B-ball stars rise in the east

Monday saw stars rising out of the east as the NGC/Express Secondary Schools Basketball Association Eastern Conference finals tipped off at the Maloney Indoor Facility, Maloney.

The Under-15 boys of Sangre Grande and Barataria Junior Secondary Schools started the action with a 49-32 win for Grande after they led 18-16 at the half. Even though Barataria’s Teddy Peloi scored a match-high 13 points and Dwayne Ottley scored eight, Grande’s John Stewart, Eddie Keer and Keith Williams led their team to victory with scores of 12, 10 and 9 respectively with a lot of hard work. St Augustine Senior, still reeling from their Under-20 semi-final loss, were in the Under-17 final to prove a point and played aggressively and, at one point in the first half, secured a 21-point lead over the Arima Senior Comprehensive team.

Though St Augustine never gave up their lead, the Arima boys at one point cut the lead to four but still went under 82-70 at the final whistle. Arima’s Michael Guy was the match’s top scorer with 31 and team-mate Querido Nero’s 25 proved that they had good fighting spirit. But it was not enough to suppress the might of St Augustine’s Tegan Pemberton who scored 20 and Stefan Dillon who finished with 19. Then came the most one-sided match of the finals when Toco Composite ran over the girls of Barataria Junior Secondary 45-7, after leading 24-1 at the halfway point. Barataria’s Princess Martin was ineffective yet she scored a team-high six points and Amy Seepaul put in the other point. Toco’s Angel Ottley and Abigail Thomas had no trouble scoring as they ended the match with 14 and 11 respectively.

Like Malick Secondary the previous day, Toco were hoping to take both female and Under-20 titles but they also fell short of this dream going down 75-66 to league debutantes Johnson’s Finishing School. Toco exhibited poor finishing missing seven lay-ups in a row and were punished by Johnson’s, who scored their first four baskets from behind the three-point line and took the first half 37-23. Johnson’s Keon Williams continued to put in three-pointers in the second half and ended the match with 13 to his name but Fabrice Fisher preferred a more personal approach and drove to the basket with increased frequency as the game progressed to end with a game high 40 points and the tall Akiel Gay made sure the rebounds went to his team and even scored a few to end on 11. Toco’s Clinton Glasgow and Mikel Courtney could only manage 20 and 17 respectively, which were not enough to help their team to victory. The winners of the Eastern Conference finals are to meet the Northern Conference at the St Paul’s Street Facility while Southern Conference winners will travel to Tobago for a nationwide Champion of Champions. Both matches are on today.