Maloney Pacers, Caledonia Clippers into Anomaly basketball final

MALONEY Pacers and Caledonia Clippers advanced to the final of the Anomaly Basketball tournament after getting respective semifinal wins over New Chapter Academy (NCA) Warriors and Police at the Maloney Indoor Sporting Complex on October 13.

The Pacers topped group one ahead of the Clippers with a perfect record, and their form continued in semifinal one as they defeated NCA by a 94-85 margin to seal their place in the final.

Tyrik Singh poured in a game-high 33 points for the Pacers, to go along with ten boards and four assists. The Pacers had a slow start to the encounter as they were limited to just 16 points in the first quarter, with NCA taking a tight 45-42 lead into the halftime break.

The Pacers found their stride in the third quarter as they outscored their opponents 29-16 in the period to open up a healthy 71-61 lead. NCA tried to rally in the fourth quarter, but the Pacers held on to get a nine-point win to maintain their perfect Anomaly record.

The NCA charge was led by Ahkeem Boyd, a bronze medallist for TT in men's 3x3 basketball at the 2023 Pan American Games in Chile. Boyd rattled in 32 points, to go along with 14 boards, but his efforts were not enough to steer NCA into the final.

In the second semifinal, the Clippers downed group two winners Police by a 79-70 margin in a low-scoring affair, with Ako Pascall leading all scorers with 22 points and five assists.

Clippers held a slender 20-17 lead at the end of the first quarter and held a slim 38-37 lead at the half. The Clippers stretched their lead to six by the end of the quarter as they held a 61-55 advantage.

Both teams struggled to find their scoring rhythm in the final quarter, with the Clippers limiting the lawmen to just 15 points in the period as they clinched the nine-point win.

Fabrice Fisher led Police with 17 points, ten boards and four assists.

On October 20, Police and NCA will battle for third place in the tournament from 7 pm in Maloney, with the Pacers and the Clippers contesting the title game from 9 pm.

On September 29, Singh led the Pacers to a facile 86-70 win over the Clippers in their group one matchup. In the final, though, the Clippers will hope to find an answer for Singh and the home team.