The Tribune

By RENALDO DORSETT

Sports Reporter

rdorsett@tribunemedia.net

THE Government Secondary Schools Sports Association opened its basketball playoffs yesterday with the CH Reeves Raptors earning the first championship berth in the four divisions.

The Raptors advanced with a 20-17 win over the AF Adderley Tigers yesterday at the CI Gibson Gymnasium.

Shenique Knowles scored the go ahead jumper from the right elbow with 23 seconds left to play and came up with the steal on the ensuing possession to all but seal the win for her team.

Despite the win, Knowles was not pleased with her team’s effort and looks forward to better play in the finals.

“We played awful. We could have done way better. We had missed layups, missed shots, we could have done much better,” she said. “I’m very glad we moved on but for us to win it all it’ll take a lot more shots to win in the championship.”

Knowles finished with eight points along with Deshanna Minns who also added eight.

“We played good but we still have to work on free throws and other stuff like that, but it was a good game,” she said. “We have to work on our layups, hitting free throws and getting even better on defence.”

The Tigers took an early 6-4 lead before the Raptors came back to tie it at six.

It was the Raptors’ defence that kept them in contention as the Tigers continuously floated passes to the middle of the lane, creating easy opportunities for CH Reeves.

Minns gave her team the first lead of the game with a layup and they led 8-6 at the end of the half.

The second half opened with both offences coming out stagnant for both teams.

A series of turnovers from both teams, and neither could capitalise until Knowles would score to make it 13-6.

The field goal drought would continue until the 3:12 mark in the second half.

The Raptors led by five with 2:17 left to play before the Raptors rallied with a frantic comeback. They came within one, 15-14, at the 1:21 mark but would be able to pull no closer.

The Tigers tied the game at 16 with 44 seconds left in regulation before Knowles’ heroics would put her team ahead for good.

“Defensively we had to work very hard to stop their scorers, we know they have a good backcourt so we had to come out here and work really hard on that end of the floor to try and slow them down.

“They are the defending champs so we knew it would be a hard game and we had to come out here and play them hard,” said Raptors head Coach.

“We get back to practice today and we will work on our schemes defensively and a lot of layups, we missed a lot of layups. We finished second overall and these girls worked hard. We have established these habits in the programme over the last three years and it’s our time now to bring a championship to CH Reeves.”