Basketball finals come down to Game 3

The chase for the Ricky “Skecky” Estwick Trophy is still on, as defending champions Soufrière Kings evened the three-game KFC National Basketball League Finals at 1-1, beating the Bonne Terre Blazers 47-43 on Friday night at the Beausejour Gymnasium.

The men from Sulphur City turned up the defence big time, setting up an all-or-nothing clash on Saturday night from 8 p.m. at Beausejour. Blazers, the 2023 winners, had taken Game 1 by a margin of 62-59 on Wednesday night.

Soufrière ran out to an early lead, playing tight defence on the Louison brothers, Troy and Andre. Coupled with several Blazers turnovers, including multiple shot clock and eight-second violations, the Kings were able to go up 24-19 at halftime.

The west coast men kept pouring it on after the interval, building up a 15-point advantage on structured offence and long jumpers. Blazers kept clawing back, getting in the teeth of the defence, and cutting the deficit to four. But they could get no closer, and Soufrière held on for the victory.

After a quiet opening game, Sidney Didier was active early for Soufrière. The versatile wing tallied 11 points, six rebounds, six assists, and three steals. Kimani Charles recorded eight points, six steals, five rebounds, and five assists. Jayzee Saltibus ended with eight points, but he was again a monster on the boards, with 24 rebounds.

Blazers were plagued with inefficiency, making just 18 of 82 field goal attempts. Troy Louison’s 18 points and nine rebounds with three steals came on 29 shots. Kyanni Elwin had 10 points on 19 shots. Andre contributed 12 rebounds, six steals, and five assists, making just three of 17 shots.

There was again little to separate the teams. Bonne Terre ended up winning the turnover battle 24 to 27, but each squad ended with 53 rebounds. It promises to be much of the same on Saturday night, when the last two champions meet again, with everything on the line.

(TF)