The Tribune

By TENAJH SWEETING

Tribune Sports Reporter

tsweeting@tribunemedia.net

THE St Francis and Joseph Shockers had to make room for yet another championship trophy after the girls closed out their series against the Xavier’s Lower School Giants 2-1 in game three of the Catholic Board of Education Primary Schools Championships.

With the stakes high for both teams, the Shockers emerged with a narrow 13-10 victory yesterday at Loyola Hall. The girls joined the boys, who won their title on Wednesday in sweeping fashion, in celebration of the Shockers going two for two in both divisions.

Nkomo Ferguson, head coach of the Shockers, talked about how it felt to double up the title wins in his first season as the coach.

“It feels really good again like the first time, today the girls really put their foot down. The first three quarters we dominated but in the last quarter one of our better players fouled out and then we had to regroup which put us in a slump for about three minutes of running time. They were then able to come back and almost tied the game.”

The Shockers girls’ team were reeling following their first loss of the basketball season at the hands of the Giants on Wednesday. Despite the gut-wrenching loss, the team used the defeat to fuel their fire in game three yesterday.

The newest champions were the first to jump ahead on the scoreboard to lead 6-3 at the 2:36 mark in the second period. They advanced by another two points and closed out the halftime break 8-3.

The victors ran out by as much as nine points but the Giants maintained a “never say die” mentality and mounted a major comeback in the fourth quarter. With the scoreboard at 13-4, the Giants poured in two consecutives baskets to draw within five (13-8).

The team continued to chip away at the lead and got a final chance to tie the score at 13 to force an overtime period.

However, a last-minute heave from behind the arc by the Giants rimmed out and the Shockers flooded the court to revel in championship glory.

“Wednesday night was a real reality check for them because they did not lose any games yet and they felt that sting.

“Today in school they practiced by themselves during lunch time to get ready for the game,” the head coach said.

Grace Smith was one of the players who took the loss to heart on Wednesday night.

However, in the win-or-go-home contest, Smith powered her way to a game-high eight points which translated to not only championship Most Valuable Player (MVP) honours but also the league’s MVP award.

“It feels great. I had to work for this. I was not this good when I was on the team last year in grade four but I trained all through the summer and now I am here.

“It feels amazing to have three trophies and to celebrate with some of the most important people to me,” the MVP said.

Among the other trophy earners was Giants head coach Raygail Smith, who claimed the coach’s award.

Despite coming up short in the final game, her Giants team fought tooth and nail until the final buzzer sounded at the Loyola Hall.

The 2023 Catholic Board of Education Primary Schools Championships wrapped up with the Shockers hoisting both trophies to conclude a successful basketball season.