Port Loyola FC is PLB Closing Season Champions  

Goodnight and welcome to another edition of Sports Monday, I am Paul Lopez. Playoff season for the BEBL has officially kicked off. Number one seed, the Benny’s Belize Hurricanes are playing the number four seed, the Dangriga Dream Ballers in a three-game series. The first match of that series was played on Friday night inside the Belize City Civic Center. The Hurricane made a statement in game one.

 

In the first quarter, Victor Evans, guarded by Edgar Mitchell, makes some space and gets the jump shot in. On the other end, Kevon Laurie goes up big, draws the foul and makes the basket. Glency “Coope” Lopez comes up with the steal and makes good on the bucket. Here is some game time action from veteran Alex Carcamo, showing the youngsters how to get it done.

 

 

 

At the start of the second quarter, Hurricanes were up by only five points, a twenty-six to sixteen ball game. Deshawn Brackett coming into the paint hot does a pump fake mid-air and gets the ball in. Eyan Rene finds Lopez on the fast break. Things really started to go downhill for the Dream Ballers in the third quarter. The Hurricanes outscored them by nineteen points. Mitchell finds Kyron Molina at the three-point line, and he drills it over Carcamo. Kirk Smith Jr. goes up surrounded by four defenders. He is blocked but somehow manages to recover the ball. He gets it into the hands of Evans and the MVP did what he does best. Lopez again slithers his way through the Ballers’ defense, catches a glimpse of Sidibe Bourama, passed and Bourama finished with the dunk. Dunk of the night goes to Tyrie Orosco off the assist from Evans. That play looks much better in slow motion.

 

The Hurricanes won game one hundred and five to seventy. They are heading to Dangriga on Friday night for game two, as the Dream Ballers face elimination.

 

And then on Sunday evening, the Belize City Defenders and the San Pedro Tiger Sharks faced off in the second three-game series in the playoffs. The San Pedro Tiger Sharks are hoping to make it to the finals two years in a row, while the Defenders are looking for redemption after their 2023 performance.  And this was not a match to miss.Nigel Jones with the early dunk off a fastbreak assist from John Kelly. Daniel Conorquie responding for the Sharks from beyond the three-point line. Jones again muscles his way in to get the basket. Bobby Arthur-Williams, big inside for Sharks over two defenders. D’von Campbell, from way beyond the three-point line, drills it in.

 

 

The first half of the game played out evenly on both ends of the court. The two teams ended the first half with thirty-seven points apiece. At the end of the third, the defenders were trailing by only one point with the game at fifty-one to fifty. Williams for the three and he misses, Conorquie in position at the three and he makes the bucket. Conorquie again from the three-point line extending a Sharks lead to seven points in the fourth quarter. The Defenders slowly chipped away at the Sharks’ lead. The Defenders are down by two points with just over a minute left in the game. Jones finds Daniel Estes who slams it in. Big points for the Defenders.Defenders now with a chance to take the lead with fifteen seconds on the clock. Jones works his way around Keith Pollard along the baseline and gets a big basket.Six seconds left on the clock, Jihad Wright to Arana and watch Pollard as he slides under the basket. Arana is aware, passes the ball and Pollard sends the game into overtime.

 

The Defenders would go one to win game one eight-six to seventy-nine points.

 

From basketball, let us now move into some football action. Port Loyola Football Club is your 2024 Premier League of Belize Closing Season Champions. Here we see fans celebrating Port F.C.’s first goal against Verdes inside the Norman Broaster Stadium. Belize City fans celebrated the goal as their team came into the second leg with a defeat under its belt.

 

 

 

 

But that celebration seemed to have taken a turn when a fence in the stadium broke under the weight of cheering fans. A couple of those fans continued pulling at what was left of the fence and the celebrations continued. Notwithstanding that display, Port Loyola F.C. has an incredible story to tell, going from a team that was struggling to carve out a name for themselves in the league four years ago, to becoming a championship team in the PLB. This also means that Port Loyola F.C. will represent Belize in CONCACAF.

 

 

 

And in other football action, the Anthony Mahler Under- Thirteen Mundialito Tournament continued Saturday. Here are some highlights from the match between Ladyille Rising Stars and Sampson Academy.

 

Eight minutes into the match, Sampson’s Anthony Cowo converts a spot kick into his team’s first goal of the match. Twenty-one minutes in, Rising Stars’ Akeem Eiley makes good on a loose ball in front of the goalpost to tie the game. Immediately after, Jaron Lewis sent one flying from midfield, outplacing the goalkeeper. The disappointed look on the faces of his teammates. Ladyville Rising Stars would come from behind to score two more goals and secure the victory.

 

 

 

In a second game on Saturday, Reality Youths took on Leaders of Tomorrow. Reality Youths’ Javen White goes full speed into the penalty box, sees an opportunity and puts the ball over the head of the goalkeeper and into the goal. With only a few minutes left on the clock, Leaders of Tomorrow’s Darwin Hernandez kicks towards the goal and the goalkeeper seemed to have been under the impression that the ball would go out of bounds. He left in and the rolled right into the net. That match ended one goal apiece.

 

Well folks that is all we have for you in tonight’s coverage of Sports Monday. Catch you in the next one.