Gintaras under 16 boys team look to be a formidable force to be reckoned with in the CBL Eastern Conference this season and drove that message home to Tower Hamlets with a scintillating 51-20 win in their first game of the season on Sunday 20th November 2016.
Gintaras have a proud history and and strong basketball culture running throughout their club and are always well coached and supported at all of the age groups they compete in across the CBL, so it came as no surprise to see their offenses were well structured and their team play consistent throughout the game. However, Tower Hamlets came to play early on and matched Gintaras basket for basket, primarily through their top scorer Andre Parker, to finish the first quarter ahead by 1 point, 7-6.
Clearly dissatisfied with the first quarter performance, Gintaras’ Alonas Peciulin decided to put the league on notice and proceeded to take over the game…literally. Peciulin broke out on a personal 14 point scoring spree that clipped the Ravens wings, and propelled Gintaras to a 18-0 run throughout the quarter – taking his team into half-time, ahead 24-7.
Peciulin will be a player to watch this season and has gotten considerably taller and longer since the last campaign, which has taken his taken his game to a whole new level. He can drive the ball with both hands and has a significantly improved jump shot, which coupled with his competitive nature and strong self-confidence earned him game MVP by a considerable margin. By the end of the game ‘AP’ had racked up 24 points and led his team to a league-leading 31 point win.
CBL commissioner Nhamo Shire commented: “We always talk about the CBL being the place to come to if you want to see tomorrow’s stars today – we might be witnessing the emergence of another one right here. Great overall game by Gintaras, but Alonas really stole the show for me. What a way to start the season!”.
Results
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | T | Outcome |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GINTARAS | 6 | 18 | 15 | 12 | 51 | Win |
| TOWER HAMLETS RAVENS | 7 | 0 | 6 | 7 | 20 | Loss |
Check the latest U16 division standings: UNDER 16 EASTERN CONFERENCE STANDINGS
See who and when these teams play next: UNDER 16 EASTERN CONFERENCE SCHEDULE
