Goodnight and welcome to another edition of Sports Monday, I am Paul Lopez. The Belize Softball Federation’s 2024 Fast Pitch Season is officially underway. The back-to-back national champions Beacon started off the Mother’s Day weekend with a game on Friday against Lady Impact inside Roger’s Stadium.
The game is now at the bottom of the first inning. Lady Impact was unable to secure a run at the bottom of the first. Beacon’s number thirty inside the batter’s box with two strikes and two balls. She hits the ball towards third base. The fielder fumbled, and she makes it safe to first base. Beacon’s Sharette Vernon came from behind with a smooth bunt that gets her to first and her teammate to second. On the first pitch after that play, two Beacon runners stole bases. Runners are now on second and third. The third batter knocked the ball towards first base. She did not get there in time, but her teammate was able to secure the first run. With Vernon now on third base, Jasany Westby hits a ground ball towards second. She also did not make, but Vernon got home safe, two runs in the first inning.
Beacons were up three runs to zero at the bottom of the fourth inning. Number twenty-four Shadelle Ho started off the bottom inning inside the batter’s box. Ho walks to first base after the pitcher pitched four balls. Number twenty-two Rebeca Nicholson came from behind with a hit that went flying past both the third base fielder and the short stop. She made it to second base. With runners on second and third, another Beacons player made it on. A bad pitch from Lady Impact’s pitcher led Ho to steal a base and count the run. Number twenty Kayla Henry got out of the batter’s box, but she did not make it to first. Her teammate, Rebecca Nicholson, however, made it home. Again here, another bad pitch sent a third Beacon runner home. Three runs in one inning, the game ended at the bottom of the fifth, seven runs to zero in favor of the Beacons.
From Softball we move into some football action. We continue to follow the Anthony Mahler Under-Thirteen Mundialito Tournament. These young and promising athletes are being molded by their coaches to one day represent Belize on the world stage. For now, they are competing inside Berger Field. The first match of the day was between Port F.C and Phoenix F.C. Nine minutes into the match, in the first period, Port F.C.’s Errol Gentle scored off a corner kick. The ball bounced in front of the goalkeeper and went into the net. The young athlete celebrated with some back flips. Young Kiven Brown opened the third period with a second goal for Port F.C from inside the penalty box. And only four minutes later he would do it again, finding his footing and sending the ball across the goalkeeper’s head and into the net. Port F.C came out on top, three goals to zero.
In the first female match of the day Goal Getters played against Phoenix F.C.’s female team. That match ended in a tie with zero goals apiece. In the third Saturday morning match, Ladyville Rising Stars took on Ebony Lake. Rising Stars scored six goals in total. Ebony Lake was unable to secure a single goal this time around. Rising Star’s first goal was scored at the kick-off from midfield. Nigel Hulse sent the ball lower than the goalkeeper was able to reach in time. The ball bounced into the net. In the second period, beats the defenders, makes room for himself inside the penalty box, faces off with the goalkeeper and fires into the net. And here is some team celebration in front of the camera by Ladyville Rising Stars. Fredrick Garbutt scored the third goal. Ebony Lake was unable to clear the ball from near the goal. The Rising Stars capitalized on that and after several attempts Garbutt scored the goal. Again, that game ended with six goals to zero.
Belize Elite Basketball League is now heading into its 2024 playoffs season. Two “best of three” series will be played in the first round of the playoffs. Benny’s Belize Hurricanes, the number one seed, and Dangriga Dream Ballers, the number four seed, will begin their series on Friday night inside the Belize City Civic Center. The San Pedro Tiger Sharks and the Belize City Defenders will begin their series on Sunday afternoon, also inside the Belize City Civic Center. And as we head into the playoffs, the question on the minds of BEBL fans is, who will be the 2024 regular season MVP.
