The Tribune

By BRENT STUBBS 

Senior Sports Reporter

bstubbs@tribunemedia.net

For the past five years, coaches Lavardo Bowleg and Moses Johnson were priming their PJ’s Stingers for their first opportunity to hoist the New Providence Basketball Association men’s championship crown in the air.

By adding a few missing pieces in Kemsey Sylvetre, Jervonee Atkins and Vernon Stubbs, they finally got the monkey off their back, pulling off an impressive 101-86 victory over the Patron Regulators to complete the best-of-seven championship series with a 4-1 advantage at the AF Adderley Gymnasium on Friday night. After being tied 1-1, the Stingers completed the back-door sweep by winning three straight.

Bowleg said their motto “in the pride, help and heart” enabled them to secure the win.

“First of all, we put God first in everything we do. Secondly, our plan was to box out Gamaliel and let everyone else try to beat us and the game plan worked,” he said. “We are now going to go to Bimini and represent New Providence as best we can and hopefully we can come back with another victory.”

Johnson, Bowleg’s sidekick on the bench, said they are going to enjoy being called the NPBA champions first.

“This one is superb. I think the guys really came out and executed down the stretch and it showed,” he said. “In a few games we really turned the ball over a lot, but they came up big. They gave us a defensive intensity for 40 minutes and this is the results. I’m lost for words right now. The guys really deserve to win. Now we have to refocus. We will give them about two days off and then we will come back and try to get ourselves ready for Bimini because we want to go down there and win the Commonwealth championships. But no it’s time to party.”

Stinger’s sponsor Perry Saunders Jr’s daughter, Perissa Saunders, took the spotlight on behalf of her father.

“The performance was good. I enjoyed it. I was impressed,” she said. “I’m excited that they won it. I think we wanted it more than them.”

As for the players, MVP Joseph could hardy compose himself, admitting that it was better to cart off the title than the individual award.

“Words can’t explain it. It was awesome,” he said. “This team is a very good upcoming team. Next year, we will be even better when we come back to defend our title.”

It was the second straight title for Atkins, who last year played a factor in the Commonwealth Bank Giants’ victory.

“It feels good because this team is like a family. I had some problems last year and so I went to the Giants and after winning with them (Commonwealth Bank), I decided to come back here,” Atkins said. “It feels good. I think we have a great team. We were a little banged up this year, but we had a lot more heart than everybody else and the Lord allowed us to win.”

Sylvetre, who credited the support and prayers from his fans from the youth department at First Baptist Church who took up a good section of the gym, was excited about the impact he made on the team this year.

“It feels great to know that this is my first year and I helped them to win the championship,” he said. “This team is great. We have a bunch of young fellows who really helped to carry the team after two of our key players were missing. We did it for them. It was a good team effort.”

The Stingers won the opener 116-114 in overtime before the Regulators bounced back to level the series at 1-1 with a 101-97 win. However, the Stingers took game three 101-89 and took game four 99-87 to set the stage for Friday night’s clincher.

Sylvetre, with his own cheering section in the stands, came off the bench to score 20 points with four rebounds in 21 minutes to lead a balanced scoring attack that saw all five starters contribute in double figures.

Able Joseph, named the most valuable player, had 17 points, 18 rebounds, seven assists, five steals and two blocked shots as he played all but one minute of the game. Atkins had 15 points and 14 rebounds, Stubbs had 15 points, seven rebounds and four assists, Devon Ferguson had 14 points with three rebounds and two steals and Batchlette LaFleur added 13 points, three rebounds and three steals.

Cordero Thompson, who played well in the series, had a game high 22 points with 14 rebounds, Alex Rolle came off the bench with 18 points, three rebounds and three assists, Gamaliel Rose was held to just 15 points, nine rebounds and five assists, Cruz Simon had 11 points and Robert Missick chipped in with nine points and six rebounds, but it wasn’t enough for the Regulators to force game six.

Coach Don ‘Robo’ Dorsette admitted that it was a bitter sweet agony of defeat.

“We didn’t take care of the offensive  board, couldn’t make free throws and we turned over the basketball,” he said. “We were right in all of these games, but if you look at the stats, that was the problem every game, including the one we won. We had too many turnovers, we got beat on the offensive board and they just played harder than us. They wanted it more offensively.”

But, for a first year team, Dorsette said they will have to endure the growing pains.

“We have to understand how competitive this league is,” he stated. “This is our first year and we got far, but it wasn’t enough. I don’t think we were hungry enough for it. But these guys gave me their all. Hats off to them all. I had a lot of injuries, but that’s no excuse because every night these guys came out and they played. Our leading scorer Kenneth Pratt was begging to play even though he was hurt.”

At the end of it, Dorsette could only commend the Stingers for pulling off the championship feat as they did it without the services of Ian ‘Wire’ Pinder, who is nursing a season-ending injury.

The Stingers led from start to finish as they outclassed the Regulators. 

Behind Ferguson and Joseph, they led 21-10 with four minutes and 20 seconds on the clock before holding onto a 27-17 advantage at the end of the first break.

In the second quarter, Patron made a dent in the lead as Cordero Thompson and Cruz Simon controlled their offensive tempo, chipping it down to three (46-43) before Able Joseph closed out the half with a two-handed dunk and Devon Ferguson added a three-point play as PJ extended their lead 48-43 at the half..

Every time the Regulators made a comeback, the Stingers were able to answer as they held a 74-65 margin at the end of the third. Then in the fourth, Patron came within six (80-74) on a three-pointer from Alex Rolle.

But down the stretch, it was all PJ as Vernon Stubbs fuelled their final surge on two free throws for a 92-77 lead at 2:19. With 44.6, Able Joseph put the explanation mark on the win with a two-handed dunk for a 99-83 lead.

The final score: 101-86.

The NPBA, headed by Keith ‘Belzee’ Smith, used the night to honour the memory of the late Tamaz Monica Thompson. The 26-year-old former volleyball player and track athlete is the daughter of Commonwealth Bank Giants’ coach Perry Thompson. She was laid to rest on Saturday.