The Tribune

By TENAJH SWEETING

Tribune Sports Reporter

tsweeting@tribunemedia.net

THE LW Young Golden Eagles joined the three crowned champions after knocking off the Anatol Rodgers Timberwolves junior boys in game three of the Government Secondary Schools Sports Association (GSSSA) volleyball championships at the Kendal GL Isaacs Gymnasium on Friday.

The second-seeded Golden Eagles versus the fourth-seeded Timberwolves was the final remaining game in the best-of-three championships, and was the only match to go beyond two games. Following their 2-1 series victory over the Timberwolves, the Golden Eagles are champions along with the HO Nash Lions junior girls, CV Bethel Stingrays senior girls and Timberwolves senior boys.

Golden Eagles vs Timberwolves (2-1)

On Thursday night when three combined junior and senior teams celebrated their championship wins, the Golden Eagles kept their championship window open.

The second-seeded regular season squad managed to tie the series 1-1 on Thursday following a win in straight sets and rode that momentum to an identical result on Friday evening. With the GSSSA junior boys’ title up for grabs, both teams brought the intensity early in the initial set.

The score was locked at six apiece then the Timberwolves advanced by one point (7-6). The lower seeded Timberwolves got the advantage by three points to lead 9-6 on the determined Golden Eagles.

As the match winded down, the Golden Eagles took over 17-15 and then both junior teams scored on consecutive plays, changing the score to 19-17. The newly-crowned champions advanced by four points on the scoreboard (22-18) and eventually won set one 25-22.

With just one set between the Golden Eagles and the championship hardware, the junior boys came out strong in the final set. They opened the final match 3-0 which then changed to 8-4 as the Timberwolves got back into the bout. The LW Young team put their feet on the gas pedal and charged out to a 13-9 score. Despite the lead, the Timberwolves were unphased and evened the score at 14.

Following a few ties, the Golden Eagles proved why they were the second best team in the division and went up by six points (22-16). Although the Timberwolves fought their way back to make the score 24-20, the Golden Eagles scored the final point to spoil their chances of an upset and brought home the title to the nest.

The Most Valuable Player (MVP) award went to Kevense Vilme.

Rashad Brice, head coach of the Golden Eagles, was overwhelmed with excitement as he talked about the junior boys’ championship win.

“We just did what we needed to do. Our boys came out a bit flat in game one, we came back in game two, [and] game three we did what we do best, win and soar for the sky,” Brice said.

He acknowledged that the Timberwolves came out with a resilient energy but his team weathered the storm.

“We knew that they were gonna come out with a strong fight so we just decided to resist it, after they broke that we said we got them and never let them go after that,” the head coach continued.

He gave special thanks to Aquapure, Richard Morton and all of their other supporters during the GSSSA volleyball season.

The championships wrapped up after three days with the Stingrays taking down the Magic 2-0 for the senior girls’ title.

The Timberwolves senior boys swept the defending champions CI Gibson Rattlers in two games to hoist their trophies.

For the juniors, the Lions junior girls doubled up on championships after winning the title for the second year in a row following a 2-0 sweep against the Golden Eagles.

Next up for the GSSSA will be basketball for the senior and junior divisions scheduled for November 20.