St Mary’s upset Excel in schools b-ball

St Mary’s College (CIC) showed heart at the St Paul’s Street Sport Facility, Port-of-Spain yesterday as they persisted through regulation and one period of over time to record a gutsy come from behind 55-53 win over a distracted Excel Composite lineup.

This as NGC/Express Schools Basketball League continued. Excel’s quick and precise passing style helped them to a 17-8 first quarter lead and gave them a 37-28 brace at half time as St Mary’s struggled to keep up with their pace in the early exchanges. At the end of the third quarter the 49-49 scoreline signalled a reversal of fortune for both teams. Led primarily by Marlon Saldenha and Zenon Alleyne, who turned in a similar performance with the Under-17 team the day before, and Darrius Marcellin in scoring, “The Saints” were relentless throughout the encounter. And when they got the sleep out of their joints the stage was set for a memorable final chapter. Josimar Phillip, who along with CIC’s Saldenha put in a match-high 18 points led the march for most of the encounter. But with only Marcus Allert accompanying him into double figures, his efforts remained un-complemented.

Alleyne’s 13 points and Marcellin’s 11, brought much needed relief to the CIC team in the final minutes of the fourth quarter and helped them take charge with the seconds ticking away. But a lapse in concentration led to Phillip being allowed to score the tying basket on the final whistle. CIC showed their tactical superiority and played a relaxed five minutes of extra time while Excel were left to show their fatigue and trailed by a steady two-point margin. The final minute was particularly frustrating for Excel’s supporters as their team allowed CIC to control the clock and were rather casual with the final whistle looming. What proved to be CIC’s joy was Excel’s heartbreak as the final whistle reminded them of the match they let slip out of their hands.

Another comeback was a season in coming as Tranquillity Secondary’s unfamiliar lineup came up against Morvant/Laventille Secon-dary’s team, which subsists on members of last year’s victorious Under-17 team. They were beaten 76-56. Morvant/Laventille’s great hope, Dylaun Skeete did not disappoint and provided a match-high 23 points to ease his teammate’s workload. Anthony Husbands and Kyle Bourne were not interested in the rest however and each put in 20 of their own. Kern Samuel, who took the court as part of Tranquil’s Under-17 team produced 21 points in an effort to keep his team afloat but his compatriots were not as co-operative and he was left stranded, the only one in double figures. The game was kept back due to the duration of the CIC/Excel match but was a strong contender for “Game of the Week.” The Tranquil team will go into next week with hopes of improving on their record and removing some of the cobwebs from their gameplay.

At the Jean Pierre Complex, Mucurapo Senior Secondary were gifted a Friday evening brain cooler when they met Maple Leaf and demoralised them 106-16 in both teams’ first Under-20 match up for the 2004 season. The Maple Leaf coach will have a whole weekend to pour over his notes, while Mucurapo’s Kerry McMillan who scored match-high 21 points, Christian John with 20 and Kensley Sandy on 19 points will return to school on Monday heroes in their own right. Fatima College’s standout last season, Jason Sharpe put in a season-high 33 points as his team helped themselves to a 63-57 win over Diego Martin Secondary in the earlier match at the Jean Pierre Complex. The lanky centre proved to be his team’s main line of attack as the only other scorer on the card was Robert Sandiford on 16. Diego’s Michael Toussaint put in 16 as did Sadiqi Guerra who returned to the court after a relatively lukewarm last season hoping to begin on a hot note but with his final total could not achieve this end.