The Tribune

By RENALDO DORSETT

Sports Reporter

rdorsett@tribunemedia.net

The Bahamas Association of Independent Secondary Schools basketball championship series tipped off in all four divisions last night at the Kendal Isaacs Gymnasium. Game two in each series is scheduled to take place starting at 4pm today.

Senior Boys

Jordan Prince William

Falcons - 44

Queen’s College Comets - 37

THE Comets had no answer for Falcons centre Adam Johnson who dominated both ends of the floor to keep the league’s most dominant team on pace for a championship title.

Johnson finished with a triple double - 12 points, 17 rebounds and 10 blocks - en route to the game one win. Micah Bethel added eight, while Jeffrey Oliver and Shakim Sweeting each finished with seven. A slow paced game throughout, ball control became the dominant factor down the stretch. Johnson blocked a layup and took the ball the full length of the floor to finish with a layup of his own for a 35-27 lead with just over six minutes left to play. The Comets battled back 39-35 but it was Oliver who came up with a steal and layup. He followed with another runner on the ensuing possession to go up by eight, 43-35. The Falcons opened the game on a 7-0 run before the Comets would reach the scoreboard. After a run of their own, the Comets pulled within two and JPW took an 11-7 lead after one. Falcons interior defence separated the teams at that point, anchored by Johnson. His block and outlet pass led to a fastbreak dunk and a 22-13 lead sending Falcons supporters into a frenzy. The Comets managed to close the half on a 5-0 run and trailed just 22-19. The Falcons slowed the pace of the game considerably in the third quarter and the Comets capitalised when they tied the game at 23 with under five minutes left to play.

Junior Boys

Jordan Prince William

Falcons - 44

St Augustine’s College

Big Red Machine - 31

Falcons head coach Ernest Saunders couldn’t have asked for a better start to the series with a convincing win over the top seeded Big Red Machine. The division wasn’t decided until the final weekend before the playoffs with SAC getting the edge and entering as the No.1 seed, but the No.2 Falcons played like the aggressors with a point to prove. Darius Lewis had 14 points and Mateo Taylor finished with 12 to lead the Falcons. Cornelius Clyde led SAC with 12 points. They limited the Big Red Machine to just a single field goal in the first frame and took a 10-4 lead at the end of the quarter. Clyde led a comeback for the the Big Red Machine who trimmed the deficit to just 21-18 at the half, but it would be as close as they would get the remainder of the way. The Falcons took a 20-23 lead into the fourth quarter and led by as much as 16 when Lewis converted a fastbreak layup with just over one minute left to play.

Senior Girls

SAC Big Red Machine - 28

St John’s Giants - 18

SAC’s Serena Brown continues to be the difference maker for the Big Red Machine on their quest to a league title. After unseating the top seeded Falcons on Monday, Brown sparked her team’s game one win with a game high eight points and dominated the boards all afternoon. SAC led 14-8 at the half and opened the third on an 8-0 run to seal the win.

Junior Girls

QC Comets - 25

Kingsway Saints - 20

In a rematch of last year’s championship series, the Comets look to overturn that loss in 2016. Tylar Lightbourne led the Comets with six points, while Brianna Munroe chipped in with four. Tyra Kirlew had a game-high eight points for the Saints. Both teams struggled to find their offence early in the game and they entered the half tied at eight. With just under two minutes left to play, the Comets fastbreaked their way to an 8-2 run for their biggest lead of the game. In the fourth, Kingsway would come within a single posession, 22-20, but it was Lightbourne that halted the run with a layup. Although they had some good looks on the other end, the Saints couldn’t answer and now face sudden death in today’s game. Comets coach Chadwick James said: “We just need to relax and know that this is our time.”