Four athletes have been identified. They are the Belize City Defender’s Nigel Jones. Benny’s Belize Hurricanes’ Bourama Sidebe, San Pedro Tiger Shark’s Jihad Wright and the Dangriga Dream Baller’s Delvon Henderson. The league’s executive says the winner will be selected by a voting panel of one hundred ballots distributed across all spectrums of the Belize basketball landscape, including owners, managers, coaches, media, past players, etc. The results will be announced during the BEBL Finals. Our question to you is, who do you think is most deserving of this title from the players listed? Let us know in the comments.
And finally for tonight, Verdes Football Club won their first match against Port Loyola Football Club in the Premier League of Belize’s 2023-2024 Closing Season Finals. The first game of the finals was played on Sunday inside the Marion Jones Sporting Complex. Verdes won that match one goal to zero. They are set to face off against Port F.C. over the weekend in the second and final leg of the championship. We will continue to follow.
Well folks, that is all we have for you in tonight’s coverage of Sports Monday. Catch you in the next one.
Goodnight and welcome to another edition of Sports Monday, I am Paul Lopez. How do you stop a category five hurricane from blowing you away? The Belize City Defenders found a way on Friday night inside the Belize City Civic Center. The Defenders took on the Hurricanes in a season rematch that brought out fans. The Belize City Defenders took down the Benny’s Belize Hurricanes, sixty to fifty-six points. Yes, it was a low-scoring game. The top scorers for the Defenders were Nigel Jones and John Kelly. Jones scored fourteen points, got ten rebounds, all ten of them were defensive rebounds. He also had six assists, though he made six turnovers as well. Kelly finished with twelve points and nine rebounds. He also shot with seventy-five percent accuracy from the field. But it really was a close game. It was tied at thirty points at the half.
The Defenders got away in the third quarter and went on a run that gave them an eight-point lead at the end of the third. The game came down to the last minute in the fourth quarter. Hurricanes down by three points with twenty seconds left on the clock, Victor “Vito” Evans is at the line shooting two free throws. He makes the first one and brings the score to fifty-five, fifty-seven. He makes the second shot and brings it to a one-point game. Defender’s Everald Tablada is fouled on the throw in. He misses his first free throw and counts the second one, stretching the lead to two points. Defended by Jones, Evans goes up for the jumper and it is no good. Jones gets the ball and finds Kelly all alone on the other side. And, that basket sealed the Defender’s win against the Hurricanes.
Nigel Jones
Nigel Jones, Belize City Defenders
“Well I feel like we needed this win. You know we played them the first time and they came out. We looked bad. We looked banged up the first time. But we just wanted to come back and show that when we have our full team we can compete with anybody in the league.”
John Kelly
John Kelly, Belize City Defenders
“We been the work hard for this whole ah this week, put in a good workout because this team mih hungry whole week. So, we know we mih wah come out fih fight.”
Paul Lopez
“What does do for your hopes of winning the championship this year?”
John Kelly
“This dah just motivation . We wah work harder and we wah play harder. Thisdah playoffs.”
The Benny’s Belize Hurricanes had several of its players out on Friday night, including Clency “Coope” Lopez and Jamal Harris. There is not much information on why Lopez sat out, but we understand that Harris is facing some internal disciplinary action. According to police reports, the Pro-American basketball player got into a physical altercation with his partner last week. Allegations are that he physically assaulted her. We understand that the matter is no longer with the police, as both individuals have agreed to resolve the conflict out of court. But Hurricane fans may likely see Harris sit out the next few games.
Let’s move into some football action. The Anthony Mahler Under Thirteen Mundialito Tournament is in full swing. It all goes down inside the Berger Field on Saturdays. Ebony Lake played Berger United in a match that ended eight goals to zero in favor of Berger United. The first goal of the match was scored by Zaylen Jones off a penalty kick at the fifteenth minute. Two minutes later a second penalty was awarded from a handball inside the box. Goalkeeper Rojaun Mahler scored that one. And again, two minutes later, Jones scored another goal. Three goals were scored in six minutes. Jones scored four of the eight goals his team entered.
