SPORTS SECTION E
REGATTA TIME
Montagu Bay, Pg 8
THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 23, 2017
THREE STRAIGHT
By RENALDO DORSETT Sports Reporter rdorsett@tribunemedia.net
A
rainy night cleared up just long enough for the Bahamas to secure their third win and claim the top spot in Group A of the CONCACAF Beach Soccer World Championships. Lesly St Fleur continued his offensive dominance in the tournament with another hat trick and powered the Bahamas to a 3-2 win over Jamaica in last night’s finale at the national beach soccer stadium. Tied 2-2 for much of the third, St Fleur drew an interference call when he attempted a bicycle kick and was awarded a free kick. His strike sailed by the outstretched arms of Jamaican Krik Porter for the Bahamas’ go ahead score with 2:45 left to play. After dominant performances in their first two matches of the draw, Jamaica presented the toughest test for the Bahamas. After finishing first in Group A, the Bahamas will now have to wait for the quarter-final draw - hosted at the conclusion of tonight’s final game - to learn their next opponent. “Beach soccer is a fun sport so each team you play it’s going to get tougher and tougher so you just have to go out there with a mindset that you’re going to play hard,” St Fleur said. “It doesn’t matter who we play
Lesly St Fleur scores hat trick as Bahamas beats Jamaica 3-2
PRIME Minister Perry Christie makes an entrance last night. next, we just have to go out there and play hard, get to the semis and take our shot at the final. “We just have to go out there and represent the country with pride. We know it’s going to get tougher and tougher and go out there and have some fun and win while doing that.” Veteran national team member Nesley Jean was key on the defensive end, stifling numerous opportunities for Jamaica in the third period. “Defence comes first. I’m just happy everyone is playing together and I’m proud of these guys,” he said. “It’ll always be a rivalry between us and Jamaica. Jamaica’s
a very good team and we have played them numerous times, but they have improved and we have improved, we were able to come out on top this time. Jean said the team is prepared for whoever they face in the next round. “Whoever comes out of the draw comes, we are prepared. We are ready and we are going to give it all for the country,” he said. “I’m glad Bahamians are coming out and watching the games. The more they come out the more we can show them about the sport.” In the first third, Bahamian midfielder Gary Joseph was shaken up early on and after an interference call,
HAT TRICK: Lesly St Fleur in action last night as the Bahamas clinched a 3-2 victory over Jamaica in the CONCACAF Beach Soccer Championship. SEE MORE PHOTOS ON PAGES 2, 4 & 5 Photos: Terrel W Carey/Tribune Staff drew a free kick. He drove home what an enthusiastic crowd thought was the first goal, however it was called back due to encroachment by a Bahamian player. Bahamian goalkeeper Ivan Rolle again had an impressive game in the net for the home team. After the Bahamas was
called for a four-second penalty, Jamaica’s Rohan Reid was awarded a free kick that was just deflected by Rolle to keep the game scoreless. The Bahamas also missed several opportunities to add to their lead highlighted by team captain Gavin Christie’s shot which deflected
A RAINY night cleared up just long enough for the Bahamas to secure their third consecutive win and claim the top spot in Group A.
just off the right post and they took a 1-0 lead into the second. Jamaica scored the equaliser on the second possession of the second period with Reid’s shot at the 11th minute. Dameion Benjamin took the lead for Jamaica with his goal at the 2:51 mark but St Fleur would score almost immediately at the 2:14 mark when he beat the keeper to tie the game for the Bahamas headed into the third. In the early moments of the third period, St Fleur left a shot short for what looked like the certain go ahead score. Rolle’s saves and Jean’s effort on the defensive end highlighted the third for the Bahamas before St Fleur’s late-game heroics. Benjamin was called for a yellow card to place the tournament’s leading scorer in scoring position. In other matches on the day, Trinidad and Tobago defeated the USVI 5-1, the USA defeated Antigua and Barbuda 7-2, Panama and El Salvador drew 4-4, Guyana defeated Belize 4-1 and Costa Rica defeated the Turks and Caicos 8-2. After a day off today, the Bahamas will return to the pitch in the quarter-final round on Friday.
Buddy: ‘I’m ready to go and put on for Sacramento’ By RENALDO DORSETT Sports Reporter rdorsett@tribunemedia.net BUDDY Hield said he was faced with a feeling of uncertainty when he got the news that he was traded so early into his NBA career, but the reception he received from fans at the Sacramento International Airport brought what he called “a sense of peace.” Scores of Kings fans greeted Hield with “Buddy” chants when he arrived at his new NBA home on Tuesday. “It feels great. Everybody embracing me like this, I feel like I want to be here now. I didn’t know what to expect when I got off the plane, but to see all of these fans cheering my name it gives me a sense of peace and I’m ready to go and put on for Sacramento,” he said to a group of reporters upon arrival in Sacramento. The former New Orleans Pelican was one of the principals in a trade, packaged along with Tyreke Evans, Langston Gallo-
way, a future 2017 first-round and second-round pick to Sacramento in exchange for All-Star centre DeMarcus Cousins and Omri Casspi. “I was kind of in shock. There was uncertainty, I didn’t know what to expect, but I know God doesn’t make mistakes so I’m here for a reason,” he said. “I’m ready to take Sacramento to higher heights. They traded for me, they traded a big piece of their team for me so I know that I have to come and put on and give Sacramento my all. I know it’s not easy but I’m going to put a lot in, be a hard worker and try to get everybody together to move forward toward championships.” Hield is averaging 8.6 points, 1.4 assist and 2.9 rebounds during the 57-game stretch for the Pelicans this season. He’s shooting 39.2 per cent from the field overall but is hitting from three at a decent rate - 37 per cent. Hield’s productive month of December was recognised by the NBA when he was named the
BUDDY HIELD Western Conference Rookie of the Month after he led the conference’s rookies in scoring (10.6 points), three-point field goal percentage (48 per cent) and threepointers made (33). He is currently ranked fourth among rookies in scoring. Hield will be expected to be a major component of a rebuilding young core for the Kings which will
include 2015 lottery pick Willie Cauley-Stein, last year’s first round draft pick Skal Labissiere and the future picks in 2017. “They see a vision in me, but I’m always going to be Buddy out there. That’s got me here. I’ve worked hard since I was a little boy and that’s what I’m going to continue to do. I worked hard to get to Oklahoma and I’m going to work my but off to be the player I want to be and be the player I need to become. I’s going to be a tough task night in, night out but I’m built for it,” he said. “Everyone wants to be that guy, be that leader for the team. I’m not shy in the moment, I’m willing to take pressure, but that’s what comes with it when you put that work in and people trust you, you trust yourself and they know what you’re capable of doing. I’m ready for the challenge.” Hield will make his Kings debut tonight when they host the Denver Nuggets at 10:30pm local time. Kings head coach Dave Joerger
said it would be a quick turnaround for Buddy and the other new additions to the roster as the rebuilding begins in the postCousins era. “We’ll try to get them up to speed on some of what we try to do offensively and defensively and how things might fit together. I’ve watched him [Hield] a little bit. He made a lot of shots in college and he seemed like a very good prospect coming out. I haven’t seen him much this year, I’ve seen him twice, and we just played them last week so I haven’t seen a lot of him a lot professionally.” The Kings currently have a logjam at the shooting guard spot with seven players listed at the position on the current roster, including Hield, Evans, Galloway, Aaron Afflalo, Ben McLemore, Garrett Temple and Malachi Richardson. “Right now we have seven shooting guards,” Joeger said when asked about Temple’s health status.“I think we’re okay at shooting guard.”