JUST ONE WEEK into the new Sagicor/BOA Premier League basketball season the first shockwaves were sent through the competition as pre-tournament contenders Lumber Company Lakers and Nation Deacons Fastbreaks were upset at the Barbados Community College on Saturday.

Lakers went down 77-76 to Playfair Warriors while Deacons became the first victims of newly-promoted Roll-a-Way Storm and Security Shutters St John Sonics after a stunning 81-69 defeat.

Lakers and Deacons were the busiest teams during the off season, both beefing up their squads, and cruised to victories on opening night. However, they were sent a clear message that the title will not be won on paper.

The Lakers-Warriors contests have developed into one of local basketball's newest rivalries as very little has separated the two teams over the past few seasons. Saturday was no different as the Bayland-based Warriors gained some revenge for their play-off exit at the hands of their Husbands-based opponents last year.

Lakers were cruising with a 20-point cushion, as they made Warriors play a half-court game, while guard Zahir Motara and big men Pearson Griffith and Sydney "Bouncer" Rowe led the offensive charge.

Slow start

For the second game in a row Warriors started slowly and further hurt themselves by missing the few fast-break opportunities they had. They even lost captain Terry Pilgrim who fouled out after picking up an unsportsmanlike foul in a skirmish with Lakers big man Andre Boadu. This appeared to spark the Bayland-based Warriors as they chipped away at the lead and trailed 49-56 at the end of the third quarter.

They closed the game with a 17-6 run in the final three-and-a-half minutes after Lakers had led 70-61.

As Warriors gathered momentum Lakers went into panic mode and committed unforced errors.

Two free-throws by David "Ernie" Smith locked the game at 74 with 12 seconds left, but Rowe's lay-up put Lakers ahead. However, on the ensuing Warriors possession Lakers guard Adrian Allman was judged to have fouled small forward Corey McDonald on his desperation three-point attempt with two ticks on the clock.

The former MVP kept his composure to sink all three of his free-throws, and Lakers failed to get off the potential game-winning shot.

Sonics 81 Fastbreaks 69

Sonics captain Jefferson Trotman said before the season started that consistently scoring more than 70 points while holding opponents to fewer than that total will be the key to his team remaining in top flight.

Pleased

He would have been a happy man as they acheived both against a big Fastbreaks line-up.

He had also promised to run the ball, and run they did as their full court press led to several easy transition baskets.

They led 20-17 at the end of the first period as an unsettled Deacons could not control the tempo and settled for jump shots instead of capitalising on their size advantage and pumping the ball inside.

Sonics increased their advantage to double digits and led 43-30 at half-time, with Trotman and Nicholas Bradshaw combining for 12 points in the period.

However, unlike their first match, they did not run out of steam as they matched every Fastbreaks run, including a fourth-quarter surge behind the efforts of Henry Richards, Dale Clarke and Neil Harewood.

Fastbreaks came within five points midway through the quarter, but Trotman and Terrence Roach, who atoned for a poor first night with a game-high 24 points, combined for 14 to quell the run. (KC)

Summarised Scores

Warriors 77 (24) (Corey McDonald 28, David Smith 19, Nicholas King 16) Lakers 76 (38) (Zahir Motara 19, Pearson Griffith 19, Sydney Rowe 15)

Sonics 81 (43) (Terrence Roach 24, Jefferson Trotman 14, Damian Waithe 10) Fastbreaks 69 (30) (Brian Worrell 15, Neil Harewood 12, Dale Clarke 12)