In the female category, Alvian Strikers played against Phoenix F.C. After two ten-minute halves, both teams were unable to score a goal. And, in a third match of the day, Tutbay Yabra faced off against defending champions Belize United. Tutbay was able to hold off Belize United up until the eleventh minute when Shae Gordon found himself in front of the goalpost with the ball. Gordon did not hesitate to kick the ball and give his team the lead. A beautiful team effort that led to a one nil ball game at the end of the first period. Twenty-three minutes in and Tutbay’s number six made a grave error at the goalpost by stopping the ball with his hand from going into the goal. Perhaps it was simply a reflex, but it cost a penalty shot. Christopher Gilharry took the shot and made it. Belize United won that match, two goals to zero.
Well folks, that is all we have for you in tonight’s coverage of Sports Monday. Catch you in the next one.
In Early April, the Belize Athletic Association held its elections, where Cojac Smith was elected as the president with a vote of thirty-five to thirty-four over Jaheed Smith. With a newly elected council, the association hopes to open a new chapter of better accountability and support for athletes. President of the association, Cojac Smith spoke with us about the goal to secure more sponsorships and raise public awareness for sporting events.
Cojac Smith
Cojac Smith, President, Belize Athletic Association
“We recently had an election that concluded, the current vice president, mister Jaheed Smith against myself, a member of the association, and we were vying for the vacant position from mister Deon Sullivan, who had resigned about a year ago. So the conclusion, it was a close race and I ended up winning and winning by a small margin at one vote. So we have a new executive. Now we have some new members, new executive members, as well as some incumbents from the previous executive and we’re trying to move athletics as far Athletics as best as we can in a more Constructive way and being more just be more accountable producing a better product for Belize so that we can vie for more sponsorships and donors and stuff like that. So that’s the direction we’re trying to put it and just move athletics further developing the country developing sports Developing the athletes and the coaching’s as well. So that’s what we’re looking for. Nothing comes without money.”
Reporter
“So my next question is, how do you propose to bring in all those needed funds that will be needed to do all of these things?
Cojac Smith
“We’re looking at partnerships with different businesses, any businesses that are willing to partner with the association. We’re looking into collaboration. So, if anyone that’s listening to this newscast that wants to collaborate with the Belize Athletic Association and partner with us, to see how best it could be beneficial to both parties. We’re open to that. They could reach us at the Belize Athletic Association page on Facebook, or they could reach me at 632-2622, or they could always just contact me then, and I could have them talk to the General Secretary to work that out. But we’re just trying to be as collaborative as possible, and one of the things that Track and Field has not been doing It’s visibility. We’ve not been visible. So that’s probably one of the reasons we’ve had, have the support from the business community as much as we would want to. So it’s just to getting that started and also to push a better product that we’re producing as an executive. Just being more accountable could producing our financials and stuff like that, whereby we could vie for different sponsorship internationally and locally.”
The Belize Athletic Association is inviting Belizeans to participate in a celebration of track and field this weekend, on the fourth and fifth of May. The event will be held at the Marion Jones Sporting Complex and starts at seven a.m. on Saturday and Sunday and goes on until three thirty p.m. and twelve thirty p.m., respectively. President of the Belize Athletic Association, Cojac Smith promised two days filled with food, and family fun.
