The Tribune

By BRENT STUBBS

Senior Sports Reporter

bstubbs@tribunemedia.net

AT the end of two exciting days of competition, the Eva Hilton Shockers emerged as the girls’ champions of the New Providence Public Primary Schools Association’s Sherman Smith Basketball Tournament.

In concluding a complete sweep of all of their games played on Monday and Tuesday at the Kendal Isaacs Gymnasium, Eva Hilton shocked the Sadie Curtis Blazers 34-6 behind the brilliant performance from Raynique Tinker.

While the Shockers celebrated as champions, defending champions Sandilands Primary had to settle for the consolation third place prize as they blanked Uriah McPhee 16-0.

Today, the boys will begin their competition as they prepare to crown their new champion on Thursday or Friday, depending on the amount of teams that participate.

But for now, the spotlight is on Eva Hilton.

Tinker, one of the starting twin towers for the Shockers, was unstoppable as she worked her way inside for 14 points, half of which came off second chance shots, as she dominated in the paint for the team’s 22-2 lead at the half.

Tinker, who had already outscored Sadie Curtis alone in the first half, finished with a game high 22 points. What she didn’t score, Eva Hilton’s guard Azaria Duncombe made up with six points.

Head coach Zindora Munnings said her girls gave it their all from start to finish in the five games they played in the tournament.

“I am so proud of these girls,” she said. “I am so proud of our captain Azaria Duncombe and Raynique Tinker, our overall scorer and assistant captain. They played together as a team, they worked together as a team and they won as a team.

“Team work makes the dream work. They were consistent and they believed in themselves and they went out there and played to the best of their abilities and we came out as champions.”

Letiva Russell scored four points in the loss for Sadie Curtis, whose coach Michaela Butler-Capron didn’t have to look too far to determine what went wrong.

“I felt really good that we made it to second place. The girls played awesome, so I was very proud of them,” she said. “But their big girls were very quick. They were able to dribble the ball up the court and so it was a little hard to keep up.”

In the semifinals played just before the final two games, Eva Hilton nipped Sandilands Primary 6-5 as Tinker scored all of their points. Derricka Smith had four in the loss.

And in the other game played, Sadie Curtis held off Uriah McPhee 67-6. Russell, J’Lynn Bain and Rhamika Bethel all scored a pair of points.

Brinae Braynen was the top scorer in a losing effort with four.

In other games played to complete the pool play, Sadie Curtis def. Yellow Elder 4-2 and Centreville doubled up CW Sawyer 6-3 in pool B and in pool C, Claridge Primary knocked off EP Roberts 12-5 and Palmdale

Primary got by Uriah McPhee 9-8.

In the pool championship games, Eva Hilton clobbered Garvin Tynes 24-6 in pool A; Sadie Curtis doubled up Centreville 8-4 in pool B, Uriah McPhee held off Palmdale 7-6 in pool C and Sandilands won over Thelma Gibson 12-2.

Association president Latoya Bain said she was pleased with what she saw.

“It was a competitive tournament,” she said. “The four teams who played in the final four spots were right there last year, so it was good to see them back at it again.

“But it was fun and it was competitive. That’s what it’s all about, getting the children to learn the fundamentals of the game, dribbling, passing and shooting the ball.”

With the boys starting their competition today, Bain said she anticipates that there will be a lot of fireworks because boys really love playing basketball.