By RENALDO SMITH, NG Sports Reporter

renaldo@nasguuard.com

After watching their Division Two squad squander their lead in the final minutes, the Sunshine Auto Ruff Ryders Division 1 squad was determined to get a win.

And despite not playing at their best on either end of the floor, they were still good enough for an 82-76 win over the Cable Bahamas Enter-tainers at the D.W. Davis Gym on Wednesday night.

"I think this is the worst game we ever played since the season has started. Even though we were down in the first half we still had enough composure to not get upset and play our game," said Ryders point guard Kevin Smith after the game.

"We just pulled away even though all game we were playing on the same level. We didn't execute any plays at all and we didn't run any plays. Basically we just ran on ball skills. That pulled us through tonight with this team but with a better team that just won't cut it. We won by the grace of God tonight and now I just look forward to the next game," he said.

Early on in the contest it was the Entertainers who were in command, as they jumped out to a 12-3 lead.

Point guard Mario Tho-mpson penetrated the lane at will, and forward Ricardo Clarke was dominant offensively inside.

Clarke continued his as-sault on the Ryders in the second quarter as his quickness and size became near impossible to defend.

However, on the defensive side, Clarke quickly got into foul trouble as he battled with the Ryders interior. And despite playing a sluggish first half, the Ryders found themselves down by just seven (30-37) at halftime and knew that they could take control in the third quarter.

Using a boost of energy, the Ryders turned their defensive intensity up in the second half, and they were able to force turnovers and attack the interior of the Enterta-iners. Smith, along with sho-oting guard Nelson Joseph, wasted little time putting up shot attempts as they opened up an eight point advantage (61-53).

The Entertainers made a good run to try to get back in the game, but with no shot clock in effect, the Ryders stretched out their positions and held on for the win.

"When I got in foul trouble it really put my team in jeopardy because the referee was not even calling. It has to be a fair game, and it was not," said Clarke. "The team really played well because we came back and it was a struggle. We just have to work on the guys relaxing the ball more when it counts and I think that they could take it all," he said.

Anthony Whylly had a quiet 16 points in the win for the Ryders. Despite the foul trouble, Clarke led the Entertainers with a game high 23 points.

With the win, the Ryders improved their record to 6-1 on the season.

And in Division II, the Ruff Ryders had more than enough opportunities to secure a win against the Police Crime Stoppers but simply could not put them away.

In a game that was close throughout, the Crime Stoppers were able to make the big plays when it mattered most to pull off the 117-116 overtime win.

It was Crime Stoppers centre Jamal Rolle who took over the game in the paint in the fourth quarter and overtime as he led his team with 25 points.

"Our team is a very young team and we practise hard. I know that we just have to keep playing a lot of defence and do what we have to do in order to win more games," said Rolle. "I am the oldest on the team and I try to lead by example and just take things over the best way that I could because this is a very young team. I knew that we would step our game up in the overtime period to prove that we were better than them and that is what we did," he said.

After exchanging buckets much of the final quarter, it was Ryders shooting guard Dario Seymour who hit a miraculous fade away three-point bomb to tie the game at 104 with just 5.8 seconds remaining in regulation. Seymour was also fouled on the attempt but was unable to ice the game for the Ryders as he missed the crucial free-throw.

In the overtime period the Crime Stoppers relentlessly fed the ball into the post to Rolle who put up seven points in the extra period, including a key three-pointer with two minutes left in regulation.

After the game, Seymour held himself responsible for the tough loss and said he is looking forward to meeting the Crime Stoppers again.

"I had too much excitement and I just let the game get out of hand. I should not have celebrated because the game was not over yet, so I blame this loss on me. All I live for is winning and hitting big game shots. So I apologize to Sunshine Auto and next time we will do better and come out victorious," he said.

The Ryders were in command of the game but costly turnovers in crunch time, coupled with their inability to control the offensive boards hurt their chances.

Leading the Ryders throughout the game was versatile guard Ernest Saunders as he exploded to the hoop at will, and put up a game high 39 points in he losing cause. Center Patrick Arthur added 11 points for the Ryders.