Cojac Smith
Cojac Smith, President, Belize Athletic Association
“We have our truck meet coming up this weekend. We’re actually doing a three part track meet. So we’re doing the U-18 and U-20. It’s basically selection for that coming upcoming tournament, which will be on the seventeenth to the twenty-eighth of May. So we’re trying to select athletes for that, as well as we’llhave the seniors at that same meet as well. So we’re just putting everything in together as much as possible so that we could kind of curtail on some of the spending because we really don’t have any funds at this point in time, so we’re still accepting sponsorships. So we’re just trying to hit the different media rounds to try and get athletes coming out. We want this to be a national, it’s a national meet, so we want it to be national, whereby athletes from all over the country are able to come and represent themselves, do their best stuff, showing that the districts have talent as well, and just coming out and supporting the event and registering. We do have a Google form on the page, you could go on the Belize Athletic Association Facebook page and sign up right there, pay online, or you could come and pay at the day of the event. We’re also trying to incorporate a corporate side of it, where we’re trying to ask corporate or businesses to come out and have a bit, we’re having a corporate relay, so you come out with your best five runners, And you do it’s a 5K one lap around the large truck each And we’re you’re going for bargain rights and you have medals and trophies As well, and we have an open 5k for male on Sunday and an open 3K for female on Sunday as well So it’s a two day event. We’re trying to make it as holistic and family feel as possible. So we do have food with Iguana Sap has agreed to be selling food out there as well And we have a small bar. We have tents so you don’t have to worry about the sun You can come out and enjoy it. Enjoy the time and watch events and really have fun. Bring out the kids. I mean, Track and Field is something that we’ve not had that support from. So we’re trying to ask the public to try and put the support behind Track and Field.”
Over twelve weeks of highly competitive football in the William Dawson Peace Cup came to an end on Sunday. Twelve teams, comprised of more than two hundred and fifty players and staff, started the tournament on January sixth. But there can only be one. After playing in six different venues over the course of the season, the final match was played inside the MCC Grounds. Tutbay Football Club took on Ceasar Ridge FC to see who will be crowned champions. News Five’s Paul Lopez reports.
Paul Lopez, Reporting
The William Dawson Peace Cup ended on Sunday with a match that was worthy of a championship game. Ceasar Ridge FC took on Tutbay FC in a match that ended in a penalty shootout. The game was played inside the MCC Grounds. The sounds of cultural drumming and singing filled the air to start the afternoon. Richard Mendoza secured the first goal of the game for Tutbay off a shot on target from outside the penalty box. Mendoza was in front of the goal to take advantage of the goalkeeper’s fumble. Seven minutes later, Tyrone Guy returned the favor for Ceasar Ridge from a fast break that led to a soft touch into the net directly in front the goal.
The game was tied at one apiece going into the second half. No goals were scored in the second half of the game, so the match went into extra time. In the second half of extra time, Tutbay once again finds the back of the net, this time with a great deal of skills and finesse on display. Determined to stay in the game, Ceasar Ridge came from behind with a bombshell drop kick from behind the penalty box that flew over the goalkeeper’s head and into the net. That goal took the game into penalty. Ceasar Ridge first penalty shot was good. Tut Bay also scored their first shot.
Both teams kept exchanging goals and they were tied at three goals each, when Tutbay’s goalkeeper stopped a penalty shot from Ceasar Ridge. With the championship on the line, Tutbay had the last penalty shot of the match. The ball went past the goalkeeper and into the net. Tutbay FC is your 2024 Williams Dawson Peace Cup Champions. A short ceremony was held after the match to recognize all the teams that participated in the tournament’s inaugural season.
Rodwell Ferguson
Rodwell Ferguson, Minister of Sports
“Today is a testament to show that as young people we can play in unity and harmony, and everybody cannot win. I want to congratulate Tutbay for being the champion and Ceasar Ridge for coming in second and all those who participate in the competition. As I was walking around the field most people come to me and say, look at the condition of the MCC field and I can assure you that by next year this time, MCC will be back to its glory days, we are going to make sure. I was able to convince Cabinet to set aside two million dollars to fix up facilities inthe country. And, Belize City will be first and foremost.”
Douglas Hyde
Douglas Hyde, Coordinator, William Dawson Peace Cup
“We had limited incidents and accidents but we lost one and so we must take that time to recognize, CJ, Charles James who was one of us. Big up CJ. This tournament was based on its purpose which is create peace, we did it. We create peace among players who now socialize better among each other. Every week, every month, we saw this tournament developing and growing better. Receiving an official letter from the FFB stating that twe are now recognize and sanctioned through the Belize District Football Association. This letter also commended the organizing committee for its hard work and dedication to this tournament and very importantly as stated, we will also allow the two representatives, your champions and sub-champions to be part of our National Amateur League Championship in 2024.”
