A Review of the Weekend in Sports from Across the Country  

Hey, good evening and welcome to another exciting edition of Sports Monday! I’m Paul Lopez and trust me, we’ve got a lot to cover tonight. So, let’s dive right in. We’re kicking things off down south in the Culture Capital, where history was made with the first overtime showdown in the Belize Premier Basketball League. The EZ Investments Dangriga Dream Ballers had their home crowd fired up inside the Russel Chiste Garcia Stadium, but they weren’t the only ones bringing the energy. San Pedro Tiger Sharks fans made the trip too, turning the arena into a battleground of cheers and chants.

 

This is five minutes into the first quarter. Dream Ballers were holding the Tiger Sharks to three points and Deshawn Bracket comes in with the layup to extend their lead to nine points. Six minutes into the first, the Tiger Sharks have five points, and Brackett nails a two-point jump shot to give his team eleven. But the Tigers Sharks went on a seven-to-nothing run in the last two minutes to tie the game at the end of that quarter. At the end of the first half, the EZ Investments Dangriga Dream Ballers had a one-point lead with thirty-two points. The second quarter saw both teams exchange blows. That kept the game close.

 

And they kept exchanging those blows at the start of the third quarter. Here is Francis Arana with a smooth three-point shot two minutes in to tie the game at thirty-six.  Tyrell Grifith followed shortly after with a wide-open dunk that set the Tiger Sharks on an eight-to-nothing run. But the Dream Ballers has a weapon that is not talked about enough. He goes by Deshawn Bracket. Two minutes to end the third, down by eight. Brackett, clutch three-point jumper. The game is now forty-five to fifty. Less than a minute later, Brackett from the three-point line again and that is good. The Sharks’ lead is now cut to two. Eighteen seconds on the clock and Brackett breaks through two defenders on his way to the basket and gets up over two other defenders to tie the game.

 

Let’s go to the last three minutes of the fourth. Deshawn Brackett with another three to give his team the sixty-one to sixty points lead. Keon Rowland responds on the other end with a driving layup. Daniel Conorquie with a massive three on the other end to take back the lead. A Malik Hunt driving layup and Keon Rowland layup gives the Tigers Sharks a two point lead, with forty second left in the game. Deshawn Brackett tries, he is fouled inside the paint and goes to the line to shoot the two most critical free throws of this season so far. He makes both clutch free throws and sent the game into overtime.  After a hard fought five minutes of overtime, the San Pedro Tiger Sharks came out on top with seventy-seven to their opponents seventy-four. Let’s quickly look at some of the tops stats from this one. Look at Brian White finishing with twenty-one rebounds for the Tiger Sharks. Keon Rowland had nineteen and made some big plays. Francis Arana finished with twenty-two. But the top scorer of the night was Deshawn Brackett, with thirty-three points.The Tiger Sharks also won against the Capital City Kings on Sunday inside the Belize City Civic Center. The Kings defeated the Belize City Thunderbolt on Friday night in Belmopan. And the Punta Gorda Panthers and Corozal Cerros Suns double header weekend in PG saw the Panthers victorious in both games.

 

Let’s go overseas for a bit to Tulsa, Oklahoma, where some of our well-known pro cyclists have been competing in the three-day Tulsa Tough Race. On day one, Jyven Gonzalez secured the victory for Legion in the Men’s Category one and two race with a sprint-off to the finish line. On day two, Derrick Chavarria won in the same category for Legions with a similar sprint finish.  Chavarria also dominated on day three. These are exciting wins for both of our cyclists.

 

And the Belize District Football Association’s First Division Finals turned the light on inside the Marion Jones Sporting Complex on Sunday night. Tut Bay Football Club faced off against Ceasar Ridge Football Club in the Championship matchup. We now know who the big dogs in town this season are. Tut Bay Football Club with a dominant performance over their opponents. Thirteen minutes into this one, ball towards goal. Tut Bay’s Tom Moguel and the goalkeeper face off. The extra push by Moguel and the goal is scored. Early second half of the action, a Tut Bay player goes down inside the penalty box. Francis Arana called for heavy contact. The referee was awarded a penalty shot to Tut Bay. Devin Thurton puts it in. Less than ten minutes later, Tut Bay gets possession on the far side. They control the ball down the line until it finds a sprinting Shamar Thomas. He took the shot, and it was just too much for the goalkeeper, Thomas, to celebrate.

 

At the seventieth minute, Ceasar Ridge FC has possession inside the penalty box, a hard tackle and their player hits the ground. Whitefield Fisher secured Ceasar Ridge’s only goal in this one. Tut Bay Football Club is your Belize District First Division Champions. Staying on football, Belize’s Senior Men’s National Team fell to Panama on Saturday night inside the FFB Stadium in Belmopan. Home field advantage was a non-factor in this one for Belize. On the other hand, many fans are commending the team for what is being described as marked improvement. Well folks, that is all we have for you in tonight’s coverage of Sports Monday. Catch you in the next one.