William Francis, 'Smally' both hit 40 as Spartans, Clippers win big

The energy and excitement in the inaugural season of the Electrical Industries Group (EIG) Elite Basketball League reached new heights at the Eastern Regional Indoor Sport Arena in Tacarigua on Sunday night, as eager fans witnessed a pair of 40-point performances from William Francis and the league's leading scorer Ahkeel "Smally" Boyd - the first of their kind this season. Francis stuffed the stats sheet in Spartans TT's 101-82 win over the cellar-placed Morvant Oilbirds, while Smally followed suit in the second game of a double-header as the league-leading Caledonia Clippers (7-1) whipped the NCA Warriors (2-6) by a 114-89 margin.

Entering Spartans' clash with Morvant Oilbirds (0-7) with a chip on his shoulder after being seemingly overlooked in early MVP discussions, the 18-year-old Francis put the league on notice when he became the first player to surpass the 40-point mark, draining 41 points on 13-26 shooting from the field. Francis knocked down six threes and also grabbed five steals and seven rebounds to lead Spartans (3-4) past Morvant. With Spartans' second-leading scorer, Freedom Leon, unavailable for last night's game, Francis, a Fatima College student, put the team on his back and piled up 32 points at the half as the Spartans took a 54-39 lead into the break.

With the Oilbirds desperately looking for the right formula, the Spartans kept their foot on the gas and opened up a 17-point lead (77-60) heading into the final quarter. National 3x3 player Tyrese Fields caught fire in the second half for the Oilbirds and eventually finished with 20 points, including five threes, but the Morvant-based team had few answers for the Spartans who showed why they are the second-best scorers in the league. The Spartans maintained their dominance in the final quarter to seal the 19-point win, with guard Zachary Julien (16 points, five assists, six steals) and Christian Gillineau (13 points, three 3PM) being the other players to hit double digits.

For the Oilbirds, the league's leading shot-blocker Obel Guerra had a solid all-round performance with 18 points, seven assists, 11 rebounds, and four blocks, while Deonel Guerra and team captain Jonathan Thomas had 15 and 13 points, respectively.

Not to be upstaged by the young Francis, Boyd took his season's scoring average to 33.5 points per game when he dropped 40 points, to go along with six assists and seven rebounds as Clippers saw off a feisty effort from coach Kern George's NCA Warriors team. Boyd knocked down a season-high eight threes, tying a mark which was set earlier in the season by Police sharpshooter Sadiki Guerra.

Boasting the league's best offence and defence, the Clippers got into their groove early and led 32-19 at the end of the first quarter, before taking a 64-46 lead to halftime. At the half, Boyd had 25 points with six threes, while the savvy veterans Adrian Joseph and Steven "Lighter" Lewis had 15 and ten points, respectively. In the third quarter, NCA played some disciplined zone defence, which saw the Clippers lead trimmed to six points at one stage. However, the Clippers finished the third with a strong run to take an 87-72 lead to the final quarter.

NCA's Josiah "Sticks" John-Andrew hit five threes on his way to 19 points, while Jairzinho Springer provided a great spark off the bench and tallied 17 points and seven rebounds. Despite their best efforts, NCA couldn't contain the Clippers' offensive weapons, with the league leaders getting a facile 25-point win in the end. For the Clippers, Joseph finished with 29 points and drained seven threes, while Kevin Sargeant scored 19 and Lighter added 13.

Meanwhile, at the Southern Regional Indoor Sport Arena in Pleasantville last Friday, the Clippers also got past the 100-point mark when they cruised past Police (4-3) in a 112-89 result. Boyd had 37 points for the Clippers, with Jason Best adding 26. In the other game in Pleasantville, Southside (6-1) got back to winning ways when they edged NCA 81-77. Pleasantville native Jason Friday led Southside with 25 points, to go along with two blocks and two steals, while Jerrell Doorbal put in a monster effort with 12 points, 13 rebounds, and five blocks.

Just before the EBL's upcoming trade window, the action will return to Pleasantville for an October 9 double-header. Southside will face the Spartans in an appetising clash between a pair of top four teams, with the third-placed Police taking on the Oilbirds in the other encounter.