Flour Mills knocks out Defence Force

Following a less than inspired league campaign by its standards, National Flour Mills (NFM) impressed in the MACKERSON Super 10 Basketball League Knock-out Tournament quarter-final by taking a resounding 87-79 win over big guns Defence Force at the Jean Pierre Complex, on Monday night. NFM, which were demolished 93-57 by the same team during the league campaign less than a month ago, narrowly ousted Police 68-65 48 hours ago earlier, and booked its place in the final four at the expense of Monday’s oppostition, which lost just one match for the entire season, prior to the encounter. Kerry “Piper” Westfield had a very solid outing, and he was particularly instrumental in the final quarter sparking a 11-3 run for NFM which seperated the two teams at the final buzzer. Westfield, a veteran point-guard, led the way with a season personal-best 28 points, while his teammate in Kerry McMillian followed with 12 points and six rebounds. Julius Sprott, who scored a perfect four in four baskets from the free-throw line finished with 10 points. Defence Force, which suffered from rare mismanagement from its defensive fortress, also seemed greatly affected by the absense of the team’s top forward Steven “Lighter” Lewis, who was forced to sit out due to an injury. The team will obviously play no further part in the Knock-out Tournament, but still has the Big-Four semifinal match-up with reigning champions Detour Shak Attack to look forward to. Point-guard Gerard Toney was the army-coastguard combination’s highest scorer on the night with 17 points. Derick Boxill and Peter Lewis, meanwhile finished on 10 points a-piece. NFM will have to await the result of Shak Attack’s meeting with the University of T&T to determine its semifinal opponent.