The Tribune

By RENALDO DORSETT

Tribune Sports Reporter

rdorsett@tribunemedia.net

BOTH championship matchups in the New Providence Basketball Association are all set and the quest for the 2018 title is down to its final series.

The Commonwealth Bank Giants and Aliv Bucket Team advanced with wins on Wednesday night to conclude the semi-finals and set the stage for the finals, which tip off this weekend.

In Division I, the Giants completed a three-game sweep over the PJ Stingers in dominant fashion and will advance to face the Rockets in the championship.

In Division II, the Bucket Team closed out the Caro Contractors to clinch the series 3-1. They advance to face the defending champion Breezes High Flyers.

Both best-of-seven series begin on Saturday beginning with the Division II matchup at 7:30pm.

GIANTS - 110

STINGERS - 70

D'Shon Taylor led three Giants in double figures with 29 points and six rebounds in just over 24 minutes. Darstyn Baker had 16 points, nine rebounds and five assists, Tehran Cox scored 11 while Michael Bain Jr filled the stat sheet with nine points, six rebounds and eight assists. Salathiel Dean led the Stingers with 17 points and eight rebounds, Devon Ferguson scored 15, Horris McKenzie scored 11 and Mark Hanna chipped in with 10 points and eight rebounds.

The Giants shot 51 per cent from the field and 46 per cent from beyond the arch. With 13 three-point makes, they outscored the Stingers by 33 from beyond the arch. Taylor shot 6-10 from three, Knowles was 3-6 and Cox was a perfect 2-2. They also outrebounded the Stingers 59-45, leading to a 16-point advantage with points in the paint. The Giants assisted on 27 of their 42 made field goals and scored 21 points off turnovers.

A back and forth opening quarter featured several ties and lead changes. The games was tied at seven and then again at nine before the Stingers went on a 7-0 run.

The Giants responded with a run of their own capped by a Taylor three to take a 17-16 lead. The game was tied again at 17, 20 and 22 all at the end of the first.

The Giants broke the game open in the second quarter and went ahead by double figures for the first time on a Karon Pratt jumper for a 34-24 lead at the 7:48 mark.

The run continued and the lead reached 18 on another Taylor three late in the period. They would go on to outscore the Stingers 36-19 in the quarter and take a 58-41 lead into the half.

Cox's three-pointer early in the third gave the Giants a 63-41 lead and Gamaliel Rose's dunk with six minutes left in the quarter pushed the lead over 30 (77-46). The Giants took an 89-63 lead into the fourth and limited the Stingers to just seven points in the final frame.

The top seeded Giants head into the finals with an undefeated record.

BUCKET TEAM - 99

RESISTANCE - 84

An 18-point turnaround in the third quarter boosted the Bucket Team to a series clinching win and a berth to the championship series.

They trailed 61-57 at the half, but outscored the Resistance 24-6 in the third quarter to take control of the game for good.

Of the eight players to recicve playing time for Aliv, five reacied double figures and three scored at least 20 and posted double doubles.

Kieran Mortimer had a near triple double with 22 points, 10 rebounds and eight assists, Rashad Ingraham had 22 points and 10 rebounds and Akeil Bullard had 20 points and 15 rebounds. James Rolle scored 15 points and grabbed eight rebounds and Anwar Neilly scored 14.

Carmado Seymour had 17 points and a game high 21 rebounds, Qymeh Gibson had 19 points and 10 rebounds and Kamal Murphy scored 18.

The resistance opened the game on a 9-0 run and led by 12 on several occasions throught the first quarter. They took a 10 point lead on a Seymour layup, and led by 12 for the first time when Marcian Higgins made a three to go up 23-11. The Bucket team closed the quarter on a 5-0 run but trailed 29-22 headed into the second. The Resistance regained their double digit advantage midway through the period when Shannen Phillips made a jumper for a 48-37 lead and they led 61-57 into the half. The Bucket team opened the third on an 8-2 run and took their first lead of the game on an Ingraham three pointer to take a 65-63 lead at the 6:13 mark in the quarter. After the dominant third they took an 81-67 lead into the fourth, where the Resistance never came within nine points.