Barva 77 Escazu 93

What a difference a week makes. The previous Saturday we lost in a lifeless effort to a game Limon squad. This past Saturday? After a good week of practice, we came out with much better intensity from beginning to end to put our first quality outing in the Torneo de Clausura.




Much had been made about Ike St Rose's first game against his former team (including this article where the reporter kept baiting Ike to say something controversial Isaac Saint Rose: “Jugaré igual que siempre"). The truth of the matter is that we hadn't really talked about any special meanings of this game; it was a big game on its own merits. It was a big game for all of us.

Barva was shorthanded on the perimeter with Clifford Smith suspended for the game and Christian Chavarria unavailable, but with Jeffrey Spencer and the Martinez brothers they had plenty of firepower on hand. We reverted to our more traditional lineup with Ike St Rose and Michael Jackson flanking Alonso Sanchez on the perimeter with Dave Milliner and David Carnegie on the inside.

The first quarter was a back and forth affair, with both teams feeling each other out. Every small run was countered by the other team; every time we would pull ahead by more than two possessions, Barva would find a way to counterpunch. We were able to eke out a small 19-17 lead to finish the first quarter, but Dave Millinier drew a costly second foul late in the quarter. Sebastian Lacayo came off the bench and played quality minutes in the post, playing solid defense and hitting the glass. Lacayo has been patiently biding his time for the right opportunity, and he gave us excellent minutes in this game. As the second quarter rolled on we were able to get some breathing room, taking a five point lead into the half.

Then the most bizarre quarter of the season came around. The first five minutes saw us play like gangbusters, flying around on defense, running on the break and hitting our shots. It was five minutes of pretty much flawless basketball as the lead grew 24 points. Ike and Michael made some dazzling blocks at the rim on Barva fast breaks, as well as bringing the crowd to its feet with some rim-rattling dunks. Then, just as the game seemed out of reach for Barva, Henry Martinez decided to warm up. Boom! Henry hit a three pointer from the corner to get started. Bam! Another three. Henry heated up and led Barva on a 13-4 run in the last three minutes to close out the quarter and bring down the lead to 16.

Some more hot shooting from Henry, as well as timely baskets from the rest of Barva's lineup chipped away at what once was a huge lead, as I was trying to get some production from our bench and sneak in some sub21 minutes. The lead was down to six points, at which time I came back with my starters. Sebastian Lacayo got loose on a fast break and scored a basket, drawing a foul. The Barva team lost its composure and got called for two technicals, which translated into four free throws and possession. So what had been a six point game became a 14 point lead in a blink. From there we managed the lead the rest of the game to pull out a valuable victory.

Game Notes

• Ike St Rose had 26 points on the back of some very effective shooting. Michael Jackson had 24 points while David Carnegie contributed 18 points. Henry Martinez scored 27 points for Barva.



Warner Rojas receiving a jersey

• The game was dedicated to Warner Rojas, the first Costa Rican to climb Mount Everest. It was pretty cool to have him there for the game. 
• Some sad news...Time Out Tavern closed its doors last Monday. This place had become interwoven with our team; I recruited several players there. This was our frequent watering hole for post game joys and sorrows. It's a real shame the Municipality decided to be dicks and complicate things for TOT.