The Bahamas Basketball Federation's (BBF) "Summer of Thunder" is into its final stretch, and the games are still competitive.
On Wednesday night, the Providence Storm suffered a tough 96-87 loss to the Louisiana Tech Bulldogs at the Kendal G.L. Isaacs National Gymnasium.
The Bulldogs' guards provided them with the spark they needed to get past the Storm. Senior guard Raheem Appleby led the way with 21 points, four rebounds and two assists. The Bulldogs also got a lot of support from their bench. Senior forward Michale Kyser had 16 points and nine rebounds in less than 20 minutes of action, while freshman guard Dayon Griffin added 14 points and two rebounds. Kenneth Smith also had a good all-around game for the Bulldogs as he finished with seven points, 11 assists and eight rebounds.
Eugene Bain was the go-to man for the Storm as he finished with a game-high 35 points and eight rebounds. Gamaliel Rose chipped in with 13 points, and both Shakwon Lewis and Rashad Ingraham had 11 points each. The Storm's next game will be on August 25, which is also the final day of the tournament, at 7 p.m.
Both teams traded leads throughout the first three quarters, until a defensive breakdown by the Storm late in the fourth quarter allowed Louisiana Tech to take control of the game. Both teams struggled from long distance as they both shot under 20 percent from behind the three-point line. Despite the poor perimeter shooting, the Bulldogs managed to shoot an efficient 47 percent from the field, compared to the 38 percent shooting by the Storm. However, the Storm topped the Bulldogs in the steals' and assists' categories. They also committed fewer turnovers than the Bulldogs, who finished with 24 compared to the Storm's 13.
C.I. Gibson Head Coach Kevin "KJ" Johnson served as the Storm's Head Coach for the tournament, and liked what he saw from his guys. The Storm was the first local team to beat a visiting National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division I team this year. They toppled the Alabama State University Hornets, 88-76, on August 13, and then shocked the University of North Carolina (UNC) Tar Heels, 84-83, in a thriller on August 15.
"I knew that Kevin could demand the talent to compete with the higher level schools because of the pro and semi-pro players that he has coached in the past, so when I made the schedule I strategically put his team up against the higher level competition and it was no surprise to me that they were able to win two games," said organizer of the tournament Sean Bastian. "The tournament has given the visiting teams a good run, and even though I had us pegged to win five games, this tournament is still historic in the Bahamian basketball community. This is the highest quality of teams that we have ever had, ESPN broadcasted some of the games and I look forward to this thing getting bigger and better."
The Storm's next scheduled game is against the Portland State University (PSU) Vikings on Monday night.
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