baya team entirely dominated the match, winning all four 10-minute spells, 26-13, 17-16, 23-19 and 26-16.
Collin Japhet and Barry Dubignon had 13 points apiece to lead Angels, whose usual high scorers Daniel Dodin and Darren Lesperance were kept silent.
Meanwhile, in a Mens Division Two match, RA Herons beat LMS Youth 55-38.G. G. |
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| Indian Ocean Club Championships started in Mauritius | |
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| | | Teams competing in the 16th CCOI are:
Men
Group A : Real SC (Mauritius), Jeux d'Afrique (Mayotte) and Djabal Club (Comores)
Group B : Sebam (Madagascar), PLS Hawks (Seychelles) and Saint-Pierre BB (Reunion)
Women
Curepipe Starlight (Mauritius), Sotrata (Madagascar), BCB (Reunion), Anse Etoile (Seychelles), BCM (Mayotte)
The finals of the tournament will be held on April 20th.
Rosters for both teams from the Seychelles:
Anse Etoile Stars (Women) : Simone Malbrook, Geneviève Beaudoin, Lindy Mathiot, Dina Louis, Brigitte Nibourette, Georgia Desir, Jennifer Bonne, Priscilla Devasin, Magdeline Julienne, Zita Simeon, Lucia Souffe and Barbara Hoareau. Charles Abel (Manager) and Michel Malbrook (Coach).
PLS Hawks (Men) : Jim Domingue (194-F-68), Nigel Annette (-F), Rodney Loze (194-C), Heribert Derjacques, Daniel Edmond, Emmanuel Jupiter (-F), Romeo Victor (176-G), Daniel Victor, Neddy Fanchette (-C), Karim Cesar, Bernard Bristol (-G), Francis Moustache, Keddy Micock and Barry Baron (203-C).Tony Juliette (Head Coach) and Kenneth Domingue (Assistant-Coach) |
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| Hawks win the Jhelum Cup | |
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| | | PLS Hawks v Baya
Veteran Jim Domingue played like a 20-year-old and finished with 35 points - just less than half of his team's tally of 79 against Baya in the final.
At 40 years old, Domingue continues to dominate the offensive and defensive boards to bring down rebounds as well as play tough in the paint where he gets most of his points.
Skipper Domingue led PLS Hawks by example as they won all fours quarters 16-14, 20-16, 24-19 and 19-15 for a deserved 79-64 victory.
PLS Hawks' veteran power forward (with ball) got most of his game-leading 35 points in the paintWith Baya's shooters unable to set themselves free from man-to-man marking to take the outside shots like they did in the 84-72 win against Premium Cobras to send the defending champions crashing out of the competition, the Hawks once again showed that they are a hard nut to crack even when missing key players.
Happy with his team's play and the manner in which they got the win, coach Tony Juliette was happier to see another two of his big men - Neddy ‘Oye' Fanchette ad Barry Baron - scoring in double digits. In fact, they finished with 14 points apiece.
Centre Robert Leon (13 points) and playmaker Giovanni Laval (11 points) were the only two Baya players who scored in double figures.
'My players heeded my advice. They worked hard on the court and stayed in the lead. This is good. It proves that they (the players) can stay concentrated in the game. This victory is a morale-booster for us as we are preparing for the Indian Ocean Club Championship next month,' coach Juliette told Sports Nation. |
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| Men's Jhelum Cup - Baya through to final at Premium Cobras' expense | |
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| | | PLS HAWKS v BAYA. That's the match-up for tomorrow's men's Jhelum Cup final and it's going to be a repeat of the Charity match played on Sunday March 2 to officially open the 2008 season.
In Wednesday's second semifinal encounter of the Jhelum Cup (the new name of the annual Curtain-raiser tournament) played at Victoria Gymnasium, Baya dethroned champions Premium Cobras, depriving them of a third successive trip to the final and an attempt to win the title three times in a row. With a 12-point margin victory - 84-72 - Baya look good to conquer and their final prey will be the Hawks who are themselves good at hunting down opponents in big games.
Fielding a starting six of Jean-Paul ‘JP' Camille, Steve Denis, Hendricks Denis, Robert Leon and Nigel Cafrine, Baya's coach Michel Malbrook went for speed and the ability to execute in attack. His players responded to the call as they outscored Premium Cobras 24-18 in the opening quarter.
With skipper-of-the-day Steve Denis firing on all cylinders - bagging 13 of his 26 points in the first half - it was just no stopping Baya who want to play the lead role this year.
