Travis Fonseca, West All Stars' MVP, scrambles ahead of Caleb Liburd to save a lose ball during the second half of Saturday's game.

Big Ballers League Playoffs begin tonight with 16 teams

BY DEAN GREENAWAY

The quest to find the BVI Big Ballers League A and B Sr. division champions, begins tonight at 6:30 p.m. at the Multipurpose Sports Complex, with the respective winners being crowned on March 13.

Last weekend, the league held its respective senior and junior division All Star Games, with the Western division winning both contests. In the senior division, the West Stars beat the East in a shootout, 144-139. Dalvern Blyden’s perimeter shot with 5.0 seconds left, followed by the clock running out on East All Stars Wayne Campbell on the ensuing play, sent the overtime tied at 125-125.

Ronnie Simmonds led the West with a game high 34 points. He also had eight rebounds and four steals. Reynaldo Smith had four 3-pointers for his 27 points in addition to seven rebounds and four assists. Travis Fonseca—who was not on the original roster, won the MVP award after pouring 24 points and pulling 19 rebounds and dropping in key shots as his team overcame a 10-point deficit midway through the fourth quarter. Andy Ramirez added 13 points and pulled 24 off the glass. He also had five steals and four assists.

Avery Percival Jr. and Caleb Liburd carried the East Stars with 20 points respectively. Percival grabbed six rebounds while Liburd had seven and dished out five assists. Chaurbin Smith tossed in 17 points and Campbell had 16. The West beat the East 124-113 in the Jr. Division game.

Big Ballers League coordinator Rhodni Skelton described the game as a great success. “As you can see from the game, there were a lot of dunks, a lot of 3-pointers and everybody was excited,” Skelton noted. “These guys had a lot of fun. The Jr. guys were more serious about what they were doing.”

Samuel Bobb won the 3-point competition that was a part of the activities while Percival Jr., grabbed the 3-point shootout crown. Skelton said the crowd was really into the 3-point competition. “Even more so than the slam dunk,” he pointed out. “I anticipated having so overseas players for the slam dunk, but I had three good local guys.”

In the regular season game preceding the All Star contest, Glenroy Jennings had 35 points with four steals and four assists, in helping the Rejeks overcame a slow first quarter to beat the Apostles, 87-72. Brian Blyden poured in 20 points, grabbed five rebounds, had four steals and dished out four assists.

Tyron Tyson had 24 points and seven rebounds. Elton Charles scored all his 17 and snatched 9 rebounds in the first half. Trevor Davis had a 13 point 21 rebound double double, with five assists.

The Guns had six players in double figures, led by Dudley Richardson who had 26 points and Troy Smith following up with 25—hitting 22 of them in the second and third quarters—as they pounded winless Nuttin 2 Do, 114-24, on Sunday. Kahmal Anthony, Paul Stoutt and Cedric Smith had double doubles respectively. Anthony had 22 points and 16 rebounds while Stoutt poured in 16 points and 17 grabbed off the glass. Smith snatched 15 rebounds and dished out a season’s best 26 assists, while tossing in eight points and grabbing six steals.

Jason Fonseca had 14 of Nuttin 2 Do, 24 points, with nine of them coming off three fourth quarter 3-pointers.

David Archer had 24 points in helping Hawkeyes over come a 47-38 halftime deficit for a 91-84, triumph over the East Sonics. Wakimba Lettsome finished with 15 points and pulled 13 rebounds. William Penn chipped in 17 more points with Akim Moses and Terry Turnbull tallying and additional 13 points each.

East Sonics’ Ephraim Gordon hit five of his seven 3-point attempts to finish with a team high 25 points and seven rebounds. Tad Martin who only played the first half recorded 10 points and 11 rebounds. David Suzana poured in 13 points with the same amount coming from Melbourne Francis who only played in the first quarter.

Glenroy Jennings had 35 points in helping the Rejeks to pull away from the Apostles late in the game for an 87-72 win. Brian Brewley added another 20 points with five rebounds. He also had four steals and dished out four assists. Tyron Tyson topped the Apostles with 24 points and seven rebounds. Trevor Davis settled for a 13 point, 21 rebound double double with five assists. Elton Charles narrowly missed a double double with 17 points and nine rebounds. He also had five assists.

Last Minute forfeited their game to the Latinos.

In related news, the BVI Basketball Federation will elect a new president during a 6 p.m. special meeting on February 17, at the Department of Youth Affairs and Sports, after the rest of the body was elected last Thursday.

Less than 48 hours before the meeting, president Elvis ‘Jughead’ Harrigan who was the only person named during the January 28 nomination period to lead the organization, was tabbed to direct the $10 million Multipurpose Sports Complex.

Harrigan said he was again disappointed with the unsatisfactory turnout for an event as important as electing an executive, even though they allowed a 30 minute period to nominate others to the body. “Be that as it may though, the persons present were excited and wanted to move forward with elections,” Harrigan said. “The only problem we had was that my name could not go in the pot for president, the simple reason being that I will be heavily involved in the management of the Multipurpose facility. As the president of basketball, it will certainly cause a conflict of interest in that,” he explained.

Eelections for a president could not be dealt with during the meeting Harrigan pointed, because there were no other nominations for the post during any of the two designated periods. He said those present did not feel comfortable just suggesting names, then electing one. Harrigan said Federation vice president Dave Smith will act as president in the interim, as the committee agreed to begin an immediate search for a suitable candidate to head the organization. Committee members nominated three absent persons—Rhodni Skelton, Devon Osborne and Neville Smith who is still the Softball Association president—who was also elected as a member—for the top post—but will also interview additional candidates. Others elected to the executive were: Cherlin Armstrong, Treasurer; Kwele Williams, assistant treasurer; Elton Callwood, Public Relations Officer; Derry Maduro-Fahie, assistant Public Relations Officer; Players Representatives; David Archer, Kendoy Penn, Morris Wattley, Alex Parillon. Members; Neville Smith, Milton Mclean and Laurel Smith.