Goodnight and welcome to another edition of Sports Monday, I am Paul Lopez. We begin tonight’s coverage of Sports Monday with the return of Anthony Mahler and B.T.B.’s Under-thirteen Mundialito tournament. The tournament began on Saturday morning with an opening ceremony at the Berger Field. Fourteen teams, ten male and four females, lined the field as they were encouraged to play hard and play fair.
Iris Centeno
Iris Centeno, Director, NSC
“This morning I can see a big crowd and I am very happy to see even girls involved and we are giving priority to the females as well.”
Nicole Solano
Nicole Solano, Chief Executive Officer, B.T.B.
“I wish all our players a very successful day. I like the comment of nobody getting hurt today but play hard and everybody work their best to win.”
Sergio Chuc
Sergio Chuc, President, FFB
“We are achieving our mission and I want to publicly thank the BTB for partnering with the FFB in doing this program.”
The day began with a match between the defending champions, Belize United and last season’s sub champion, Ladyville Rising Stars. Both teams went through their warmup routines before taking to the field ahead of the starting whistle. Within two minutes of the first of three periods, Rising Star’s Nigel Hulse stuns his opponents with the first goal of the match. Hulse found himself in front of the goal with a loose ball and he capitalized on it. A shot certainly worth celebrating. And the defending champions certainly would not take that one sitting down. Belize United’s Shae Gordon made quick work of a pass inside the penalty box. With a defender and the goalkeeper locked in on him, Gordon managed to slip the ball into the net, tying the game at one a piece. And that is how that one ended.
The second match between Tut Bay F.C. and Phoenix F.C. was less competitive. It was a blowout, in fact. Tut Bay FC scored twelve goals while their opponents finished with zero. On average, a goal was scored every three minutes of play time. The first goal was scored by Tut Bay’s Tyrone Guy Junior in the first minute. A minute later, Kyrone Martinez beats the only defender on him inside the penalty box and puts one past the goalkeeper. Asher Welch scored back-to-back goals in the fifth and eleventh minutes of the first period. Kyrone Martinez came back at the twelfth minute; dribbles past the goalkeeper and puts it in with ease. He finished with a hat trick. So did Adolfo Gomez.
Now let’s move on to some football action at a different level. We are talking about the semifinals in the William Dawson Peace Cup. Four teams competed on Sunday inside the MCC Grounds to see who the top two finalists will be. Tut Bay FC and Fort George played each other in the first match. As the rules mandate, players from both teams lined up and greeted each other at the start of the game as a show of sportsmanship. The starting whistle is blown with Tut Bay FC in control of the ball. Eight minutes into the match, Fort George gets an opportunity by way of a spot kick a short distance outside the penalty box. That translated into a corner kick that was quickly cleared out by defenders. At the twenty-ninth minute, a header off a corner kick almost made its way into the net for Tut Bay. A good stop by the goalkeeper. Nonetheless, this shot at target by Marques Stomp from a difficult angle flew right past the goalkeeper and into the net. Up by one goal to zero, Tut Bay would go on to win the match.
The second match was between Ceaser Ridge FC and Hattieville. It didn’t take long before Ceasar Ridge was on the score board. But this goal was not of their own doing. It was an auto goal, scored by Hattieville’s Brandon Rogers in front of the goal. There is a look of immediate regret. It was not until deep into the second half, at the seventy-seventh minute, that Hattieville would redeem itself with a goal by Alex Henderson. That one left the goalkeeper standing clueless. Tied at one goal each, it is now anybody’s game. After eighty-nine minutes of regular time, it seemed as if this one would go into overtime. But not so fast, a kick from midfield had Hattieville players raising their hands for an offside call. But there was no whistle from the referee. Jalen Babb scored the final goal of the match for Ceasar Ridge FC. The official on the line officially raised her flag for an offside, but after a moment of deliberation it was declared a goal. Hattieville walked off the field and the victory went to Ceasar Ridge FC, the second team to make it to the finals.
