The Tribune

By RENALDO DORSETT

Tribune Sports Reporter

rdorsett@tribunemedia.net

The Commonwealth Bank Giants repeated as New Providence Basketball Association Division I champions and will once again represent the capital and reclaim the Bahamas Basketball Federation National Championship.

The Giants clinched the series with an 87-82 win over the PJ Stingers in game five Friday night at the AF Adderley Gymnasium.

D’Shon Taylor led the Giants once again with a game high 22 points, six rebounds and four assists, Jackson Jacob scored 17, Michael Bain scored 14 with seven rebounds and six assists while Jeffrey Henfield scored nine and Tehran Cox scored eight.

Eugene Bain finished one assist shy of a triple double with 20 points, 12 rebounds and nine assists, Brian Bain scored 17, Salathiel Dean also added a double double with 15 points and 11 rebounds and Craig Smith Jr also scored 15.

The Giants trailed by two near the two minute mark, but Jacob tied the game at 82 with his jumper. It sparked a 7-0 run for the Giants to close out regulation and the series. He followed with another jumper on the Giants next possession while Henfield followed with a score of his own and a free throw for the game’s final margin.

After Brian Bain’s free throws gave the Stingers the aforementioned lead, the closed the game 0-3 from the field.

The Giants depth continued to play a factor in game five as it has all series. They outscored the Stingers 40-6 off the bench.

The Stingers took an early seven point lead in the opening quarter, but the Giants responded with a 9-2 run to end the period at a 19 all tie. That momentum carried over to the second when the Giants opened the quarter on a 7-0 run to take a 26-19 advantage. In

a game of runs, the Stingers regained a 33-31 lead with 5:34 left in the half on a Dean layup. The game was tied at 36, 38, 41, and 43 before the Giants took a 48-45 lead into the half. The Stingers trailed by as much as eight in the third quarter but eventually took a 65-62 lead into the final frame.

The Giants shot 47 percent from the field and 36 percent from beyond the arch while they limited the Stingers to just 34 and 22 percent respectively. They also assisted on 22 of their 32 made field goals.

Focus now shifts to the BBF Nationals where the Giants look to retain the title after their 86-80 win over Grand Bahama’s Fast Track Gym Rats in the 2018 title game.

In Division II, the championship series will go to a seventh and deciding game tonight at 8:30pm at the AF Adderley GYmnasium.

The Your Essential Store Giants forced game seven with the most lopsided win of the series thus far, a 92-65 win over the Breezes High Flyers in game six Saturday night.

The Giants got double doubles from Cormado Seymour and Adrian Thompson to lead four players in double figures.

Seymour finished with 25 points and 18 rebounds, both game highs, while Thompson had 17 points, 11 rebounds, five assists and five steals. Also for the Giants - Brandon Strachan had 15 points, Michael Bethel had 11 points and six assists, Anderias Black had seven points and 12 rebounds while Andre Calvert scored eight.

Shanton Pratt led the High Flyers with 19 points, eight rebounds and five assists, Johnathan Johnson scored 11 while Brandon Stubbs had 10 points and 10 rebounds.

After the Giants held a slim 18-15 lead at the end of the first, the outscored the High Flyers 52-17 over the course of the second and third quarters to take control for good.

The Giants forced the High Flyers into 28 turnovers and scored 30 points off those turnovers. They also outrebounded the High Flyers by 10 and held a 14 point advantage with points in the paint.