Bahamian trio suffer losses in their respective games

Bahamian professional basketball players Kadeem Coleby, Lashann Higgs and Mark St. Fort all suffered losses on Wednesday night as their teams dropped their games in their respective leagues.

Coleby and St. Fort played in the Japanese B1 League, the top basketball league in Japan, while Higgs played in the Liga Femenina Endesa (Liga Dia), the top female basketball league in Spain.

Coleby and his Akita Northern Happinets traveled to Sopporo on the island of Hokkaido, Japan, to play Levanga Hokkaido in regular season play. The home team was victorious as they won 104-79.

It was not a bad game for the former Wichita State University player as he finished with 14 points – the second highest points total on the team. He added three rebounds – all on the offensive side. The big man missed just two shots on the night, shooting 5-for-7 from the field for 71.4 percent. He also missed two shots from the free throw line, finishing 4-for-6. He did most of his damage in the second half when he scored 12 points.

Defensively, Coleby had one steal and one block to finish off a very efficient night. He played just under 29 minutes.

It was a flat start for the Happinets as they went  1-for-7 from three-point territory in the first quarter. Hokkaido finished the first quarter shooting a blistering 4-for-6 from deep. By the end of the first quarter, the home team led 25-16.

Coleby and his team could not keep up with their opponents in the second quarter as Hokkaido went on a 16-9 run halfway through the quarter to take a 40-25 lead. At halftime, Hokkaido led 58-36.

The Happinets made a push in the second half but the home team was defiant as they held on to win the game.

With the loss, the Happinets dropped to a 4-3 win-loss record on the season and are in sixth position in the East Division standings.

Coleby returns to the court tomorrow at 6:05 p.m. and will play again on Sunday at 2:05 p.m. when his team takes on Yokohama B-Corsairs at CAN Arena, respectively, both at home, in Akita, Japan. The Happinets will be looking to stop a three-game skid. All times are local times in Japan, which is 13 hours ahead of Eastern Standard Time (EST) here in The Bahamas.

Playing at home was St. Fort and his Niigata Albirex. They got blown out by the visiting Toyama Grouses in Nagaoka, Niigata, Japan, losing 97-67. With that loss, Albirex are now 3-5 and sit in the ninth position in the East Division.

St. Fort was able to score in double digits as he finished with 12 points in just under 24 minutes of play. He was also 5-for-7 from the field and was also able to hit his only three-point attempt. On the glass, St. Fort was efficient as he tied for a team high with seven rebounds – four defensive and three offensive boards. He was also able to come away with a block.

It was a tough start for St. Fort and his team as the Grouses jumped out to a 26-13 lead. The visitors went on a 10-0 run to end the quarter.

Albirex outscored their opponents 23-21 in the second quarter but the visitors still led 47-36 at the half.

The third quarter was controlled by the visitors as they had a 19-point advantage, outscoring the home team, 29-10.

It was an even fourth quarter as St. Fort played the entire quarter but the opponents had already inflicted the damage to come away with the victory.

Albirex return to the court in an away matchup against Kyoto Hannnaryz tomorrow at 6.05 p.m. and will play again on Sunday at 2:05 p.m. in Kyoto, Japan. All times are local time in Japan, 13 hours ahead of time in The Bahamas.

It was a 10-hour journey for Higgs and her team Embutidos Pajariel Bembibre PDM from their last game in Bembibre to Valencia, Spain, and when they got there, they were outplayed 92-53 by Valencia Basket.

After leading her team in scoring this past Saturday, things were not going well for Higgs and Bembibre in their next game. Higgs scored just three points in 18 minutes of play. Her only points of the game came on a three-pointer in the first quarter as she finished the night 1-for-3 from the field. She grabbed four rebounds.

The game opened up in the second and third quarters for the home team when they outscored Higgs and her squad 49-21. At the beginning of the fourth quarter, Valencia led 70-40 and kept the lead until the final whistle.

Higgs’ team now slides to a 1-5 record on the season. Bemibibre will return to action, playing their third game in eight days, when they play an away game against Cadi La Seu in La Seu d’Urgell, Lleida, Spain, tomorrow.

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