PSA Spartans Become SYBA U17 Champs!
Philipsburg - On Tuesday, April 11, 2023, the Soualiga Youth Basketball Association (SYBA) 2023 Championship League opened the second week of their season finals with game 1 of the under 15 (U15) category. The PSA Spartans faced off against the St. Peters Ballers in a game that started close and ended up with the Spartans increasing their lead by thirty (30) points in the second half to win game 1 of the best-of-three series. The St. Peters Ballers started the game with a tempo that was productive enough to give them a lead early in the first half. The Spartans answered this with a tight man-to-man defense that became scoring opportunities due to several forced turnovers.
The under 17 (U17) category continued its best-of-three finals series with game 2 featuring Robbie’s Stars versus PSA Spartans. The Stars needed to win this game to avoid being swept in this finals series. From the tip-off, it was easy to see that both teams came to win last night. Robbie’s Stars played some of the tightest defense seen from them this season while the PSA Spartans answered with some great ball movement and short-range jumpers. The game intensified in the second half as Robbie’s Stars were able to come back from a ten point deficit to tie the game. That all changed with only two (2) minutes to go as Robbie’s Stars committed some turnovers due to mistimed passes that gave the Spartans extra scoring opportunities. The Stars prepared themselves for one more offensive attack with only 43.2 seconds left on the clock when a power outage in the Philipsburg area abruptly stopped the game.
The game continued on Wednesday, April 12, 2023, with 43.2 seconds on the clock. The Stars forced a turnover early but were unable to convert it into a scoring chance. The Spartans kept up the pressure and went to the free-throw line and scored one (1) more point after being fouled. The game ended with PSA Spartans becoming this year’s U17 champions!
The following game of the night featured the under 19 (U19) series finals match-up between Robbie’s Stars and PSA Spartans. The Spartans took a comfortable lead of eleven (11) points before the Stars scored their first basket. The Stars were able to cut the lead down by sixteen (16) points before the Spartans went on a scoring run increasing their lead to thirty (30) points. The final score was 68 - 38.
SYBA is still accepting team registrations for the next season. Please contact SYBA if you are interested in registering as a team, coach, or student-athlete. The contact email is sybau19@gmail.com.
“The student-athletes and fans were looking forward to the return of official youth basketball and now we are nearing the end of its first season. We thank our sponsors Telem Group, St. Maarten Timeshare Association (SMTA), Island92, and Z105.1 for their support. I look forward to realizing our plans for the rest of the year. The development and return of youth basketball is here to stay”, said Marvio Cooks, president of SYBA.
Games are streamed to the SYBA social media pages on Instagram @sybau19. Follow their pages to receive league updates, promotions, and more.