And finally for tonight, the BEBL hosted a successful all-star evening on Sunday. Devon Campbell from the Belize City Defenders won the three-point shootout and secured the cash prize. Nigel Jones, also from the Belize City Defenders, successfully defended his all-star slam dunk title. He walked away with two thousand dollars cash. And, in the all-star game, the home team, led by Jayden Lopez, defeated the away team, one hundred and twenty-two points to one hundred and twelve points. The MVP award went to Sidibe Bourama.
Well Folks, that is all we have for you in tonight’s coverage of Sports Monday. Catch you in the next one.
The Belize City Civic Center will come alive on Sunday evening for the Belize Elite Basketball League’s All-Star game. It promises to be a fun-filled family event with loads of giveaways. A group of twenty-four players from the ninety athletes currently playing in the league were selected through a voting process. According to the league’s Commissioner, Glenn Gill, the voting process included team owners, managers, head coaches, media representatives and desk officials. This morning, Commissioner Gill and the team owners called a press conference to explain the approach and invited fans to the game.
Glenn Gill
Glenn Gill, Commissioner, BEBL
“Each team had to put two foreigners, three Belizeans and three Belizean Americans from off their teams. In some cases, some teams didn’t have Belizean American but after doing that, we looked at stats and twenty-four players were selected. From those twenty-four players, the owners, the coaches, assistant coaches, the commissioner and deputy commissioner and the media voted for the players who would participate in the games. It was forty-eight and it came down to twenty-four. The list was made and from that the public will decide who will start the game. Now for the all-star game, the prize money will be three thousand or ten percent of what the gate makes, depending on which one is greater. So, one team will be called the home team and the other will be called the away team. One of the rules will be that there will be three foreigners on each team and only two of them can play at any one time. As I said, the home team will be basically players and the away team will be Belizean Americans with the three foreigners.”
The weekend will also include a three-point shootout and a slam dunk contest.
Since releasing the 2024 all-star roster, the B.E.B.L. has received both praise and criticism from fans. There are those who are of the view that several high performing players did not make it unto the roster. It is a debate that takes place in leagues across the world, including the N.B.A. And today, Gilbert Gordon, the Chief Executive Officer of the Benny’s Belize Hurricanes, addressed the concerns of fans.
Gilbert Gordon
Gilbert Gordon, C.E.O, Benny’s Belize Hurricanes
“Statistics is one thing when it comes to the all-star and if you want to look at the NBA, although you might be the leading scorer you still need to go through a voting process, and it does not require that you are going to be an all-star. They have their voting process, their fans and the entities that vote for it. The all-star is for the media, the coaches, the fans to vote. There are different models we can use, and we can look and see how we can grow from it. This year we introduced this model. This style in respect to how we want to introduce the all-star, whereby we are saying we will have the fans vote for the starting five, but we have these entities that will be voting for the players. All-star have always been about popularity and even in the NBA you get all-star snubs, people that everybody believe that should be an all-star. And not everybody is going to be happy with the process. We are looking at what people are saying and if it is constructive we are going to use it at next year’s all-star in order for us to grow.”
Goodnight and welcome to another edition of Sports Monday, I am Paul Lopez. We begin tonight’s coverage highlighting one of the nation’s most promising young boxers, Amir Rudon. He currently boasts a 7-0 pro run. He added the sixth win to his record on Saturday night against Mexican boxer, Ruben Reyes, by way of technical knockout. We heard from the young phenom today about his first stoppage in the first round.
Amir Rudon
Amir Rudon, Lightweight Pro Boxer
“It happened very fast I was not expecting it. But, while there in the first round, I realized that I hurt him with a left hook to the body and I capitalized on it by landing two or three more and then he went down after that.”
Paul Lopez
“How prepared are you for those types of moments?”
