Stories of Success (SOS) Basketball Academy secured its third consecutive win, a 102-82 blow-out victory over the T&T Prison Service in round four of the National Basketball Federation of T&T (NBFTT) National Invitational Championships (NIC) on Saturday at the Maloney Indoor Sports Arena, Maloney.
After sitting out the first two matches, the main scorer Mikihail Williams returned to the Prison’s line-up to add to the team’s offensive artillery as the team took on the dominant SOS contingent. Succeeding strong scoring performances in the recently concluded East Zone Basketball Championships, Williams picked up right where he left off dropping a season-high 35 points in his NIC debut.
Despite this significant contribution by Williams to keep Prisons afloat, the team was no match for the fast-pace and dynamic display of SOS falling to a 40-point deficit (48-88) at the end of the third quarter.
Shooting guard Kemrick Julien recorded a season-high 23 points to help SOS secure a comfortable victory while a tremendous breakout performance by SOS’ Clint Graham added to the wide margin and dominating finish for the reigning East Zone champion.
In-game two of the night, Defence Force was seeking to rebound from their recent loss to the Caledonia Clippers last Tuesday. With an already rejuvenated roster, following the inclusion of veteran player Derrick Boxhill, the "Teteron Boys" also added key player Kyeon Joseph for a more comprehensive unit.
Pacers’ backcourt combo Kadeem Greig and Mohammed "Boy Boy" Elias continued to lead the Maloney-based team offensively, as they both combined for 41) of the team’s 71 point total. However, a 14-point offering from Joseph in the fourth quarter helped Defence Force cruise past the Pacers to record a 105-71 win. The army-coastguard combination also recorded a total of six players scoring in double-figures.
On Sunday, Brian Chase Basketball Academy (BCBA) defeated the newly formed Enterprise-Maloney Combine (EMC) team 65-42, as forward Allison Young, who had a season-high 33 points in her most recent outing, scored 14 points to steer BCBA to a 23-point victory in the women’s division.
The more seasoned Brian Chase unit was caught off-guard when EMC’s Breanna Charles, who unleashed relentless attacks upon the BCBA’s defence, scoring eight of her team’s 11 points in the first quarter. However, Young and some spot-on shooting from Alicia Joseph helped Brian Chase maintained the lead through the entire contest.
In the second match of the night, reigning North Zone champions Caledonia Clippers came up against BCBA in the men’s division to complete round four actions.
Following a huge win over the Defence Force, the Clippers team maintained its winning streak as it trounced Brian Chase, 109-74, to record its second win of the tournament. This came following the return of elite guard Adrian Joseph, who made his first NIC appearance.
Joseph scored 20 points to supplement a top-scoring performance by Clippers guard Ako Pascal, who finished with 24 points while Kenyatta Alfred and Michael Pantin chipped in with 18 points apiece.
Elon Hernandez (19), Nathyon Lewis (18) and Kevon Williams (17) were the key contributors for the BCBA men in the team’s disappointing loss to the Clippers.
Results
Saturday
Men's Division
SOS 102 (Kemrick Julien 23, Clint Graham 21, Kern George 17) vs Prisons 82 (Mikihail Williams 35, Steve Mc Sween 19, Michael Jerome 15). Quarter scores: 1st. 28-18, 2nd. 58-32, 3rd. 88-48 (All in favour of SOS).
Defence Force 105 (Kyeon Joesph 20, Jamille King 16, Derrick Boxhill 15) vs Maloney Pacers 71 (Kadeem Greig 23, Mohammed Elias 18). Quarter scores: 1st. 29-21, 2nd. 58-35, 3rd. 61-53 (All in favour of Defence Force).
Sunday
Women's Division
Brian Chase 65 (Allison Young 14, Alicia Joseph 10, Ize-Tao Best 10) vs Enterprise-Maloney 42 (Breanna Charles 13, Carissa Ramdial 11). Quarter scores: 1st. 13-11, 2nd. 33-25, 3rd. 45-29 (All in favour of Brian Chase)
Men's Division
Caledonia Clippers 109 (Ako Pascal 24, Adrian Joseph 20, Kenyatta Alfred 18, Michael Pantin 18) vs Brian Chase 74 (Elon Hernandez 19, Nathyon Lewis 18, Kevon Williams 17). Quarter scores: 1st. 25-20, 2nd. 52-36, 3rd. 86-55. (All in favour of Clippers)
Standings
Place*Team*P*W*L*PF*PA*Diff*Pts
1*SOS*3*3*0*310*262*48*6
2*Clippers*4*2*2*353*326*27*6
3*Pacers*4*2*2*315*339*-24*6
4*Prisons*3*1*2*245*228*17*4
5*Defence Force*3*1*2*265*250*15*4
6*Brian Chase*3*1*2*232*304*-72*4
7*Police*2*1*1*186*197*-11*3
Women’s*Division
1*Brian Chase*3*2*1*183*187*-4*5
2*Police*2*2*0*138*89*49*4
3*Defence*Force*3*1*2*177*172*5*4
4*Enterprise-Maloney*2*0*2*91*141*-50*2
Matches
Round 5
Friday
Women's Division
Police vs Enterprise-Maloney Combine, 6.30 pm
Men's Division
Caledonia Clippers vs Prison, 8.30 pm
Saturday
Men's Division
Defence Force vs Police, 6.30 pm
Maloney Pacers vs SOS, 8.30 pm