The Tribune

By RENALDO DORSETT

Tribune Sports Reporter

rdorsett@tribunemedia.net

The two versus three matchups in the BAISS basketball semi-finals provided a series of exciting finishes with each of the four games decided by a single possession, culminating in a five overtime thriller in the finale.

Senior Boys

(3) Queen’s College

Comets - 77

(2) Temple Christian

Suns - 76

Quintuple Overtime

It took five overtime periods to decide the longest game of the BAISS season. Dre Hudson led the Comets in a scorers duel with the Suns’ Deyton Albury.

Both players scored 38 points each, but it was Hudson’s go ahead free throw with eight seconds left to play that lifted the Comets to a place in the final.

Headed into the fifth overtime tied at 68, Albury put Suns ahead 70-69, but Hudson would answer with a driving layup to regain the lead 71-70. Albury answered with a three point play and 73-71 lead. Hudson continued the back and forth between the two when his layup tied it at 73 and followed with his trip to the line to give the Comets a one point lead.

After the Suns tied it at 74. Raymond Rolle’s runner gave QC a 76 lead with 14 secs left, but Abury raced down court to tie it with his floater. Hudson was fouled in the backcourt and went to the line to seal the win. Ayton’s layup at the buzzer missed off the back iron as time expired.

Hudson led three Comets in double figures. Nathan Allen and Deon Davis both scored 11.

Albury’s 38 led the Suns while Christian Sturrup had 13 and Garrath Edgecombe finished with 12.

A closely contested first quarter saw the Suns take a 15-14 lead on an Edgecombe putback just before the buzzer sounded. TC extended their defensive pressure and opened the second quarter on a 9-0 run but the Comets would rally. They eventually fought their way back into the game and tied it at 23 when Hudson dished an assist to Denerius Beneby for a layup. Hudson’ successful trip to the line gave the Comets a 25-23 lead at the half.

The Suns tied it on the opening possession of the third, but the Comets reeled off eight consecutive points to go ahead 33-27. Sturrup ended the Comets’ run with his three, and traded baskets with Hudson to keep the Suns within a single possession.

Tied at 39 headed into the fourth after Keithwood Stubbs was fouled on a three pointer as time expired but made just 2-3 from the line.

After a nearly three-minute drought, the Comets connected on back to back threes to pull ahead, but Albury tied it at 45 with another driving layup. It was tied again at 47 before Edgecombe’s free throws and an Albury three gave the Suns a 52-47 lead with 2:47 left.

QC ended the fourth on a 9-4 run to tie it at 56 and force the first overtime.

Free throws put the Comets up two before Albury’s dunk tied it at 59. After the Comets missed an opportunity from the line to go ahead, Albury sank both free throws with 27 seconds left. Hudson went to the line for QC and made both to tie it again at 61.

After a scoreless second overtime, Hudson converted a three point play on the Comets’ opening possession for a 64-61 lead. Sturrup followed with free throws to come within one and Albury gave the Suns the lead with his trip to the line, 65-64. Allen’s steal and layup gave Comets a 66-65 lead but Albury was on the attack again and earned a trip to the line when he tied the game at 66 with 1:02 left to play.

A Comets three rimmed out and Albury went coast to coast for the go ahead score. Hudson scored on an inbounds play with seven seconds left to send the game into a fourth overtime

The Suns held the ball for the entire duration of the fourth but again came up short on the game winner.

QC will face the No 1 seed St. John’s College Giants in the final. The Comets handed the Giants their only loss of the regular season in the first matchup between the two teams.

Senior Girls

(2) St. Augustine’s

Big Red Machine - 43

(3) Jordan Prince

William Falcons - 42

The Big Red Machine nearly squandered a six-point lead with 40 seconds left to play but Karolyn Baptiste was clutch at the free throw line to lead SAC into the championship.

Baptiste was fouled with 6.4 seconds on the clock and made the go-ahead free throw. Brianna Stevens’ desperation heave as time expired fell just short.

Mikayla White led Sac with 10 points while Baptiste scored eight. Stevens led the Falcons with a game high 20 points and Tereca Williams scored 10 of her 16 in the fourth quarter.

The Falcons tied it at 31 on a Williams corner three but the Big Red MAchine went ahead 35-31. Stevens free throws again trimmed the SAC lead to just one, but responded with four points on a single possession, White made one free throw and eventually came up with an offensive rebound and putback off her own miss

Another White score put SAC ahead by six, 42-36 with 38 seconds left to play.

Williams made a three from the top of the key, Stevens came up with a steal in the backcourt and layup and she went to the line to convert the three point play to tie the game at 42 with 16.4 seconds left.

Following a steal, the Falcons had an opportunity to win, but a missed layup gave SAC the opportunity to go ahead when Baptiste was fouled.

The Big Red Machine will face the No 1 seed St. John’s College Giants in the final.

The Falcons rallied late in the third to force seven unanswered points and trailed just 25-24 headed into the fourth.

They will face the St John’s College Giants in the final.

Junior Girls

(2) St John’s College

Giants – 35

(3) Jordan Prince

William Falcons - 33

The Giants took a 35-33 lead when R Collins scored late with less than a minute ledft to play. The Giants would force a turnover on the defensive end to advance.

The Falcons led 6-0 early and 8-2 at the end of the first but the Giants rallied in the second. Led by Collins, they scored six unanswered to come within one, 9-8 and tied it on a free throw. Both teams traded scores to tie the game again at 11. The Giants went on a 5-0 run for the biggest lead of the half before the Falcons’ Fantasia Newbold made a late three pointer to trail 16-14 at the half.

JPW took a 22-21 lead on Veronaye Charlton’s free throws and she followed with a three pointer on the next possession. The Suns took a 27-23 lead headed into the fourth.

Charlton’s layup put Falcons ahead 33-30 with just under three minutes left to play before the Giants ended the game on a 5-0 run.

SJC will face the No 1 seed SAC Big Red Machine in the final.

Junior Boys

(2) Jordan Prince

William Falcons - 46

(3) Kingsway Academy

Saints - 44

A late Falcons three pointer with less than a minute left to play gave the Falcons the edge and they were able to keep possession down the stretch to avoid the upset.

Two of the games first three made field goals were from beyond the arch and the game was tied at nine early on. The Saints scored on consecutive fastbreaks to take a 13-9 lead, but the Falcons tied the game at 13 at the end of the first.

The Saints opened the second on an 8-1 run and took a 21-14 lead. The Falcons came back to tie the game at 23 on a and took a 25-23 lead at the half. They took a 34-32 lead headed into the fourth.

The fourth quarter featured four ties and five lead changes before the Falcons pulled ahead.

They will face the No 1 seed Queen’s College Comets in the final.