Amir Rudon
“Physically because of the training I have been doing, I am very prepared, so the fight was scheduled to go six rounds, so it was an early night for me, but I appreciate it nevertheless.”
Paul Lopez
“Now tell me what that felt like, there was an iconic picture being shared of you standing with your hand in the air and this guy seeking help in the background.”
Amir Rudon
“In the humblest way it feels good knowing your hard work is paying off and it means a lot to me and the team and my country.”
From boxing, we move into some basketball highlights. It was an electric weekend for basketball as the BEBL nears its 2024 playoffs. On Thursday night, the Benny’s Belize Hurricanes took on the Cayo Western Ballaz inside the Belize City Civic Center. The Hurricanes won that match, defeating Ballaz ninety to seventy-five points. JD Weatherspoon and Mark Gordon fought valiantly for the Ballaz. But in the end, they were no match for the muscles, height and versatility that the Hurricanes bring with guys like Sidibe Bourama, Glency Lopez, Jamell Harris and the rest of the team. Thursday night also saw the return of Kirk “Shabba” Smith Junior. We spoke with him after the game, as well as league MVP Victor Evans.
Kirk “Shabba” Smith Jr.
Kirk “Shabba” Smith Jr., Belize Hurricanes
“It feels good seeing friends and family, coaches, familiar faces, guys we battled with last, come back, defending champion, it feels good.”
Paul Lopez
“What do you feel you bring to this season?”
Kirk “Shabba” Smith Jr.
“Versatility. I can do a little bit of everything; you know these guys are already going. I just want to be able to add to contribute anyway I can.”
Victor “Vito” Evans
Victor “Vito” Evans, Belize Hurricanes
“We have had a lot of down time this year, a lot of games in between each other, we would have a game then three weeks off. We are really fresh so it feels like we have not really gotten into the season as yet. It is still like the beginning. So we are good to go, on and running right now. Regular season, we are not going to get to high right now. I feel like we are doing what we are suppose to just off of the talent. To be honest, playoffs is what we are looking forward to. The end goal is the championship, so nothing really excites us unless we hanging another banner.”
Let’s now move into some football action. The William Dawson Peace Cup hosted four playoff knockout games over the weekend at the MCC grounds.
The first match of the day was between Tutbay FC and West Lake. It was win or go home inside the MCC grounds. The starting whistle is blown, and the game is on. Thirty-two minutes in and this superb find by Steve Myles in front of the goal, off the corner kick, puts Tutbay FC on the scoreboard. And only two minutes later, Tutbay FC’s Calvin Thompson sent the ball past the goalkeeper and into the net off a breakaway. The first half ended with two goals to nil. Midway into the second half, Westlake was awarded a penalty shot after this hard slide tackle inside the box. Ryan Sampson scored his team’s first goal.
A second penalty shot was awarded to West Lake eighty minutes into the game after another hard tackle inside the penalty box. Sampson again capitalized and tied the game. With only three-minutes left in regular time, the tables turned in favor of Tutbay FC, now on the receiving end of a penalty shot. It is a debatable call, but ultimately Devin Thurton sealed the deal for his team’s trip to the semi-finals. The second match of the day between Lake- I FC and Ceasar Ridge FC ended in a penalty shootout. Regular time ended in a tie, one goal to one. The match then went into twelve minutes of overtime which also ended with a tie, two goals to two. After fourteen penalty shots between the two teams, the game ended in favor of Ceaser Ridge FC.
Well folks, that is all we have for you in tonight’s coverage of Sports Monday, Catch you on the next one.
Goodnight and welcome to another edition of Sports Monday, I am Paul Lopez. We begin tonight’s coverage with highlights from this weekend’s Belize Elite Basketball League matchup. On Friday night, the Belize City Defenders took on the Belmopan Trojans inside the Belize City Civic Center. After losing two games back-to-back, the Defenders had something to prove. And they did just that in this game against the youngest team in the league. The Defenders came out on top with one hundred and seven points, while the Trojans secured seventy-one points.
