Caribbean Weather

Thursday, February 11, 2021

Coleby, Happinets fall late; drop third straight game

Bahamian Kadeem Coleby and his team, the Akita Happinets (21-14), dropped their third straight game, losing 78-76 to the Hitachi Sun Rockers Shibuya (24-11) on their home court at the CAN Arena in Akita, Japan, Wednesday night.

The Happinets, who play in the top basketball league in Japan, the Japanese B1 League, lost their two road games over the weekend to Toyama Grouses (24-11).

Coleby finished the game last night with eight points and seven rebounds. The center went 3-for-5 from the field and had an off-night at the free throw line, going 2-for-8. Defensively, he was a force as he finished with three blocks.

The Happinets went into the final period up 61-53 and looked poised to run away with the home win. However, the visitors had other plans as they came back in the game, outscoring the Happinets, 25-15, in the fourth.

Coleby and his team led for the majority of the fourth quarter but carelessness with the ball down the stretch and untimely fouls cost them the game. Hitachi went down 74-61 at the 6:12 mark but used a 12-0 scoring run to get to within a single point, 74-73, with 1:34 remaining in the fourth quarter.

The game was tied at 76 with 26 seconds left. A couple of free throws by Hitachi with three seconds remaining, broke the tie and gave them the win.

The Bahamian managed to score just three points in that final period. He missed three free throws.

The Happinets were outrebounded 44-32 by their opponent including a 24-12 disparity on the offensive glass.

Overall, the game had three lead changes and two ties.

Coleby is averaging 12.3 points and 7.9 rebounds per contest. The big man is shooting 64.6 percent from the field, and defensively, he is averaging 1.6 blocks and 1.1 steals per game.

After this home game, the Happinets return to the road for their next three games. They have back-to-back games when they play the Nagoya Diamond Dolphins (21-14) on Saturday and Sunday. Both games tip off at 3:05 p.m. at the Dolphins Arena in Nagoya, Japan, 14 hours ahead of Eastern Standard Time (EST) here in The Bahamas.

Over in the B2 League, 

Bahamian Mark St. Fort experienced action for his team, the Fukushima Firebonds (17-18), over the weekend. The Firebonds split their two-game road series against Koshigaya Aphas (23-12) at the Koshigaya Municipa Gymnasium in Koshigaya, Saitama, Japan.

On Saturday, the Firebonds fell 98-94. St. Fort finished with 11 points on 5-for-9 shooting in 18 minutes of play. He had three rebounds, two assists and one steal in the loss.

The Firebonds returned the favor on Sunday with an 89-75 victory. St. Fort was held scoreless in this game as he played just over 10 minutes. However, he had six rebounds and one assist in the win. He missed both of his field goals and both free throw attempts.

St. Fort and his team return home to Fukushima, Japan, for a two-game series against the Ehime Vikings (14-21). Both games will be played at the Horaiya Koriyama Gymnasium in Fukushima. The Saturday game starts at 4 p.m. and the Sunday clash starts at 1:30 p.m., 14 hours ahead of EST here in The Bahamas.

The post Coleby, Happinets fall late; drop third straight game appeared first on The Nassau Guardian.



source https://thenassauguardian.com/coleby-happinets-fall-late-drop-third-straight-game/

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