After clinching a nail biting opening win, Guyana fell 56 – 65 to Suriname in their second game of the 2016 Caribbean Basketball Confederation (CBC) U16 Championships at the Cliff Anderson Sports Hall on Monday.
For Suriname, the win was a redemption for their tournament opening game loss to Jamaica on Sunday as the Dutchmen played with grit and passion for the entirety of the game while Guyana shot themselves in the foot in turnover laden performance.
Guyana’s inability to take care of the ball (36 turnovers) coupled with their poor shooting from the field (25.71%) and the stripe (41.3%) allowed Suriname to pull away in the fourth for an eventual comfortable win in a game that was competitive nevertheless.
In addition, Guyana’s inability to move the ball with only seven assists in the entire game only made matters worse for the host nation.
Andrew Blijd top scored for Suriname with 18 points while Keatan Weibolt contributed 13 points as well to help Suriname pull off the win.
Scoring for Guyana came from Nigel Bowen and Jordan Alphonso with 14 points apiece while Bowen had 11 rebounds and Alphonso 12.
Earlier, Guyana started the game with a quick 5-0 run but their lack of defensive rebounding in the first period negated any chances of expanding the early lead.
However, Guyana countered the ferocious rebounding of Suriname with an up-tempo pace that got them buckets at the rim as well as some points at the stripe.
On the defensive side Guyana seemed willing to give up perimeter shots in the first half instead of drives to the lane, however, Suriname’s continued to pound the glass for garbage points with the first half ending with Guyana ahead 29-26.
Rebounding remained key for Suriname in the third, taking the lead for the first time in the game with 3:27 left in the period.
The Dutch speaking nation also had their three-point shot working in the period dropping three for the period while attempting six shots from beyond the arc in the third quarter.
In addition, Guyana gave up the rock on a number of possessions with careless pass after to pass to allow Suriname to head into the fourth with a 45-40 lead.
Suriname pulled away in the fourth and while Guyana made a few attempts to get back in the game, Suriname’s feisty defence quelled any fired that started. (Treiston Joseph)
Caption: Jordan Alphonso goes up for a shot during the game for Guyana
Caption: Andrew Blijd slows down the game for Suriname
