The Tribune

By BRENT STUBBS

Senior Sports Reporter

bstubbs@tribunemedia.net

Instead of popping the champagne to celebrate as four-time New Providence Women’s Basketball Association champions last night, the Bee’s Trucking Destroyers will have to come back and play another game on Thursday.

Immediately after they won game four 72-59 over the youthful Foxxy Angels in what should have given them a 3-1 decision in the best-of-five championship series, Bee’s Trucking found out that they had lost game three (which they won 52-43) because of the use of an ineligible player.

So rather than the series being completed, it was evened at 2-2 and they will have to play game five on Thursday.

Destroyers’ coach Donnie Culmer, who had brought out the cooler with the champagne to celebrate, was irate when they were told that they had not won the championship title yet.

He argued the fact that the player in question “played four games and she came here for one game, which we won by default against the Connectors.”

However, league commissioner Norman ‘Mouch’ Humes made it emphatically clear that the series is only tied at 2-2 and there will be a fifth game that will be played on Thursday. “We made some checks and realised that the alleged party did not play sufficient games to participate,” said Humes, who declined to state the name of the player, whom he said didn’t play sufficient games during the regular season to be eligible for the playoffs.

“We found that the player was not eligible and that was the decision that was made. I sent an e-mail advising them that the player was not eligible to play because she didn’t play sufficient games during the regular season. I sent that email.”

The player in question also played in Tuesday night’s game, but Humes declined to say whether that would also affect the outcome of the game as well.

He indicated that a decision will be made today to the league’s president Devon Johnson after reviewing the game.

In the meantime, Foxxy Angels’ coach Anthony Swaby said his “young team” will come prepared to play on Thursday.

“We made a protest, the commissioner gave us the game and so as far as the commissioner goes, the series is tied at 2-2,” Swaby stated.

For what it’s worth, Bee’s Trucking rebounded from a 19-18 deficit at the end of the first quarter to surge ahead 46-32 at the half. They stayed ahead 63-49 at the end of the third and held on for the win in the fourth.

Britinique Harrison (14 rebounds and four block shots) and Chrishandra Rahming (seven rebounds, three steals and two blocks) both scored 14 points to lead the Destroyers to victory.

Briatae Stevens had 10 points and three rebounds and Ashley Moss contributed nine points with 18 rebounds, six assists and four steals.

In a losing effort for the Angels, Denika Lightbourne canned a game high 17 points with six rebounds, four assists, two steals and a block shot.

Latavia Brennen was the only other player in double figures with 11 points, 12 rebounds and four steals. Karolyn Baptiste had nine points, four rebounds and four steals, Antonicia Moultrie had eight points and four rebounds and Veronique Charlton finished with six points, four rebounds, four steals and two assists.