The Tribune

By BRENT STUBBS

Senior Sports Reporter

bstubbs@tribunemedia.net

LAST year’s runners-up St George’s Jaguars and the defending GSSSA champions CC Sweeting Cobras are off to a fast start in the 2019 Providence Holiday Classic High School Basketball Tournament.

Yesterday as the four-day tournament got started at the DW Davis Gymnasium, the Jaguars knocked off the Anatol Rodgers Timberwolves 49-32 and they clobbered the Teleos Cherubims 61-34 to take the early lead in pool four.

The Cobras, on the other hand, pulled off a 43-26 decision over the Mt Carmel Cavaliers and they polished off the CR Walker Knights 49-45 as they set the stage for pool three.

In pool one, the host and defending champions CI Gibson Rattlers prevailed with an early 60-51 win and they were scheduled to play the RM Bailey Pacers in their late game.

And in pool two, the CV Bethel Stingrays and Doris Johnson Mystic Marlins had a key matchup late last night to set their stage after the St Augustine’s College Big Red Machine didn’t show up for the initial game against the Mystic Marlins.

• Here’s a summary of the games played in the two early sessions:

Jaguars 61,

Cherubim 34

St George’s, not considered one of the top teams in Grand Bahama, are hoping that when they return from the tournament, they will be in the conversation. The Jaguars got off to a quick 5-0 start and they doubled it up 16-8 at the end of the first quarter. By the half, they were in full control with a 32-14 advantage. They went on to surge to a 49-24 lead at the end of the third and were never challenged the rest of the game.

Shaval Butters led their attack with a game high 16 points and both Paul Green and Sammy Pinder added 12 apiece. Christopher Johnson contributed eight.

“We had some questions about our team that hopefully we can get answered here. So far they have answered those questions,” said St George’s coach Darrel Sears.

“We want to get tougher because the knock on St George’s is that you have to beat them physically. So we want to get more physical. That is why we come to this tournament in the Christmas because it gives us a level of play that we won’t see on a daily basis in Grand Bahama.”

In a losing effort, Richard Lowe worked his way inside for 13, while Jason Joseph added seven.

Cobras 49, Knights 45: Demitri Thurston hit what turned out to be the key basket for CC Sweeting as they took a 48-45 lead with 48 seconds left to remain undefeated this season.

Thurston finished with five points, but Haywood Seymour led their attack with a game high 17. Anton Wallace had 16 and Ethan Munnings chipped in with eight.

“These guys are not serious. They have not lost a game all season and they can not execute. They don’t listen,” said CC Sweeting’s coach Wayde Watson. “This is a championship team and we’re not playing that way.

“We were down several points going into the fourth quarter, but we shouldn’t be playing teams like that after we have already beaten them by 20 points. We have to play better.”

The Cobras are off to a 3-0 record in the GSSSA and they are now 2-0 in the tournament.

For CR Walker, Stanley Pierre scored 14 and Monteze Rolle had 12.

Cobras 43, Cavaliers 36: Christian Manace and Deangelo Woodside provided a 1-2 punch for CC Sweeting as they opened the tournament with a win.

Michael Smith scored a game high 22 points in a losing effort.

Jaguars 49, Timberwolves 32: In their opening game of the tournament, Shaval Butters produced a game high 14, Pul Green had nine, Christopher Johnson had seven and both Sammy Pinder and Theodore Grant added six.

For Anatol, Tyrell Butler scored nine and both Kevin Thompson and Steve Schurton helped out with five apiece.

Rattlers 60, Magicmen 51: CI Gibson ame from a 12-13 deficit at the end of the first quarter to go ahead 34-26 at thew half and they never relinquished the lead.

Chad Smith scored 13 points, Derico Burrows had 10 and Cameron Shearer chipped in with seven.

In a losing effort, Dimargio Taylor lid up the nets for a game high 22 points, Justin Larose had nine and Samuel Gibson finished with eight.

Giants 67, Cheetahs 58: Khazzan Taylor canned a game high 25 points, Denaze Rolle had 11, Jordan Maycock 10 and Immaunel Carey eight in the big win for St John’s.

South Andros, who only trailed by five, 36-31 at the half, got a game high 21 points from Menalick Smith, 16 from Jarrod Dean and 10 from Jeffrey Francis in the loss.

The tournament will continue today at 9 am. Games are also on tap on Saturday and will wrap up on Sunday when the champions will be crowned.