Basketball: Bermuda Begin Competing In Ontario - Bernews

The Bermuda Basketball Association’s Under-19 team began competing in the Heartlake Winter Classic in Brampton, Ontario, Canada.

The Bermuda Under 19 team took on the tournament host team, Heartlake Secondary School going down 50 – 33.

Assistant coach Tim Trott said, “Although we talked about what to expect, the players were not prepared for the intensity from the other team.”

“The coaching staff sensed the nervousness in the team which showed as we were outscored 15 – 2 in the first quarter. This was a result of poor execution, forced shots and missed layup attempts.

Trott went on to say, “Coach Kent Tacklyn freely made substitutions in the first half to find a lineup that worked. In the second quarter, we were unsuccessful in breaking their press and we finished the half down 36-11.”

“In the second half, the team did a better job combatting the press. Defensively they didn’t allow many second shot opportunities to the host team. The offensive execution was better despite the fact that jump shots were not falling. Players became more aggressive, attacking the basket and were able to get a number of steals for easy baskets,” concluded Trott.

Seth Hardtman, Christian Liyanage and Adam MacDonald would lead the Bermuda team in the scoring department as all three finished with 8 points.

Bermuda’s Player of the Game was Hardtman, who produced 3 steals, while an Honorable Mention went to Zakai Bean for his effort on the defensive boards.