The Tribune

By RENALDO DORSETT

Sports Reporter

rdorsett@tribunemedia.net

ON a night when both teams struggled shooting from the field, the Super Value Cybot Queens did enough to edge the Bommer G Operators and clinch a berth in the championship series.

National team standout Malesha Peterson led the Cybot Queens with a game high 19 points in the 56-53 semi-final clinching win. They will go on to face the Johnson’s Lady Truckers in the New Providence Women’s Basketball Association championship series.

Also for the Cybots, Vernisha Moss finished with 12 points and 10 rebounds. Taniel Poitier added six points, 15 rebounds and five assists - both game highs - while Tracey Lewis chipped in with nine points.

Diasti Delancey led the Operators with 17 points, seven rebounds and four assists, Chrishanda Rahming finished with 11 points and nine rebounds while Albertha Russell added five points and 13 rebounds.

The teams were tied 28-28 at half-time.

The Cybot Queens went on the first real run of the game when they opened the third on a 9-2 run.

Moss made a pair of free throws to give her team a 37-30 lead with 5:55 left to play in the quarter.

The Operators trimmed the deficit to three, but the Queens eventually took a seven-point lead into the fourth quarter (45-38). They outscored Bommer G 17-10 in the quarter.

In the fourth, they led by as much as eight points when Peterson split a pair at the line (48-40) at the 8:18 mark. It was the largest lead of the game for either team.

Although they shot just 38 per cent themselves, Super Value limited Bommer G to 28 per cent shooting from the field.

Both teams made just one shot from beyond the arch and shot just 42 per cent from the line.

The Cybot Queens outscored the Operators by five from the free throw line (13-8) and scored 12 points off 18 turnovers.

Each game in the series was decided by an average margin of victory of six points.

In game one, the Operators opened the series with a 66-60 win.

In game two, the Cybot Queens stormed back led by double doubles from both Moss and Lewis to take a 53-44 win.

Moss scored 20 and grabbed 13 rebounds, while Lewis went for 11 points and 10 rebounds.

Peterson finished with a near triple double - 14 points, eight rebounds and seven assists - to set the stage for the third and deciding game.

The Lady Truckers advanced with a two-game sweep over the Career Builders’ Cheetahs.

The championship best-of-five series between the Cybots Queens and Lady Truckers is scheduled to begin 7:30pm tonight.

Game two is set for March 28, game three - March 31, game four (if necessary) on April 7 and game five (if necessary) on April 9.

The Cybot Queens won the season series 2-1.

In the season opener,  the Truckers won 80-70 followed by wins from the Cybot Queens - 75-74 and 78-71 respectively.