THEY say champions play with a lot of guts especially when the going gets tough and Baya proved this right as they were true to their motto: ‘We Play Hard’.
Against former champions PLS Hawks inside the Palais des Sports on Saturday, Baya had the last laugh as they made smart and efficient plays in crunch time, and ended up pulling out a game they could have easily lost. They won the men’s division one top-of-the-table match 84-80.
The match had all the ingredients to be a classic: good defensive and offensive tactical plays, intelligent coaching, trash talking and not forgetting some sloppy play and poor decisions.
The bleak spot was another ugly bottle-throwing incident onto the court and referee Alain Uzice was hit by one of them on the head. He has already informed National Basketball Technical Committee (NBTC) chairperson Tracey Hétimier that this was his last match as he can take no more of the in-disciplinary conduct of some spectators.
Roseline’s show
After the Hawks had won the first quarter 22-18, Baya dominated the second 19-16 but trailed by one point – 37-38 – at half-time. At the start of the fourth quarter, the Baya’s Roseline works his way to the hoop as he is defended by Lozéchampions had a one-point lead – 60-59 – as they had also won the third 10-minute spell 23-21.
With 3 minutes 5 seconds (3:05) gone in the decisive fourth quarter, PLS Hawks’ centre Rodney Lozé scored on a Christopher ‘Toto’ Camille assist to bring the score to 70-64 in their favour.
At this point, Baya’s international small forward Dave Roseline was re-introduced into the match as playmaker Giovanni Laval needed some treatment on a sore and tired leg and player of the year Jean-Paul ‘JP’ Camille not at his best. Roseline quickly got in a groove to score on a short jumper to reduce the deficit to four points – 70-66 –, but centre Neddy ‘Oye’ Fanchette replied for the Hawks – 72-66.
With 2:11 left on the clock, Hawks remained in command at 78-73, but Baya got a free-throw from Roseline and a 3-pointer from captain Steve Denis to get back into the game at 78-77.
After Seychelles centre Lozé got the last two of his game-high 30 points to bring the score to 80-77 with 1:15 to play, Hawks were just a couple of mere inches away from taking the first-round encounter.
Roseline again came up big for Baya, scoring an open trey off the dribble to tie the game at 80-80 with 1:08 left.
No team could afford to commit mistakes so late in the game, but they had to take a gamble to win the match.
When Baya’s Michael Cupidon, who had rejected an ‘Oye’ effort with 28 seconds left, fouled out when defending the same player, coach Michel Malbrook held his head in his hands.
It proved to be a good foul as ‘Oye’ missed both free-throws and his coach, Tony Juliette, called for a time-out to draw probably the game’s last play.
When play resumed, Hawks applied a full-court press and Baya’s skipper Steve Denis cleverly attacked the hoop, scoring on a lay-up with 11.4 seconds left. Baya led 82-80 and centre Robert Léon put the icing on the cake with a lay-up in traffic to close the game at 84-80.
Speaking to Sports Nation after the high tempo encounter, Roseline said: “This is how champions play. They play hard like we did today (Saturday).”
The international small forward, who pulled Baya through as he saved his best period for last when he scored 11 of their 24 points, added: “I wasn’t a factor early on, but when I was back on the court late in the game, I told myself: ‘you have to do something to pull the team through’. We’ve done it and have stayed unbeaten in nine games. We have to work even harder in the second round because we want to retain the title.”
It was surely a heart wrenching defeat for the Hawks whose starters were outscored 60-50 and netted only four 3-pointers compared to Baya’s nine.
Baya lead the 10-team standings with a maximum 18 points, while Hawks, who play their last first-round match on Wednesday against Mont Fleuri Dawgz, have 15 for seven wins and a defeat.
In two other top-flight encounters played on Saturday, RC Dynamics and Premium Cobras won.
Dynamics had four players – Michael Jean (22 points including two 3-pointers), captain Jean-Paul Desaubin (20), James Joubert (17) and Ronny Julius (13) – scoring in double figures in an 84-62 win against Praslin Warriors, who got 23 points from Jackson Auguste, 14 from David Juliette and 13 from Edmond Félicie.
On the back of 31 points from Nigerian Alao Solomon and Darren Lesperance netting 25, including six treys, Premium Cobras defeated Angels 78-65.
Kieren Agathine (14 points), Daniel Dodin (12) and Steve Antat (11) led Angels in scoring.
Lesperance is the third player after Beau Vallon Heat’s Marlon Marimba and MBU Rockers’ Brian Morel to score six baskets from downtown makes in a single match this season.
G. G.