The Tribune

By RENALDO DORSETT

Tribune Sports Reporter

rdorsett@tribunemedia.net

A WEEK of competition and 50 games between 28 teams have come down to tonight’s matchup between the Dame Doris Johnson Mystic Marlins and the St George’s Jaguars to decide the champion of the 37th Hugh Campbell Basketball Classic.

Both the champions of the Government Secondary Schools Sports Association (Mystic Marlins) and the Grand Bahama Secondary Schools Athletic Association (Jaguars) dominated the field for much of the tournament, culminating in Sunday’s Pool Championship round. The final is scheduled for 8pm tonight at the Kendal Isaacs Gymnasium.

Pool Championships

Dame Doris Johnson

Mystic Marlins - 68

Anatol Rodgers

Timberwolves - 63

Team captain Malachi McCoy had one of his best performances of the season when his team needed it most.

McCoy finished with 25 points and 16 rebounds, both game highs, to power the Mystic Marlins into the final.

Jaythan Belle and Matthew Saunders each finished with 12 points.

Tyrell Butler led the Timberwolves with 21 points, Jermaine Mackey had nine and Cedron Cummings finished with eight.

The Mystic Marlins took an early advantage with a 10 point lead on a Richard Lowe tip in. They led 21-11 at the end of the first. The lead reached as much as 14 in the second quarter on a McCoy dunk and the Mystic Marlins maintained a 41-29 lead at the half.

The T’Wolves were able to trim the deficit to just four when Mackey’s layup made it 44-40 with 2:55 left to play in the quarter, but Saunders responded with a three pointer on the ensuing possession. It sparked a 9-2 run for the Mystic Marlins and they took a 53-42 lead into the fourth.

The Mystic Marlins’ path to the championship began with a 53-31 win over the CR Walker Knights in the opening round. They followed with a pair of wins over the Jack Hayward Wildcats, 53-46 and 43-30 prior to the win over the T’Wolves in the Pool Championship.

St. George’s Jaguars - 65

CC Sweeting Cobras - 45

The Jaguars’ faced their toughest test of the tournament in both matchups against the CI Gibson Rattlers. Against all other opponents, they defeated the remainder of the field by an average margin of just over 16 points per game.

With a balanced scoring effort from the starters and one of the more impressive defensive performances of the tournament, the Jaguars booked a spot in tonight’s final.

Shavaul Butters’ double double led the Jaguars with 13 points and 14 rebounds, Christopher Johnson also scored 13, Paul Greene had eight points and 10 rebounds, Theodre Grant scored 11 and Samuel Pinder finished with eight points.

Anthon Williams was the lone Cobras player in double figures with 12 while La’Shaun Bassett added nine.

Ethan Munnings scored the game’s opening basket and it would be the last time the Cobras would lead. The Jaguars immediately responded with 13 unanswered points and outscored the Cobras 24-7 in the quarter. The Cobras would never legitimately threaten the deficit or come within single digits for the remainder of the game. St. George’s led 40-23 at the half. For the second time in the game, they would go on to limit the Cobras to just seven points in a quarter when they outscored them 14-7 in the third. The lead would grow to as much as 27 in the fourth quarter.

The Jaguars began the tournament with a 62-22 win over Patrick J Bethel out of Abaco. They defeated Teleos 39-27 in round two before an upset loss to the CI Gibson Rattlers, 48-41. They rebounded to defeat the Government High Magic 58-43. St. George’s advanced to the final four when they scored the final six points of the game with less than one minute remaining to cap a furious comeback and defeat CI Gibson 44-42 in the rematch.