The Tribune

By BRENT STUBBS

Senior Sports Reporter

bstubbs@tribunemedia.net

THE St Augustine’s College Big Red Machine will be back to defend their senior boys title when the Bahamas Association of Independent Secondary Schools’ best-of-three championship series get underway on Monday at the Kendal GL Isaacs Gymnasium.

On Thursday night in a hotly contested physical battle in their sudden death playoff, the Big Red Machine prevailed with a slim 47-46 victory over the St John’s College Green Giants, avenging a loss to their rivals in the postseason play.

The marque feature contest ended up a big brawl between the two schools as fans rushed on the court. Both teams had to be restrained on their respective sides of the gym until order was restored.

The game was played after SAC senior girls rolled past St John’s 42-7. However, it wasn’t all a good night for the Big Red Machine as their junior boys got eliminated 57-49 by the Giants. In the junior girls game, the Kingsway Academy Saints knocked off the Queen’s College Comets.

Despite the close encounter, SAC’s coach Jason Edwards said they were just delighted to have pulled off the win.

“We made a few costly turnovers that caused the game to be close. Some of my guys are young and inexperienced. Some of them are just in grade ten, so it was a learning experience for them,” Edwards said,

“But hey, I’m proud of my guys. This team beat us in the regular season by 11, so they thought they would have had a cake walk out here tonight. There was no cake for them tonight. We came out here to play.”

Davon ‘JJ’ Adderley exploded for a game high 22 points, while Xavier Coakley had nine, Rashad Sturrup seven and Kwasi Dames chipped in with five.

For St John’s, Aaron Campbell was the only player in double figures with 15. Dwight Wheatley had seven, Rue Minnis six and Ashton Williams five.

Giants’ coach Herbie Brown said it should not have come down to the wire. And even though they may have lost it in the end, he said St John’s was the victor.

“I want to thank God for the victory,” he said. “Even though we lost, we won because the game should not have come down to us using the last three players on our bench. We had some key players fouled out. Coming down the stretch, we didn’t come up with the key baskets that we should have made.

“There were some calls that should have gone our way. My question is what is the whole on this organisation. If the playing field is not going to be fair, why play? Our kids worked from August to now, some 6-8 months and to see us come down to three players other than our regular players is just ridiculous. This has been happening for years. Then when things like a fight break out, they say St John’s is the culprit or we’re the bad guys. This has to stop.”

Brown was referring to the fact that there were some calls throughout the game and particularly in the fourth quarter that they felt referees Tony Williams, Sharon ‘the General’ Storr and Kennedy Polidor didn’t call in their favor.

Although there was no need for it, after the game was called, fans from both teams rushed on the court and the fight ensued. Order was eventually restored and it appeared as if no one was seriously hurt.

The Big Red Machine will now prepare to defend their title against the pennant winning Queen’s College Comets starting on Monday.

“It’s going to be a tough game. We are going to have to execute, we can’t turn over the ball,” coach Edwards said. “We’re looking forward to playing them. We also beat us in the regular season, but we know we are capable of beating them.”

The sudden death game between St Augustine’s College and St John’s was a keenly contested one with neither team being able to open up any significant lead. It went right down to the wire after both teams got some of their key players fouled out.

The Big Red Machine had opened a quick 7-3 lead, only to watch as the Giants fought back for a 7-6 deficit. However, SAC pulled away to take a 14-10 lead at the end of the period as Xavier Coakley and Davon Adderley led their attack.

In the second quarter, St John’s played like true giants as they surged ahead 18-10 and after watching SAC climbed back into the game for a 22-21 deficit, got a big three-pointer from Ashton Williams that pushed them back up 25-22 as they held onto a 25-24 margin at the half.

The Giants maintained their lead midway into the third at 32-27. But when it counted the most, Coakley came through weith a pair of free throws for a 35-32 lead for the Big Red Machine and Adderley converted a buzzer beating jumper to extend it to 37-34.

As the fourth quarter got underway, Adderley continued where he left off with a lay-up for a 39-34 lead. However, Ashton Williams scored on a lay-up and Aaron Campbell converted a pair of free throws that brought St John’s within one, 41-40.

A three-point play from Adderley and the Big Red Machine were rolling again with a 44-40 lead. But that was short lived as Campell hit a free throw and Minnis canned a big basket to give the Giants a 45-44 lead.

In the final one minute, Adderley came thtough big for SAC when he hit a jumper for a 46-45 lead. And after St. John’s got a free throw to tie it, Adderley sank a free throw to put them up for good. The Giants missed a couple opportunities when they felt they should have been fouled before Adderley got the final rebound and dribbled out the clock.

Big Red Machine 42, Giants 7: In one of the most lopesided match-ups between these two former champions, St Augustine’s College raced out to a 13-4 lead in the first quarter as Isis Wilson and Serena Brown both had six points.

The Big Red Machine then went on to hold the Giants scoreless in their 12-0 run in the second quarter and 15-0 spurt in the third as they eventually pulled off the blowout.

Brown finished with a game high 13, Wilson had 10, Sheyanne Thompson six and both Taryn Butler and Dawn Dean chipped in eith four.

St John’s got three from S Sym and two apiece from C Wilson and S Thompson.

St Augustine’s College will now face the Temple Christian Suns for the senior girls title, starting on Monday. Also, in the junior boys series, St John’s will play Queen’s College, while Kingsway Academy will meet St Augustine’s College in the junior girls division.