The Tribune

By BRENT STUBBS

Senior Sports Reporter

bstubbs@tribunemedia.net

THREE of the four champions are back to defend their titles as the Government Secondary Schools Sports Association’s (GSSSA) best-of-three championship gets underway today at the Kendal Isaacs Gymnasium.

In the junior girls division, pennant-winning SC McPherson will face the defending champions HO Nash Lions; the pennant-winning DW Davis Pitbulls will play the CH Reeves Raptors in the junior boys division; the Dame Doris Johnson Mystic Marlins will clash with the pennant-winning defending champions CR Walker Knights in the senior girls and the Mystic Marlins and the defending champions CI Gibson Rattlers will tangle for the third consecutive year.

“The regular season games and playoffs were very competitive and so we are expecting some highly contested games in the championship,” GSSSA president Varel Davis said. 

Through their sponsors, Cable Bahamas and Bahamas Breeze Water, the senior girls game will be carried live on channel 5 at 5 pm, followed by the senior boys game at 8 pm on channel 12.

Newcomers

While there are some familiar teams taking on a few newcomers, there will be a rematch in the senior boys division as CI Gibson, coached by Kevin ‘KJ’ Johnson, will take on Dame Doris Johnson, coached by one of Johnson’s former players, Denycko Bowles.

For Johnson, it’s a match-up they are looking forward to. “Both of us have different teams this year because a lot of our seniors are gone,” Johnson said.

“A lot of the guys who played last year will have to step up to the plate. I know I have pretty much a new team this year, a very young team with a lot of ten and eleven graders.

“But we will be ready to go. I know he is. He has one of the best teams in the country, so we have to be prepared and ready to go.”

Before the championship get started, Johnson said they have to find a way to stop the Mystic Marlins defensively because they can penetrate and rebound the ball very well with their big men.

“We will have to work hard on boxing out and rebounding because they have a lot of athletic bigs,” Johnson said.

“Their guards are pretty good too, so if we can work on cutting of their penetration and boxing out and if we can make our shots on the offensive end, we will be okay. They are bigger than us with their athletic bigs, so we have to control the tempo of the game.”

Johnson said CI Gibson are aiming to go for a sweep and clinch their fourth straight title and their third straight against Doris Johnson.

Before meeting the Mystic Marlins for the last three years, CI Gibson regained their title and began their latest winning streak by dethroning the CC Sweeting Cobras.

This year, the fourth-ranked Doris Johnson advanced to the finals by knocking off the top-ranked CC Sweeting, while second seeds CI Gibson booked their return ticket by eliminating the No.3 seeds Anatol Rodgers Timberwolves.

Coach

“As a coach, I’m going to do a good job to try and get them ready,” Johnson said.

“But who knows what will happen when the jump ball goes up.

“We’re going to try to keep them focused because Doris Johnson is a very good team.

“They’re no pushover. Absolutely not.”

The action start at 4pm with the junior girls game.

General public admission is $5 and $3 for high school students. Game two will be played tomorrow and if necessary, the third and deciding games will be played on Thursday.