MONT FLEURI and Anse Boileau are the girls’ and boys’ winners of the Robert Smith memorial school cup after triumphing in Saturday’s finals played at Victoria Gymnasium.
The competition was organised by the Seychelles Basketball Federation (SBF) and was played on a league basis before the finalists were known.
National Sports Council (NSC) chief executive Alain Volcère and Robert Auguste, director of the Federations Management and Development Division within the NSC, were among the crowd to watch the young players in action.
Captained by 17-year-old Jessica Fanchette, who got nine of her game-leading 11 points in the second half when she scored in the paint, Mont Fleuri beat Praslin 23-14.
The Mont Fleuri team
Helped by teammates Jana Malbrook and Doris Oreddy who, like her, play for the country’s Cadettes team, Fanchette and Mont Fleuri won the first half 10-2 but had to work hard in the second period to edge Praslin 13-12.
A week after guiding Praslin to winning the volleyball school league title with a 2-0 triumph over Anse Royale, Flora Lesperance – who also played on the country’s Commission de la Jeunesse et des Sports de l’Océan Indien (CJSOI) volleyball gold medal-winning team last year – came off the bench in the second period to score 10 points for her school’s team.
“It wasn’t an easy match at all although the winning margin might be big. We had to work hard for the victory,” said Fanchette.
In the boys’ final, La Digue kept it close against Anse Boileau, whose players play for the Drifters team in the men’s second division.
Samuel Cécile banked a 3-pointer to tie the score at 9-9 but Anse Boileau went for the breather with a four-point advantage – 13-19.
With skilful playmaker Arnaud Arissol distributing the ball well despite misfiring from all over the court, Anse Boileau went on an early second-half 11-0 run to bring the score to 24-9, but La Digue gradually came back to outscore their opponents 8-4 late in the match. It was too little too late as they lost the match 17-28.
The Anse Boileau team
Anse Boileau’s Henry Monthy and Ervin Agathine scored in double figures with 12 and 11 points apiece, while Cécile finished as La Digue’s top scorer with seven, although he picked up four fouls and had to take a seat on the bench late in the game.
“It was an interesting match and I hope to be around to defend the title next year, said 16-year-old Monthy.
Mr Auguste and SBF chairman Roy Collie presented the cups to the teams.
G. G.