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Guernsey’s basketball teams opened their respective Island Games campaigns in style with encouraging victories in the opening group matches in front of an excitable audience at Beau Sejour.
Guernsey Women defeated the Isle of Man by 67 points to 55, avenging a loss against them in Gibraltar, 2019.
Meanwhile, the men’s team cruised to a comfortable victory over the Falkland Island, winning by 97-39.
Guernseys basketball campaign has started at The Dome
— Bailiwick Express Guernsey (@BailiwickGsy) July 9, 2023
Guernsey Women currently lead Isle of Man 24 to 16 after the first quarter#guernsey2023 pic.twitter.com/k5CC0fTXYf
The Guernsey women played first out of the local teams. They came out the blocks quickly in the first quarter, but the Manx ladies brought the fight back keeping the scores close throughout. Several missed opportunities both in open play and penalties always kept them lagging behind the host team, however.
Guernsey led by 34 points to 29 at halftime.
Manx looked the stronger side right after the break and quickly closed the gap to 38 apiece. But Guernsey upped the ante and put the pressure back on and by the middle of the final quarter were enjoying a 13-point lead.
MVP went to Guernsey number 10 Emma Sykes, who scored five impressive three pointers throughout, and received a warm ovation after being subbed in the last quarter. Number eight Ieva Babina also put in an impressive performance, racking up 19 points for the team.
Pictured: Falklands looking for points in the men's game. Credit: David Ferguson.
Guernsey's men were already cruising past their opponents in the first quarter, more than doubling their points by halftime to bring the score to 42-22.
The gap between the teams only grew as the game went on, with Guernsey showing increasing confidence.
Falklands also suffered an injury in their group game defeat.
MVP went to number five Matthew Sawbridge who consistently and quickly moved up and down the court throughout.
Guernsey's men next play the Isle of Man on Monday at 16:30, while the women’s final group game is against the Faroe Islands at 19:00. Both are at Beau Sejour.
Pictured (top): Guernsey's women's team, and men's Guernsey vs Falkland Islands. Credit: David Ferguson.
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