The KFC National Basketball League playoffs started on Wednesday night with two exciting semifinal games at the Beausejour Gymnasium. The top four teams from the regular season are playing a best-of-three series. Defending champions Soufriere Kings beat Morne Gladiators, while Bonne Terre Blazers edged out Courts Jets to take the early advantage.
The Kings took an early lead over Gladiators, 21-17, but the challengers fought back to go ahead 36-32 at halftime, despite an injury to guard Lanse Prospere. The score was tied at 50 going into the fourth quarter, but the Kings pulled ahead in the final minutes to win 67-60 and take a 1-0 lead in the series.
Sydney Didier led the Kings with 17 points, eight rebounds, and four steals. Kimani Charles was the Player of the Game, with 15 points and nine steals. Jayzee Saltibus was a force on the boards, contributing 13 points and 18 rebounds.
For the Gladiators, Shamoir JnBaptiste had 29 points, but Saltibus and the Kings won the battle of the boards 66-52, and made 12 free throws to just seven for the men from the Morne.
The Blazers kept their unbeaten run against the Jets alive with a 71-70 victory. Troy Louison scored 34 points on 12-of-24 shooting and grabbed 14 rebounds. Andre Louison chipped in with 18 points and eight rebounds, while Kyanni Elwin contributed 15 points and five rebounds. The Blazers’ three-point shooting was key, making 12 compared to seven for the Jets.
For Jets, the sharpshooting Tristan James had 20 points, including five triples, whilst Ron Dumurville added 16 to go with eight assists.
The semifinals continue with the second game in each series on Friday, June 19, starting at 7 p.m.
(TF)
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