Last season's champion Defence Force could not replicate its past success, but instead finished a creditable third in this year's Mackeson Super 10 Basketball League following a one-sided 92-56 play-off win over Caledonia Clippers, on Sunday night.The sudden-death match was played at the Jean Pierre Complex, Mucurapo.Preceding that match was the Powerade/Toyota Boys Under-15 Championship game which saw Caledonia Clippers defeat Maloney Pacers.In the first match, Maloney Pacers and Off Limits contested the Boys Under-21 Third-place play-off.Defence Force, which was soundly beaten, 3-0, by Valencia Heat in the Men's Big-Four (best-in-five) semi-final play-off series, dominated Caledonia froms tart to finish.
The army/coastguard combination opened with a 27-9 lead at the end of the first period, and remained with momentum on its side throughout, cruising to 47-23 and 68-35 advantages after the second and third sessions.
Derrick Boxill and Kevin Bacquain were instrumental for Defence Force scoring 18 and 13 points, respectively, while Steven Lewis provided support with 12 points.The only player, however, to score a double-double for the winning team was Reon Wilson who bagged 12 points and caught 14 rebounds. Also contributing to the team effort was Jamille King, who closed on 11 points and six rebounds.Shawn Lawrence had the best figures on the evening with 20 points and 16 rebounds, but could not prevent Clippers' heavy loss, while his teammates, Akil Paynter (15 points and six rebounds) and Kerry McMillan (ten points and five rebounds), both forwards, also had decent outings.
Meanwhile, Game-1 in the title series brings together Petro Jazz and Valencia Heat in an 8.30 pm clash tonight at the Southern Indoor Sports Arena, Pleasantville, San Fernando. Jazz defeated Caledonia Clippers 3-1 to reach their third consecutive finals, while Valencia Heat outplayed defending champions Defence Force 3-0 in their five-match semi-finals to secure their first championship appearance.In the first match, Police and Quarter United will square-off in the game-one of the Women's finals from 6:30 pm.Police lost the 2012 finals to Brian Chase Academy which it defeated in the semi-final 2-0, while Quarters register similar success against Colours in their semi-final match to remain undefeated in both the League and play-offs to date.
Caledonia Clippers win Under-15 title
In the opening match, Romel Ash scored a match-high 17 points, which included the winning basket with six seconds remaining, to confirm Clippers as the champion of the Powerade/Toyota Boys Under-15 division. Clippers edged Maloney Pacers 59-58.With just 10.1 seconds left on the clock, Ash's teammate Hans Coker missed an easy lay-up before the ball was tapped out of play. Rick Singh, coach of the Caledonia outfit called a quick time-out, which may have made all the difference, as Ash subsequently delivered to secure the win. The fans of Caledonia and surrounding communities went up in a celebration frenzy.The first quarter ended 17-17. Then, when the first half was completed, Caledonia held the edge, 29-28. After three quarters of play, Clippers remained ahead by a single point, making it everything to play for in the final 10 minutes of the contest.
Ash got strong support from his captain Tyrik Singh, the son of the coach, who scored 12 points. He was later named the match MVP and was presented with a special award from Courts–a portable CD/MP3 player. Fidel Iwueke also supported the team's cause with ten points.For Maloney Pacers which lost for the first time in the division, centre Isiah Brathwaite led all scorers with 18 well deserved points and was followed by centre Josiah Best, who added 13.
Maloney Pacers cop third place in Under-21
Pacers dropped Off Limits 88-60 in the Boys Under-21 play-off for Third place in the first match of a triple-header.Coached by former national women's coach Christopher Jackson Charles, Maloney was fired up early into the fixture and led 20-12 after the first stanza.The lead inflated to 40-22 at half-time, before Pacers took an unassailable lead (69-44) by the end of the third period.Pacers was led by centre Joel Theodore who scored a season-best 31 points. For Off Limits Kushiaih King connected on 22 points and Michael Gonzales added 14.