Indoor clashes to light up weekend
published: Saturday | March 6, 2004

- Winston Sill/Freelance Photographer
Denham Town Wizards' Anthony Farquharson (second from left) and Horatio Richardson (second from right) jump for a rebound with Harbour View Lakers' Michael Jackson (left), during their game in the KFC/Cable & Wireless National Basketball League at the Stadium courts on Tuesday. Farquharson scored the game-winning shot to end with 37 points in a 79-77 win. Jackson's teammate Carl Wellington looks on.

LeVaughn Flynn, Staff Reporter

BASKETBALL ACTION returns to the National Indoor Sports Centre (NISC) this weekend with a four-game show today and tomorrow, in the KFC/Cable & Wireless National Basketball League's (NBL) '4x4 weekend'.

Link Up All-Stars and St. George's Slayers tip-off the action at 1:00 p.m. this afternoon, with many-times champs Braves Chiefs and reigning champs Tivoli All-Stars hooping it up at approximately 7:00 p.m.

In-between both games, the finalists in the ISSA/KFC Under-16 schoolboy national play-offs will be decided when the semi-finalists make their NISC debut.

West Kingston will be rallying behind Tivoli Gardens High as they meet Manchester High, and Old Harbour High will do battle with St. George's College.

Link Up, which was promoted from Division Two last year with Rae Town Raptors, have been doing relatively well since joining the big guns in the national league. The Dave McLaren-coached team has a 50 per cent win record (3-3) and possess the talent to be even better.

GUIDING THE TEAM

Rodney James and Norado Gordon are two of those players who have been guiding the team since the start of the season.

"Whenever James is rebounding and shooting and playing defence and doing all the things he can do we are very hard to beat," said McLaren after a recent win over West Cumberland Flames.

Link Up are one win better than Slayers (2-3), which have a formidable group led by guard Owain Hall and power forward Rohan Robinson.

Slayers experienced early season administrative difficulties as they were playing without a head coach and a true point guard. But veteran coach Winston Harvey is now at the helm of the Slayers team and they have acquired Nicoy Campbell to run the floor and these acquisitions should notably improve the team.

Braves and Tivoli have an identical 3-2 record and both will be battling feverishly for their fourth win. Both teams lost their opening games three weeks ago at the NISC and will be looking to change their luck at the indoor centre.

The NBL's '4x4 weekend' is part of the changes the Jamaica Basketball Association (JBA) has made to the league in bringing it closer to a professional league.

The JBA was helped tremendously when it received a $21 million sponsorship for three years. Cable and Wireless Jamaica Ltd. and Restaurants of Jamaica, operators of Kentucky Fried Chicken, stepped up to the plate in assisting the JBA with its vision.

TODAY'S GAME