Police survived a furious second-half rally from the Maloney Pacers to secure a 78-73 victory in game one of the best-of-three Big Four final, to lead the series, 1-0 on Friday night.
In a thrilling clash hosted by the National Basketball Federation of T&T (NBFTT) at the Southern Regional Indoor Sports Arena in Pleasantville, the "Lawmen" nearly saw a dominant performance slip through their fingers before clamping down in the final minutes to take a 1-0 series lead.
Police, coached by Ahston Peters, appeared to have the match wrapped up by halftime. Commanding the paint and dictating the tempo, they built a huge 42-21 lead by the break. Guard Mikahail Williams led a balanced scoring effort with 15 points, while post-player Dextroy Manswell (14) and forward Fabrice Fisher (13) provided the power inside to keep the Pacers at bay.
However, the 21-point cushion proved deceptive. The Maloney-based team, fuelled by a match-high 25-point explosion from shooting guard Ahkeel "Smally" Boyd, ignited a stunning third-quarter comeback. Supported by Tyrese Fields (14) and Leshawn Alfred (12), Pacers, coached by nationl coach Christopher Jackson Charles, exploited a sudden dip in the Police defensive intensity, trimming the deficit to just four points at 56-52 heading into the final period.
The teams exchanged baskets in the fourth quarter, but a series of turnovers and missed free throws by the Pacers saw play shift back in favour of Police. The Lawmen eventually pulled away to secure the five-point win.
Despite the win, Police captain Don Wilkinson was critical of his team’s late-game management. Speaking after the final whistle, Wilkinson noted that the desire to entertain the crowd almost led to their downfall.
"We have a bad habit where we love to give the fans a good show," Wilkinson admitted. "We are up by about 19-20 points and we come off the gas. They put on a little momentum and they broke our lead... they broke it down to about eight points. That is on us. That is something we have to work on: maintaining our lead and expanding it."
Looking ahead to game two, Wilkinson identified transition defence as the primary area for improvement if they hope to sweep the series next week.
"Our transition defence could have been a little faster," he said. "That team (Pacers) is a running team, so they took the opportunity to run at us while we were out of formation. Once we get those things corrected, it should be a better match."
The Big Four finals continue next week as Police look to clinch the First Division title in game two.
Bronx outlast Pacers in U-17 semifinal
The evening’s excitement began with a high-scoring Boys' U-17 Division semifinal. Despite a valiant effort from the Maloney Pacers’ youth side, Bronx levelled the series, 1-1, with an 88-77 victory. Pacers won game one, 91-60, on Sunday.
Bronx dominated the early stages behind Darion Sparks (22 points) and Dante Mahabirsingh (16), leading 45-41 at the half. Pacers, under the guidance of coach Charles, fought back in the third quarter to take a 66-58 lead behind Nkobie Ince (26 points) and Joshua Fontenelle (18). However, Bronx found their second wind in the final quarter, overtaking Pacers to clinch the 11-point win.
Sunday, the teams meet in game three, at the Maloney Indoor Sports Arena at 8 pm. The decider follows game two semifinal matches in the Girls' U-19 Division at 5 pm between Royalty and EBA and the Boys' U-17 match-up between Royalty abd Spartans TT at 6.30 pm.
Big Four results
Men's First Division final (Game 1)
Police 78 (Mikahail Williams 15, Dextroy Manswell 14, Fabrice Fisher 13) vs Maloney Pacers 73 (Ahkeel Boyd 25, Tyrese Fields 14, Leshawn Alfred 12). Quarters: 1st 17-11, 2nd 42-1, 3rd 56-52 (All in favour of Police)
Boys' U-17 Division semifinals
Bronx 88 (Darion Sparks 22, Dante Mahabirsingh 16, Enesio Williams 12) vs Maloney Pacers 77 (Nkobie Ince 26, Joshua Fontenelle 18, Zayne Thomas 13). Quarters: 1st 26-16 (Bronx), 2nd 45-41 (Bronx), 3rd 66-58 (Pacers)
