The Tribune

By RENALDO DORSETT

Sports Reporter

rdorsett@tribunemedia.net

With the stakes at their highest, Daltino Thurston stepped to the line and hit his most clutch free throw of the season to lift the Breezes High Flyers to the New Providence Basketball Association Division II title.

Thurston made the first of two free throws with 12 seconds left to give the High Flyers a 75-74 win over the Johnson’s Truckers in the deciding game five of the series at the AF Adderley Gymnasium last night.

Thurston scored just five points, but his free throws with the game on the line made the High Flyers the first team in the series to win consecutive games and claim the Reggie Forbes floating trophy.

Jeremy Neely was virtually unstoppable once again, leading the High Flyers with 26 points and 11 rebounds. Shanton Pratt scored 15 and Devontee Gibson scored 12 points with nine rebounds.

Christorr Stuart led the Truckers with 25 points, 12 rebounds, five assists and four steals. Horris McKenzie scored 19 and grabbed eight rebounds and Frantz Smith Jr scored 10.

Breezes took a 54-50 lead into the fourth quarter and maintained the lead briefly until the Truckers tied it at 60 on a McKenzie three-pointer with 7:35 left to play.

The game was tied again at 63, 65, 67, 69 and 71 headed into the final minute of play. Pratt converted a three-point play to give Breezes a 74-71 lead before Michael Davis brought Johnson’s back within one. After Pratt missed a jumper the following trip up court, Stuart was fouled with 32 seconds left to play with an opportunity to put his team ahead. Stuart would split the pair and made the second to tie the game at 74, setting the stage for Thurston’s late-game heroics.

Both teams opened with one of their worst quarters of the series and struggled to score early on, combining for just 18 points. Neely’s three-pointers tied the game at six midway through the period before the teams traded leads over the next few baskets. Stuart made one of two free throws before Travis Stuart gave the High Flyers the lead right back with a three-pointer. They took an 11-9 lead at the end of a slowly paced period where neither team was able to score over the last 2:32.

Neely started to heat up in the second quarter and got the scoring rolling for the High Flyers. He opened with a layup on their second possession, added a free throw and made a three-pointer to give his team a 17-9 lead one minute into the quarter.

After the Truckers responded, Neely’s second three of the quarter gave his team a 22-15 lead. McKenzie scored on the next possession and sparked a run which saw them take the lead. He added a pair of free throws, Stuart made a three-pointer and McKenzie tied the game at 22 on a layup with just over four minutes left to play.

Michael Davis gave the Truckers a lead with a pair of free throws and the run continued with another layup from Stuart for a 26-22 lead. They would take a 31-29 lead into the half.

The High Flyers had their highest scoring period in the third when they outscored the Truckers 25-19 to take a 54-50 lead into the fourth quarter.

Neither team shot the ball well, but Breezes held the slight edge in field-goal percentage (37-34), made two more free throws and one more shot from long distance.

The High Flyers took game one of the series with a 98-84 win.

Game two saw the Truckers even the series - they withstood a late fourth-quarter rally to escape with a 104-100 win.

The Truckers regained control of the series in game three with a 74-68 win before the High Flyers tied the series with a 78-69 win.