Bermuda National Basketball team won their third and final match in the Dominican Republic defeating GWCC 84 - 71.
Bermuda, without the veteran leadership of John Lee, were determined to secure a consolation victory from their last game against our foreign host.
Bermuda hit the court with a defensive mindset. Our ball pressure that lacked consistency over the last 2 games was in full effect as Bermuda strangled GWCC’s offense and held them to 8 points in the first quarter.
This game allowed Bermuda to ensure that everyone from 1 – 10 were allowed to play valuable minutes.
Nonetheless, GWCC was eventually able to generate some offense but never able to get within 9 points of Bermuda as the lead fluctuated from 9 – 17 points every few minutes.
Bermuda’s relentless attack of the Basket gave Bermuda early offensive success and them up 11 points at halftime 44-33.
The second half began with a 7 – 0 run by GWCC which prompted Head Coach Gavin McKenzie to call an early timeout. Once again sloppy defense reared its ugly head for Bermuda and GWCC took advantage with a mix of slashing to the hoop and sharp shooting from distance.
The time out gave Bermuda a moment to refocus and stick to the game plan.
Bermuda came back on the court and played with purpose, stretching the lead back to 12 points. Throughout the early minutes of the fourth quarter the score fluctuated with GWCC getting as close as 6 points behind.
Bermuda, then pulling themselves up by their bootstraps, locked back in on defense causing turnovers and limited opportunities for GWCC.
Offensively Bermuda had their own success with scoring in transition and continued to be sharp from downtown scoring several 3’s in the final minutes of the game.
Staving off their final attempts at a comeback, Bermuda recorded the win.
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