Basketball in Africa

THE Men’s Division One title is far from being decided, and while the race for the coveted crown is heating up, the fight to avoid demotion is also fierce.

In fact, teams in the bottom half of the championship seem to be involved in a league of their own as they battle each other to earn valuable points for survival in the top flight.

Formerly SMB Razorbacks, Razors look in danger of making the drop at the end of the season.

Boasting some young players after the seniors decided to join other top clubs at the start of the season, Razors face the daunting task of pulling win after win to avoid relegation.

But right now, things don’t look that easy for Razors, who conceded an 11th defeat – including one through a walkover – in 12 games played to carry the weight of the 10-team table. Their latest loss was against Cascade Bullets on a 75-80 score.

The Bullets, who are also not experiencing a good season, have three wins and nine defeats in 12 games played.

Beau Vallon Heat also face the risk of losing their top-flight status after just one season among the top clubs as they are second from bottom.

Against title contenders Baya, the Heat had absolutely no chance of victory, and instead of burning their opponents they were on the receiving end in a 48-128 defeat.

With one win and 11 defeats, the Heat occupy ninth place on the league table with 13 points – one more than Razors.

As for Baya, they are second with 22 points after getting their 10th win in 12 outings.
In a match involving two mid-table teams, RC Dynamics collected a surprising 79-73 victory over Anse Boileau-based Angels.

Angels are fifth with 17 points after six wins and five defeats, while RC Dynamics have five wins and six losses for 16 points to occupy sixth spot.

Moving to Praslin, Praslin Warriors have lost all their three second-round home matches on their Grand Anse court. Their latest defeat was against defending champions PLS Hawks, who travelled there last Saturday to collect a 119-57 victory.

In the Men’s Division Two, Anse Etoile are now in first place after their overtime 69-65 win over Juniors.
With 10 wins and three defeats, Anse Etoile have 23 points – the same as Mont Fleuri Dawgz, who have a game in hand. Juniors are third with 22 points, followed in fourth position by AAP Brothers, who beat RA Herons 58-51 in their last match.
In another second-tier match played this week, Pointe Larue Falcons collected their 10th victory in 11 games, beating LMS Youth 78-54.

G. G.