The Tribune

By RENALDO DORSETT

Sports Reporter

rodrsett@tribunemedia.net

The Bommer Gee Operators are one game away from clinching the New Providence Women’s Basketball Association title as they threaten to close out the defending champions Johnson’s Lady Truckers in a sweep.

The Operators won 90-74 at the DW Davis Gymnasium on Tuesday night to take a commanding 2-0 lead in the best-of-five championship series.

Game three is scheduled for 8pm tonight as the Operators look to cap off an undefeated season.

Reigning league MVP Phylicia Kelly continues to lead her new team on their title run with another dominating performance.

The national team standout finished one rebound shy of a triple double with 30 points, 10 assists and nine rebounds. She also added four steals and shot 50 per cent from the field (9-18), 60 per cent from the three-point line (3-5) and 90 per cent from the free throw line (9-10).

Rudy Simms also added a double double for the Operators with 20 points and 14 rebounds, Chrishanda Rahming scored 18 points and Sherelle Cash scored 10.

Four Truckers reached double figures led by 17 points each from  Suzette McKenzie and Janice Williams.

Shantelle Rolle scored 13 points and dished out seven assists, while Latoya Rolle scored 14 in the loss.

As a team, the Operators shot 46 per cent from the field while they held the Lady Truckers to just 36 per cent.

The Truckers also missed 15 free throws where they shot just 48 per cent, while the Operators took full advantage at the charity stripe at 83 per cent.

Tied at 11 in the first quarter, the Operators would close the quarter on a 13-7 run. They took an eight -point lead on a Simms jumper and led 24-18 at the end of the period.

The lead reached double figures for the first time in the second quarter when Kelly made a three- pointer with under one minute left to play to give the Operators a 49-37 lead. They took a 49-9 lead into the half and the Truckers would never trim the deficit to less than six in the second half.

Bommer Gee won the third quarter 18-17 and led by as much as 18 in the fourth en route to the win.

In the league’s 2015-16 season opener, the Operators welcomed scoring machine Kelly in their line-up as they routed the Career Builders Lady Cheetahs 64-34.

It took Bommer Gee coach Donnie Culmer just one game to predict Kelly’s addition would be the deciding factor in the postseason.

“That should put us over the top,” he said on opening night. “That’s a 20-point scorer a night. So we can take any help we can get to get us back on top of the mountain top.”

Kelly finished the season as the league’s leading scorer at 17.8 points per game and also finished second in assists at 3.7 per game. It was a 67-63 win for the Operators in game one. The Truckers will have to complete the “backdoor sweep” in order to repeat as league champions.

The Truckers won their fifth NPWBA title in club history with a 3-1 series win over Super Value Cybot Queens last year.