Basketball Play-Offs Down To Final Four
[Written by Patrick Bean]
The Bermuda Basketball Association Elite League post-season is down to the final four stage and excitement is building ahead of Saturday’s single elimination semi-finals at Somersfield Academy commencing at 6.45 p.m.
Hornets and Storm both survived first-round clashes against Warriors and Lions at Bermuda College Gymnasium earlier this week to gain entrance into the next round, however their degree of difficulty to further advance only heightens as the League’s dominant pair of teams, Panthers and Falcons, join the party. Panthers and Falcons, in separate brackets, are each favoured to advance to the finals, which will be a best-of-three game format.
Panthers stand as the team most likely to emerge based on their league best record, while Falcons are second favourites, as only Panthers were able to better them in overall winning percentage.
Gershon Kurt scored 32 points for Storm against Lions and will be counted on to continue his rich vein of scoring to increase his side’s potential for success, while Kevin Stephens, who tallied 31 points for Hornets, stands as a player requiring close guarding if he is to be keep in check.
In a league that re-drafts each season for reasons of maintaining divisional parity there is little to separate the group, top to bottom, meaning Storm, who are to face Panthers in the second game on Saturday, and Hornets, who are set to encounter Warriors in the first, have a reasonable shot at continuing their fairytale runs toward a possible championship.
Results and Schedule:
- Wednesday’s results: Bermuda College Gym, Paget:
- BBA Elite League – Play-offs [1st Round - single elimination]
- Warriors 46 Hornets 36
- Storm 61 RLT Lions 45
- Saturday: Somersfield Academy Gym, Devonshire:
- BBA Elite League: Play-offs [Semi-finals - single elimination]
- [A] Falcons v Hornets, 6.45 p.m.
- [B] Panthers v Storm, 8.30 p.m.
- Monday: Bermuda College Gym, Paget
- BBA Elite League: Play-offs [Finals - Best-of-three series]
- Winners [A] v Winners [B], Time TBA
