SPORTS SECTION E
Lakers, Page 5
WEDNESDAY, JUNE 27, 2018
Bulldogs rout Stars 102-76 By BRENT STUBBS Senior Sports Reporter bstubbs@tribunemedia.net
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he Truman State University Bulldogs men’s basketball team, shaking off the jet lag, broke away from a close encounter in the first half to rout the Bahamian Star Sports Basketball 102-76 last night to start the Bahamas Basketball Federation’s Summer of Thunder basketball tournament at the Kendal Isaacs Gymnasium. After they ended the first quarter tied at 22-22, the Bulldogs surged to a comfortable 53-39 margin at the half. Getting into their groove as they worked the ball inside and out, the Stars didn’t have any answer for the assault and trailed 84-59 at the end of the third. It was just a matter of what the final score would be as the division II Bulldogs out of Missouri prevailed with an easy run-away victory in the first of their three games scheduled this week in the tournament. “It was awesome. Our guests were gracious and we appreciate that they played the right way so it was alot of fun,” said Jeff Horner, who is only in his first month and-a-half as the new head coach of the Bulldogs, who are coming off a third place finish in the Great Lakes Valley Conference (GLVC) last season. On their slow start, he said they didn’t get to work out in the gym on Sunday after they arrived, so they had to try and get back into sync, and once they settled down they were able to wear down the youthful Bahamian team. Tanner Zeil, who was a tower of strength in the middle, led all scorers with 21 points and was one of six scorers in double figures for the Bulldogs. Jacob Socha and Collin Hill both had 14 points, while Brodric Thomas added 12 and Taurin Hughes had 11. Hill was the rebounding leader with eight, Socha and Scott each had six assists, Hughes pulled in three steals, and Cade McKnight helped out with two slam dunks. Adam Johnson, with two of their five three-pointers, paced the Bahamian Stars with 16 points and seven rebounds. Adrian Thompson had 15 points, five rebounds
AYTON ARRIVES AS SYMBOL THAT SUNS ARE ON THE RISE By BOB BAUM AP Sports Writer
ON THE REPLAY: The Truman State University Bulldogs last night routed the Stars 102-76 to start the Bahamas Basketball Federation’s Summer of Thunder tournament at the Kendal Isaacs Gymnasium. Photos: Shawn Hanna/Tribune Staff and three blocks and Dominic Bridgewater was the only other player in double figures with 13 points, three rebounds, two assists and as many steals. Tevin Hudson had eight points with four rebounds and three steals. In addition, Troy Trembley, who joined Johnson in crashing the boards for couple of slam dunks, finished with six points, the same number as Corey Sands.
Michael Bethel and Dave Davis both contributed four. Dereck Cummings, head coach of the Star Sports Basketball Club, said despite the loss he got a chance to view the potential of his new team comprising of some of the better high school basketball players and some potential collegiate players as they played together for the first time. “We were not as competitive as we
would have liked to have been down the stretch, but I won’t make any excuses for them. “I thought they were in better shape, but it was obvious that some of them were not,” he reflected. “When you are playing against collegiate guys, you have to be better than we liked tonight. But we will be better the next time. I see some things that we could work on so that is a good sign.”
Cummings hopes to have his team better prepared for the five games they have scheduled in the Summer of Thunder and hopefully they can put on a better showing for the local fans when they play again next week. The Bulldogs are slated to play again at 7pm tonight against the IBA Elite team and on Thursday against the New Providence Basketball Association’s All-Stars.
PHOENIX (AP) — Since the heady days of Steve Nash came to an end, there have been few signs of joy from a dwindling fan base that watched the Phoenix Suns tumble to the bottom of the NBA standings and miss the playoffs for the eighth year in a row. Then came the announcement that Deandre Ayton would go to the Suns with the first overall pick. A huge cheer went up from the several thousand fans at Talking Stick Resort Arena on Thursday night for the draft party. General manager Ryan McDonough, owner Robert Sarver and coach Igor Kokoskov came out of their meeting room to watch and bask in that rare moment of sheer joy from the fans. “It was a pretty special moment for our franchise,” McDonough said. Not only that, but McDonough engineered a last-minute trade for swingman Mikal Bridges of Villanova, the 10th pick. It was a spendy move because Philadelphia demanded and got Miami’s unprotected 2021 first-round pick. But the Suns are weary of stockpiling assets. It’s time to cash in, they figured, and did it with that trade. “We weighed the pros and cons of trading it heavily and carefully,” McDonough said. “We were only going to put it in play if we had a chance to get a special player and that’s how we feel about McKell.” All four of the Suns’ picks showed up on a crowded dais in Phoenix on Friday — Ayton, Bridges, French point guard Elie Okobo (chosen 31st) and forward George King of Colorado (the 59th selection). The 7-foot-1 Ayton towered over the others, in a white unbuttoned collared shirt and a sharp blue suit, but he looked and sounded a bit weary from the whirlwind of being the No. 1 draft pick. His only sleep lately, he said, was a couple of hours on the plane ride from New York on Tuesday.
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Fourteen Clubs’ junior golf training summer camp underway By BRENT STUBBS Senior Sports Reporter bstubbs@tribunemedia.net FOR another year, the Fourteen Clubs Golf Academy’s junior golf training camp is being held in the Bahamas Golf Federation’s Driving Range at the Baillou Hills Sporting Complex. The daily summer camp, which started last week, is being held 9am-2pm Monday to Friday and camp director Georgette Rolle said that by the time it’s completed on August 17, they hope to
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have developed some future stars in golf. “If you are interested in learning the game of golf, or a sport which teaches you a lot of lifestyles that you can use for a lifetime, check us out,” Rolle said. “We’ve got a new coach, arguably the best male golfer in Bahamian history, Greg Maycock out of Grand Bahama. “He has just joined our team that includes Ahmal Henfield, Matthew Cox and Jim Duncombe.” Rolle, undoubtedly the best female player playing the game today, said during the camp, the participants between the ages of five and 17 will learn the three aspects of swinging the golf club. “With Fourteen Golf Academy, we are calling it our three golf files,” Rolle said. “We teach them how to swing the golf club and get them ready to improve their skills so that they can play in our tournaments we will put on this summer.” Golf equipment will be available for those participants who don’t have any. They will be taught about the rules of the game and how to
YOUNGSTERS take part in Fourteen Clubs Golf Academy’s junior golf training camp in the Bahamas Golf Federation’s driving range at the Baillou Hills Sporting Complex. Photo: Terrel W Carey/Tribune Staff play the game better. They will also have short game sessions and watch golf swing videos. “So far, we have a lot of our regular golfers coming out to the camp,” Rolle said. “We are having a great time, so we are looking to
add some new campers who are interested in learning how to play the game. “We want to make sure that they have a well-rounded programme and they are keen on learning how to play the game.
So we want to encourage the young golfers to come out and participate.” For more information, interested persons can email info@ fourteengolfacademy.com or call 828-4653 or 535-0552.