Solomon Islands Basketball Federation

The men's division of the All Star Tournament was a tightly contested affair. Like the women's game it was locked at 33 all after 3 quarters. In the end it was the East All Stars who prevailed when they took advantage of the final possession to kill time after going up by a basket moments earlier. The West All Stars had their chance to tie the game but a driving layup by guard Sammy Gwali fell shot at the buzzer.

The only signficant lead came in the 3rd quarter when the East All Stars led by 10 points which the West All Stars were able to cut and end the quarter with a draw. Otherwise, it was a close game all throughout.

The turn of events was when Mose Kivo and Goldie Kari started to take control of the game late in the fourth quarter. Strong defense on centers Allen Wane and Moses Au kept the threat from the West All Stars at bay. The East All Stars were then able to exploit the weaker left low post to score with strong drives from Goldie.

Christopher Ora fell to early foul trouble as he attempted to shut down Sammy Gwali. Sammy was able to collect 2 quick fouls on him and then sent him to the bench when he took another charging foul on the 3rd. For the West All Stars Phillip Tuhaika failed to find range from the 3 point line.

The best move of the night came as Sammy Gwali glided through a throng of defenders to score on a strong drive in the third.

"We are just getting warmed up and the East All Stars should not rest on their laurels. We will come next week aiming for nothing less than a win." said a West All Star. "I think it is always difficult in the first game of any series but we will iron out some of our mistakes in practise and we should be ready for game 2."

Winning East All Star coach Willie Sade said, "The series has only started. We are happy to be 1 game up but injuries have also weakened our team. Gavin Bare, Bryce Masaea and our much needed veteren leader John Mane were not able to play today."

The East All Stars now lead the men's series 1-0. Game 2 on the 8th is expected to be a high intensity game with more action and friendly competition.

The organizers have said that plans for the grand finale is going ahead, "Game 3 on Sunday 15th is planned to be a huge event and we have a program already planned for that day. If the series are tied at 1 all, you would expect both the men and women's team to come and fight for glory."