Playing with an all-Seychellois line-up, Baya only lost the second quarter by one point - 19-20 - but they were able to come back and dominate Premium Cobras, winning the other two quarters 21-17 and 20-17 for a famous win and a place in the final.
Other than Steve Denis, Robert Leon (13 points) and ‘JP' (12 points) made double digit contributions in Baya's victory.
Like against MBU Rockers in the quarterfinal, Nigerian shooting guard Alao Solomon carried the Cobras' scoring load with 27 points and it proved to be the game-leading mark, but not enough to earn his new team a place in the final.
Having already gunned down the Hawks 71-64 in the Charity match, tomorrow's final looks to be an interesting affair.
A former playmaker with PLS Hawks and the Seychelles national team, coach Malbrook is ready to guide Baya to victory tomorrow.
'Against PLS Hawks in the final, we will take the same approach as we did when we played Premium Cobras. We will be all out for a win,' he said.
Malbrook's opposite number, Tony Juliette said that 'I was expecting Premium Cobras to reach the final. It's Bay and my team have to play despite missing some players through injury. It is important we get a win on Saturday to put us in good heart for the IOCC.'
It is to note that defending League and Cup champions PLS Hawks eliminated Anse Boileau-based Angels 95-67 in the first semifinal played on Tuesday.by G. G. |
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| Jhelum Cup - PLS Hawks make final | |
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| | | PLS HAWKS are in Saturday's final of the men's version of the Jhelum Cup after Thursday's semifinal win against Angels. The defending League and Cup champions eliminated their Anse Boileau-based opponents thanks to a 95-67 win.
Coach Tony Juliette's PLS Hawks, who are gearing up to participate in next month's Indian Ocean Club Championship (IOCC) in Mauritius, caused Angels a lot of trouble with their suffocating full court press. Unable to free themselves from man-to-man marking, the angels turned the ball over and the hawks accepted the offers to add to their points tally.
In fact, PLS Hawks won all four quarters 19-8, 29-18, 21-17 and 27-24 to power past Angels into Saturday's final.
Centre Barry Baron got off the substitutes' bench to get 21 points and lead four other hawks - Nigel Annette (18 points), Neddy ‘Oye' Fanchette (17 points), veteran captain Jim Domingue (12 points) and Bernard Bristol (11 points) - in double digits.
After being kept quiet in the first period, Daniel Dodin scored in the other three quarters to finish with a game-leading 22 points. Darren Lesperance got 13 points ad centre Steve Antat added 12 for the losers.
PLS Hawks were to know their opponents yesterday when defending champions Premium Cobras were to meet Baya in the second semifinal.by G. G. |
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| Jhelum Cup - Men's finalists to be known this week | |
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| | | DEFENDING champions Premium Cobras were the last of the four teams to make the semifinals of the Jhelum Cup (the new name of the annual Curtain-raiser tournament) which enters the semifinal stage today.
The Cobras completed the semifinal line-up last Thursday at Victoria Gymnasium when after having trailed the Rockers for the whole of the first half, bridged a 13-point gap thanks to a huge third quarter performance during which they outscored their opponents 27-7.
With a healthy 14-point lead (58-44), the Cobras added to their total with another 26 fourth-quarter points compared to MBU Rockers' 16 for an 84-61 quarterfinal win.
In only his second match with his new team, Nigerian point guard Alao Solomon looked on fire for the Cobras, leading all scores with 33 individual points including three 3-pointers.
He was helped in offence by bench player Steve Allisop with 15 points, while Seychelles' international power forward Dominic Pillay did a good job coming off the substitutes' bench to dominate the boards - both offensively and defensively - to get 11 points.
Fired up to play against his former team, Seychelles' swingman Cyril Agrippine looked capable of killing the Cobras on his own in the first half until he received a knock on his nose and had to leave the game for a while. Although he got back onto the court, he just could not have the same effect as during the first half.
Agrippine, who joined the Rockers last year after sitting out the whole 2006 season when he decided not to play for Premium Cobras - the team he joined in 1994 after playing for the Mont Fleuri Neutrons in 1992 and 1993 - finished with 32 points, among those nine from beyond the three-point range.
In tomorrow's second semifinal encounter at 5.15 p.m. at Victoria Gymnasium, Premium Cobras will meet Baya who had no trouble dispatching Division Two outfit AAP Brothers thanks to a big 116-51win.
Skippered by Seychelles international Dave Roseline who led them in scoring with a game-high 21 points, Baya had four other players - Robert Leon (18 points), Jean-Paul Camille (17), Giovanni Laval (17) and Michael Cupidon (10) - scoring in double digits.
