The Tribune

By BRENT STUBBS

Senior Sports Reporter

bstubbs@tribunemedia.net

Tabernacle Baptist Academy Falcons, behind the game high 27 points from most valuable player Franco Miller, held off the CI Gibson Rattlers 58-52 to clinch the 35th Hugh Campbell Basketball Classic victory at the Kendal Isaacs Gymnasium last night.

The win, coming at the end of the week-long competition that started at the AF Adderley Gymnasium, enabled the Falcons to to complete a two-year reign to carry the title to Grand Bahama for the first time since they won it in 2010. It was their seventh title in the history of the tournament.

“We worked hard for this one,” said Falcons’ coach Kevin Clarke. “We knew they were going to give us a good run, but we kept our composure and we stuck with our game plan.”

The Falcons, playing out of the winner’s bracket, clinched their berth in the final with a 70-68 win over the BAISS champions Jordan Prince William Falcons on Saturday night. The Rattlers advanced to the final on an event Sunday when they knocked off Jordan Prince William 67-64 in their semi-final match from the losing bracket.

The victory also denied Rattlers’ coach Kevin Johnson from tying the record for the most wins by a coach in the tournament with Tabernacle’s Norris Bain, both with six. Johnson first won in 2002, three-peat in 2004-06 and came back and added his fifth in 2014.

Bain, now entering the political ranks for the Progressive Liberal Party in the upcoming general elections, won his six titles with the Falcons in 1995-96, 1998, 2000 and 2009-10. Bain was on the sidelines cheering for the Falcons. He praised Clarke, whom he called his son.

While Miller led the attack, Desmond Butler, who hit the winning two free throws after he got a steal and was fouled, had 10 points - the same as Regis Cooper. Alfredo Brown added six.

For the Rattlers, who were still hyped up after playing three games on Sunday, Terrance Storr had 19 points, Tyrell Butler had 11 and Domnick Burnside 10. The Rattlers, however, played the game without Asher Sacavella, who was ineligible to play in the game.

With 0.8 seconds left, Butler got a steal, was fouled and sanked a pair of free throws to secure the win. His charity shots came after Miller converted a pair of free throws with nine seconds to extend Tabernacle’s lead to 57-52.

The Falcons had broken away from what was a close game to take a 54-42 lead on a three pointer from Miller.

The Rattlers managed to come back for a 54-50 deficit with 52.4 seconds on the clock.

In what was a seesaw battle in the third, Butler canned two free throws for a 40-38 CI Gibson lead. But with 1:13 left, Regis Cooper and Miller hit back-to-back baskets to push Tabernacle up 42-40. Then with 5.2 left, Deon’Ta Tinker scored on a jumper to even the score with the Rattlers at 42-42 going into the final break.

As they started the second quarter, Franco Miller hit a jumper and on a steal on the inbound pass, he made a reverse layup for a 16-13 lead for Tabernacle. But two minutes later, Terrance Storr canned a three-pointer to pull CI Gibson even at 16-16.

In the last two minutes, the Falcons stayed ahead as Seandre Todd drilled in a two-handed dunk for a 25-22 lead and with 29.4 on the clock, Miller powered in another dunk and completed the three-point play for a 28-25 margin. But the Rattlers pulled within one (28-27) at the halftime break.

In the first quarter, the Rattlers came from a 10-9 deficit on consecutive layups from Derrio Saunders and Tyrell Butler, who added two free throws with 24.9 left to take a 13-10 lead. But with 2.8 seconds on the clock, Desmond Butler drove inside for a layup to bring the Falcons within one (13-12) at the initial break.