The Tribune

By RENALDO DORSETT

Tribune Sports Reporter

rdorsett@tribunemedia.net

The Doris Johnson Mystic Marlins continued a season of milestones with their first Hugh Campbell title in school history.

The Mystic Marlins claimed the title in the finale of the 37th edition of the event with an 84-75 win in a double overtime thriller over the St George’s Jaguars last night at the Kendal Isaacs Gymnasium.

In a game of runs, the Mystic Marlins ended the game on a 13-4 scoring spurt, highlighted by team captain and championship MVP Malachi McCoy on both ends of the floor.

Tied at 75, the Mystic Marlins’ Janus Shepherd made a driving layup and after a turnover, Joshua Burrows finished his reverse layup for a 79-75 lead.

McCoy blocked a floater and sparked another fastbreak layup that ended in a Shepherd layup to clinch the title with an 81-75 lead with 26 seconds remaining.

McCoy put an exclamation mark on the game with a fastbreak dunk as time expired just before the Mystic Marlins’ fanbase rushed the floor in celebration.

McCoy finished with 16 points, 16 rebounds, five steals and three blocked shots, Shepherd scored a team high 19 with five assists, Tyeko Lowe had 10 points and 10 rebounds, Jaythan Belle scored 13 and Richard Lowe came off the bench to finish with 12 points and eight rebounds.

Samuel Pinder led the Jaguars with a game high 23 points, Shavaul Butters had 18 points and 11 rebounds, Paul Greene had 12 points and a game high 17 rebounds, Theodore Grant had 13 points and five steals while Christopher Johnson had nine points and seven rebounds.

The first overtime had three ties and three lead changes as both teams were turnover prone late with a chance to go ahead.

The game was tied at 67 when Grant came up with a steal which Greene eventually finished with a layup. Shepherd tied it once again at 69 with a successful trip to the line. The Doris Johnson trap forced a turnover and Belle finished a layup. Shepherd was fouled and went to the line but missed both with an opportunity to go ahead by four. Pinder eventually tied it at 71 with 17.6 seconds left to play with his pair at the line. Both teams coughed up turnovers with a chance to take control late and forced double overtime.

The Mystic Marlins shot 50 per cent from the field and had a huge 66-30 advantage in points in the paint. Lowe led the Mystic Marlins’ bench to a 20-0 advantage on points from the reserves, while the Mystic Marlins also won the advantage in fastbreak points, 20-2.

“From the first man to the 15th, this team began this journey together at the end of last season and they were determined to see it through,” said Doris Johnson head coach Denycko Bowles.

The Mystic Marlins took an early 6-0 lead before the Jaguars would break the ice on a Theodore Grant three pointer. A Jaythan Belle three gave the Mystic Marlins an early 9-3 lead. He broke a nearly six-minute drought with another three pointer and Michael Balfour followed with an offensive rebound and putback to give the Mystic Marlins a 14-7 lead. Christopher Johnson’s late three pointer trimmed the Jaguars’ deficit to four headed into the second quarter (16-12).

The Jaguars opened the second on a 6-0 run and took their first lead of the game on a Grant layup to make the score 18-16. After Lowe tied it at 18, Butters responded with a three and Lowe tacked on another pair of free throws to keep pace.

The Mystic Marlins’ trap began forcing turnovers and a Shepherd fastbreak layup regained the lead, 24-23. Belle’s tip-in continued the run and Doris Johnson went ahead 28-24 on a McCoy dunk. The Jaguars responded with five unanswered points to go ahead 29-28 on a Pinder layup.

Tyeko Lowe’s late free throws gave the Mystic Marlins a 32-29 lead at the half.

A Butters three tied the game at 36 and Pinder followed with another three to take a three-point lead. Both teams traded baskets and a one-point lead for much of the third before Pinder made a runner to give the Jaguars a three-point lead. Grant added a late free throw for a 50-46 lead headed into the fourth.

The Mystic Marlins quickly tied the game on the opening possessions of the fourth with a pair of scores and Matthew Saunders tied it at 50 at the line.

Greene scored the first points of the quarter for the Jaguars with his three from the corner. Greene’s layup gave the Jags a 59-58 lead with just over two minutes left to play but Shepherd gave the Mystic Marlins the lead with a traditional three-point play.

Butters continued to protect the rim with a block and Pinder followed with a deep jumper from the corner with less than one minute left to play. Shepherd responded with a driving layup and defensively, tied up Grant with the possession arrow in favour of Doris Johnson to force a turnover.

After several miscues on the possession, Saunders was fouled and went to the line where he made both to give the Mystic Marlins a 65-63 lead with 16.4 seconds left to play. Pinder had an open look on a three but missed.

However, the Jaguars recovered the rebound and were fouled with 1.3 seconds left to play. The Jaguars came out of the timeout with an alley-oop from Grant to Butters to tie the game at 65 as time expired and forced overtime.

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 and an 84-75 win over the Anatol Rodgers T’wolves in the Pool Championship.

The two teams previously met in December at the Providence Basketball Club’s Holiday Classic. The Mystic Marlins also won that matchup 78-74.