Theodore Marguerite led AAP Brothers in scoring with 15 points, including three treys.
In today's first men's semifinal encounter, PLS Hawks will entertain Angels. Still without Ugandan all-rounder Stephen Omony who is out of the country and playmaker Thomas Collie unavailable for selection due to an injury, the Hawks also reached the century mark against last year's losing finalists Cascade Bullets.
Coach Tony Juliette's PLS Hawks won the match 106-68 and got balanced scoring from his players as six of them - veteran power forward Jim Domingue (25 points), Bernard Bristol (18), Barry Baron (15), Nigel Annette (14), Neddy ‘Oye' Fanchette (12) and Emmanuel Jupiter (10) - scored in double figures.
Newcomer Christopher Camille led the Bullets in scoring with 23 points, while Kenneth Sophie added 16 as the two combined for 39 points - more than half of their team's total.
Like Baya and PLS Hawks, Angels also hit the century mark as they disposed of Division Tow side Juniors 101-81 in a quarterfinal match-up.
With captain Darren Lesperance scoring just two points, Daniel Dodin took over the scoring responsibility for Anse Boileau-based Angels with 23 points and he was helped in offence by Michel Agathine with 17 points, Chabel Servina with 17, while both Collin Japhet and David Boniface added 13 apiece.
As for Juniors, both skipper Reggie Ah-Kong and Martin Asba made 15-point contributions and Yannick Ally added 13.
The winners of the two semifinals will clash in Saturday's final scheduled for Saturday at 5 p.m. at the Palais des Sports. |
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| Jhelum Cup - Stars-HotShots women's final match-up | |
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| | | THEY clashed a fortnight ago in the Charity match and the winners were decided in the dying seconds when veteran Simone Malbrook scored the game's last two free-throws for the 44-42 win.
Anse Etoile Stars and HotShots will clash in the women's Jhelum Cup finalAnse Etoile Stars and HotShots will match up again on Saturday March 29 in the final of the Women's Jhelum Cup (formerly Curtain-raiser tournament). The two sides qualified for the final of the Jhelum-sponsored tournament with wins over the weekend in the semifinals played at the Palais des Sports.
HotShots were the first of the two teams to book their place in the final last Saturday. Trailing by two points 15-17 at half-time after having lost the first quarters 8-13 before winning the second 10-minute spell 7-4, defending champions HotShots upped the tempo in the second period, winning the next two quarters 20-3 and 13-10 for a 48-30 victory over RA Sisters.
Coach Philip Arrisol had centre Tina Agathine (16 points) and power forward Myra Solin (14 points) combining for 30 of their team's points and their total equalled RA Sisters' tally.
Sylvie Port-Louis led RA Sisters in scoring 8 points.
On Sunday, Anse Etoile Stars rested Simone Malbrook, but her husband Michel Malbrook was on the team's bench to guide the defending League champions to victory against their daughter - Jana Malbrook - and the rest of the Cadettes team.
Interestingly enough, Cadettes, who are preparing for the forthcoming sixth edition of the Jeux de la Commission de la Jeunesse et des Sports de l'Ocean indien (CJSOI), scored 28 points against the Stars who got 69.
Jessica Fanchette had 12 points for Cadettes, while the Stars had three players - Zita Simeon (16 points), Georgia Desir (14 points) and Dynah Louis (12 points) - scoring in double figures.
In the men's competition, the semifinals will be played early next week after the taking place of the quarterfinals this week.
In yesterday's first quarterfinal encounter, PLS Hawks, 85-44 winners against Mont Fleuri Dawgz, were to meet Cascade Bullets. The winners will clash with the victors of the Juniors-Angels encounter scheduled for tomorrow.
Juniors eliminated RA Herons on a 54-51 score, while Angels beat LMS Youth 93-44.
In the bottom bracket, MBU Rockers face defending champs Premium Cobras on Thursday after both teams won their matches over the weekend.
The Rockers beat Men's First Division newcomers Beau Vallon Heat 78-44 and Premium Cobras, who gave a debut to their two Nigerian recruits - Simon Pusam and Alao Solomon - dispatched RC Dynamics 87-52.
In today's quarterfinal match, Baya, who defeated defending League and Cup double achievers PLS Hawks in the recent Charity match, face AAP Brothers.
Coach Michel Malbrook's Baya collected an 86-50 win against Falcons to make the quarterfinals.G. G. |
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