The Tribune

The final series matchups are all set in the Bahamas Association of Independent Secondary Schools basketball championships.

The best-of-three series in each division begins on Thursday, February 1 at the Kendal Isaacs Gymnasium. Both girls teams from the St Augustine’s College Big Red Machine, and both boys teams from the Jordan Prince William Falcons advanced to the final.

In Junior Girls, SAC won 37-30 over the St John’s Giants.

Antonicia Moultrie scored eight of her 12 points in a pivotal third quarter that saw the Big Red Machine take the lead and control of the game and earn the right to defend their title.

St John’s scored off the opening tip and the score was tied at five before the Giants’ Sidney Hilarie made a corner three and Calvanique Spence added a layup to end the quarter on a 5-0 run and take a 10-5 lead.

SAC opened the second quarter on a 5-0 run of their own to tie it before the Giants scored their first basket of the period. Hilarie made an acrobatic layup to take a 18-14 lead headed into the half.

The Giants led 21-20 with 3:03 left to play in the third and Moultrie finally gave SAC their first lead of the game when she made a pair at the line moments later.

Rachael Rolle and Gabriel Murphy followed with layups for a 27-22 Big Red Machine lead headed into the fourth.

Murphy gave SAC a 31-26 SAC lead with just under three minutes left to play and they maintained a six-point lead throughout much of the fourth to advance.

They face No.1 seed Jordan Prince William Falcons, who advanced on Monday with a 34-29 win over the Queen’s College Comets.

In the Senior Girls matchup, SAC escaped with a 35-34 win over the Giants.

After falling behind early 8-4, the Giants took a 10-8 lead at the end of the first and 15-13 lead at the half.

St John’s scored on their first two field goal attempts to take an early six-point lead in the third quarter. After the Big Red Machine cut it to one on a jumper, the Giants cut the SAC run short with a driving layup. SAC took a brief 22-21 lead but the Giants would again respond with a score to take a 23-22 lead into the fourth.

Both teams traded baskets for much of the early portion of the fourth and the Giants clung to a 33-32 lead with just under two minutes left to play. Late free throws would seal the win down the stretch for the Falcons. They will advance to face the Jordan Prince William Falcons who defeated the QC Comets 66-27 in the other semi-final.

The Falcons have placed four teams in Thursday’s championship series. Both Junior Girls and Senior Girls will feature the Falcons versus the Big Red Machine.

In the Junior Boys, the Falcons will face the Temple Christian Suns and in Senior Boys the Falcons and Big Red Machine face off in a rematch of last year’s series.