Paul Lopez, Reporting
Man of the match goes to the Defenders’ Forward Fenton Bradley. He finished with twenty-five points, four of five from the three-point line, an efficient seventy-six percent field goal percentage, seven rebounds and four assists. And of course, former league MVP, Nigel Jones made significant contributions to the game. Jones scored a total of twenty points. He snatched up fifteen rebounds, twelve of which were defensive rebounds. Jones was less efficient from the three-point line this time around but overall had a fifty-three percent field goal percentage. We also saw big double-digit contributions from Captain Devin Daly, Andrew Ortiz, Lorenzo Dillard and Devon Campbell.
For the Belmopan Trojans, Jayden Lopez continues to impress. He finished with twenty-one points, eight of seventeen from the field and seventy-one percent from the field. Eyes must be kept on this player. With seven games played, the Belize City Defenders now sits on top of the league’s standing. But that can all change in one weekend. Also on Friday night, the Cayo Western Ballaz played its first game under a new head coach, Bernie Tarr. It was a nail-biting overtime game inside the Sacred Heart Auditorium between the Ballaz and the Dangriga Dream Ballers. However, that one finished in favour of Dream Ballers, eighty-seven to eighty-three points. But the big question here is why, the former head coach for Cayo Western Ballaz, Karim Juan, resigned. Well, we spoke directly with Juan and here is what he told us.
Karim Juan
Karim Juan, Former Head Coach, Cayo Western Ballaz
“As a coach I became frustrated with the structure of the league at this time. I felt that the league, I feel that the league is still predominantly influenced by certain teams in the league and that all teams and rules are not fairly executed. So, there were a few incidents I thought were unfair. Because of those issues as a coach, I felt I was participating in a league that in the roughest of terms, a league that is rigged, so I decided to simply step away. In regard to the direct incident in Belmopan, me personally as a coach and I am not in no way representing Western Ballaz, me as a coach felt that a particular referee in that game was intentionally making calls to ensure my team did not win. I could challenge anybody to watch the video, to go and see how many calls were made by that referee and to see how many fouls were against my team. So, no matter what we did we would not have won that game. So, I felt as a basketball coach at that time that the actions of that referee were way more obtuse than me throwing a chair in protest at the end of that game. That was another issue that further encouraged me to step away. We are running our top basketball league without any trained referees in Belize. So, the basketball referee association is not officiating our games. What the league has done in the third week, they have been scraping up any referee that has a whistle and putting them at the court. I find that to be beyond unacceptable.”
We reached out to BEBL Commissioner Glenn Gill who contended that the league has referees from the association and certified Guatemalan referees assisting.
From basketball, we move into some football action in the Willam Dawson Peace Cup. This weekend was retribution weekend, and he brings you highlights from the match between Port Loyola FC and Hattieville United. The teams lined up just before the start of the game. The referee gave the starting players a brief reminder of how the game would run as he sought to ensure that match would go incident free. The guys then paid their respects to each other, before the starting whistle was blown. Early in the game, Port Loyola FC tries to convert a corner kick into a goal with eight Hattieville defenders inside the penalty box. Each of Port Loyola’s offenders got a crack at the goal attempt, but ultimately the defense proved successful.
On the other end of the field, Hattieville United, also with a corner kick sought to put the first goal of the match on the score board. Every attempt to get the ball to the goal was countered by a defender on the prowl. The play ended with a wild shot from center field that completely missed the target. Here at the start of the second half, number two for Port Loyola FC is rewarded with a free kick just outside the penalty box. He swings the ball around the wall, but it is an easy stop for Hattieville’s goalkeeper. And this is the one and only goal scored in this match, off a header from midfield, Kenyon Lewis finds the opening and puts it in. Port Loyola FC won that game, one goal to zero. Lewis was named the man of the match.
Well Folks, that is all we have for you in tonight’s coverage of Sports Monday. Catch you in the next one.
