The Tribune

By RENALDO DORSETT

Tribune Sports Reporter

rdorsett@tribunemedia.net

A dominant season for the St John’s College Giants Senior Girls basketball team saw them achieve nearly every possible milestone and culminated with the ultimate prize - the 2019 National Title.

The Giants completed their undefeated tournament run with a 56-44 win over the St Augustine’s College Big Red Machine in the finale last night at the St George’s Gymnasium.

The Giants were led by a pair of double doubles from Michelle Butler and Christina Richardson. Butler finished with 17 points and 14 rebounds while Richardson added 15 points and 11 rebounds. Calvanique Spence scored six points with eight rebounds, six assists and four steals.

Antonicia Moultrie led the Big Red Machine with 23 points, 18 rebounds, five steals and three blocked shots, all game highs. Tamia Arthur chipped in with seven points.

SAC opened the game on a 6-0 run, the largest deficit the Giants faced all tournament. Spence finally brought the run to an end with her, but Karolyn Baptiste would answer for SAC on the next possession for an 8-2 lead. Butler scored six consecutive points for the Giants to come within one, and the took their first lead of the game on a Ty’Anna Gordon jumper, 9-8. Butler’s rebound and follow made it 10 unanswered points for the Giants. St John’s would go on to extend that run and closed the quarter on an 18-0 run to take a 20-8 lead at the end of the first.

The Giants scored the first five points of the quarter to take a 17 point lead, but Moultrie scored a pair of baskets for the Big Red Machine to keep pace. Her free throw, and another by Tamia Arthur cut the deficit to single digits headed into the half, 29-21.

The Giants scored on the first possession to take an early 10 point lead. SAC cut the lead to six, but failed to pull any closer despite drawing the Giants into foul trouble with a 3-9 stretch from the free throw line. Butler picked up her fourth foul, but Spence checked in and immediately scored on a pair of layups to push the lead back to 10. SAC made a late push with Moultrie’s three point plat, but the Giants still managed to take a 41-34 lead into the fourth.

SAC opened the fourth with scores from Arthur, Baptiste and Gabriell Murphy to cut the lead to just one, 41-40 with 5:33 left to play. After another pair of missed free throws, they missed an opportunity to pull ahead for the first time since the first quarter and the Giants immediately capitalized on the miscue with a Sands layup and Butler free throw. SAC eventually tied the game at 44, but the Giants again came up with clutch field goals. Butler scored four of the Giants’ next six points, including an offensive rebound and putback to take a 50-44 lead with just under one minute remaining.

“I know my team depends on me, especially to grab rebounds but I also knew I had to score in certain spots to get us going. When we started to get in the offensive flow and score I knew we would be ok,” Butler said, “I just want to thank my teammates because I know without them this would not be possible. We did this together.”

The Giants also topped the Big Red Machine in three games to decide the BAISS Championship series in February.

Headed into the final, the Giants had an 18 point margin of victory in their three previous wins. They defeated the Tabernacle Baptist Christian Academy Falcons 55-40, followed by a pair of wins over the St. George’s Jaguars, 58-38 and 66-47.

“The entire year has been awesome and we thank God for that,” Giants head coach Oswaldo Taylor said, “We had to change our defense late in the second half because of foul trouble and SAC was getting by our defenders. I had to sit a few of my starters but they came back focused. Once they got back into the game and we stuck with our offense and our gameplan we would be fine.”

The Big Red Machine finished the tournament at 3-2. They opened play with a 51-35 win over the Eight Mile Rock Blue Jays 51-35 then suffered their lone loss, 28-25 to the Ci Gibson Rattlers. They defeated the Bishop Michael Eldon Warriors 49-43 and defeated the

Rattlers in their second matchup 42-26 to advance to the final.