The Tribune

By RENALDO DORSETT

Tribune Sports Reporter

rdorsett@tribunemedia.net

TOP seeds won out as expected on day one of the National High School Basketball Championships at the St George’s Gymnasium in Grand Bahama.

(3) CI Gibson Rattlers – 49

(10) Jordan Prince William

Falcons - 27

CI Gibson opened the tournament relatively untested and cruised to a game one win.

Terrance Storr (15) and Derico Burrows (14) combined to outscore the entire Falcons roster with their 29 points. Burrows also added four blocked shots.

The Rattlers were dominant early and a corner three from Burrows gave CI Gibson a 12-1 lead with just over three minutes left in the first. The Falcons’ first field goal of the game came near the end of the quarter on a Darius Lewis runner.

Lewis was tied with Mateo Taylor for the team lead with seven points while Quebel Martin added six points and seven rebounds.

The Rattlers held the Falcons to just 17 per cent shooting from the field and scored 25 points off turnovers. They also had a 14-4 advantage on fastbreak points and a 10-rebound advantage on the boards translated to a 13-point advantage in second chance points. The Rattlers’ lead reached 20 for the first time midway through the fourth on a Burrows putback for a 45-25 advantage.

(2) CC Sweeting Cobras – 63

(11) Teleos Christian

Cherubims – 55

The Cobras were on upset alert for much of the afternoon but closed the game on an 8-2 run in the final 90 seconds to pull away and escape with a round one win.

Cassius Turnquest led three Cobras players in double figures with 15 points and eight rebounds. Brandon Strachan finished with 12 points and nine rebounds, Marco Beckford had 13 points while Anton Williams added 11 points and five assists. Lavardo Dean led Teleos with 14 points and shot 4-5 from three-point range, Daniel Adams scored 12, Nathan Sullivan scored eight and Shamar Wallace finished with seven points and seven rebounds.

The Cobras scored off the opening tip but Strachan would exit shortly after with an apparent knee injury early in the first. Teleos took advantage and their three-point shooting led to a 15-7 lead after back-to-back threes from Dean and Sullivan. Adams followed with a putback for an early 10 point lead. CC Sweeting scored the final two baskets of the quarter to trail 17-11 at the end of the first.

Teleos stayed hot from long range with a three pointer from Adams on their possession of the second. They maintained a six-point lead for much of the second. They took a 27-19 lead on another Adams three pointer. The Cobras would score four consecutive and looked to shift momentum for a moment, but Teleos center Richard Lowe scored on a layup to end the run. Turnquest ended the quarter with a buzzer beating three pointer and kept the Cobras close 29-26 headed into the half.

The second half alone featured seven ties and 18 lead changes.

The Cobras came within one, early but Dean again answered with a three to keep them at bay. Beckford eventually tied the game at 34 with a three and for the second consecutive trip up court, Dean had the answer from three.

Beckford’s late runner tied the game at 40 headed into the fourth quarter.

Tied at 46 before Williams and Sullivan traded threes for another tie at 49. CC went ahead for good, 53-52 on an Ethan Munnings putback with 1:32 left to play.

Anton Williams made a three and Strachan added a putback to put the game away with a late surge.

(1) Tabernacle Falcons – 42

(12) Eight Mile Rock Blue Jays - 19

The number one overall seed looked the part in the most lopsided win of the day, powered by their dominant frountcourt. Deangelo Regis Cooper had 15 points and eight rebounds, Shyrone Kemp had nine points and seven rebounds

In Senior Girls play at the Jack Hayward Gymnasium - the Doris Johnson Mystic Marlins defeated Agape Christian 44-18, the Jordan Prince William Falcons defeated Mt Carmel 32-13.

The Bahamas Basketball Federation along with the Ministry of Education, Science and Technology is again hosting the event in Grand Bahama March 22-26 and will feature the top senior boys and girls and Family Island divisions.

The Nationals will be presented by the IL Cares Foundation which made a donation of $10,000 to facilitate the hosting of the event.

The IL Cares Foundation will present a special award to a courageous student athlete, in this case, Garith Kirkby a former student of the Bishop Michael Eldon School,

This year’s tournament will also recognise several basketball icons - Vogel Williams, Wayne Smith, Gary “Rangoon” McIntosh, Jimmy Clarke and Rueben Mounts.

“We will be honouring four individuals that have really and truly given their life to the sport of basketball and to education. Those young men continue to work hard, we have been honoured to have their services over the years,” said BBF President Charles Robins. “This is the best senior national tournament because of the champions. Everybody is after Tabernacle, so anything can happen this weekend.”