The Tribune

By RENALDO DORSETT

Tribune Sports Reporter

rdorsett@tribunemedia.net

DAY one of the Bahamas National High School Basketball Championships featured several close finishes and set the tone as the top programmes in the country vie for the 2019 title.

Anatol Rodgers Timberwolves - 48

Patrick J Bethel Marlins (Abaco) - 37

The Marlins defense had no answer for Tyrell Butler in the tournament’s opening game and the perennial GSSSA contenders opened with a win.

Butler scored a game high 18 points on 8-12 shooting from the field, including 2-5 from three point range to lead his team to a win. Jermaine Mackey also finished with seven points and four rebounds.

Nakajah Adderley had a game high 10 points, 12 rebounds and four steals to lead the Marlins while Jordan Saunders also scored 10.

Butler scored on the opening possession and closed the quarter with a buzzer beating three to take a 10-2 lead at the end of the first.

The Marlins went on a 9-0 run to start the second and took an 11-10 lead on a three point play from Adderley.

The Marlins eventually outscored the T’Wolves 16-6 in the second quarter to take an 18-16 lead at the half.

Anatol Rodgers got out to a quick start in the third quarter with the starters back in the game and regained the advantage for good.

The Timberwolves lead grew to as much as 14 in the fourth when Butler banked in a three and scored on reverse layup two possessions later. He scored eight points of a 10-point run down the stretch.

The Timberwolves shot 69 percent from the field and outscored the Marlins 18-7 on fastbreak points.

CI Gibson Rattlers - 59

Temple Christian Suns - 52

The Rattlers dominated the third quarter to take control of the game for good and finally shake off the upset minded Suns.

Derico Burrows led the Rattlers with 16 points and eight rebounds. Cameron Shearer had 11 points and eight rebounds while Chad Smith had nine points, seven rebounds and three blocked shots.

Dayton Albury led the Suns with 19 points, six rebounds and four steals. Christian Sturrup scored 11 while Nicholas Jones had eight points, nine rebounds and four steals.

The Rattlers dominated the boards, 41-29, and had four players with at least seven rebounds while the Suns managed just one. They also held the edge in second chance points 16-6.

Albury dished an assist to Sturrup off the opening tip and he scored seven unanswered points as the Suns raced out to an early lead. They took their biggest lead of the game on a Garreth Edgecombe layup to make the score 12-3. Jones made a floater as time expired to take a 15-10 lead at the end of the first.

The Rattlers’ defence forced a series of turnovers in the second and changed the game’s momentum on the defensive end of the floor. The Suns led just 24-23 at the half but scored just one field goal in the third. Burrows scored on the Rattlers opening possession of the quarter and ended with two consecutive three-point plays as he single handedly outscored the Suns in the period.

CC Sweeting Cobras - 48

Agape Christian Eagles (Abaco) - 44

Tied at 44, Clifton Barr made the go-ahead layup with 14.1 seconds left to play and avoid the first upset of the tournament.

Anthon Williams followed with followed with a steal on the followed with a steal on the Eagles’ inbound and finished a fastbreak layup just before time expired to put the game away.

Williams finished with 10 points, seven assists and five steals (both game highs), Barr also scored 10 while Ethan Munnings finished with nine.

Welton Chermise led Agape with 12 points and 15 rebounds while Michael Adderley scored 11 and Enrico Joseph scored eight.

Agape led for 22 of the game’s 24 minutes until they surrendered the lead late. They scored the first six points of the game and led 11-6 at the end of the first quarter. They took a 21-19 lead at the half and a 34-29 lead into the fourth quarter.

GHS Magic - 52

Eight Mile Rock Blue Jays - 45

Biontae Anderson had a 19 points and a game high 12 rebounds, to lead the Magic to the win, while Dimargio Taylor added 16. Hilton Pinder scored a game high 20 points for the Blue Jays

Gateway Academy Eagles (Bimini) - 60

St. John’s College Giants – 45

The defending Family Island champions proved they belong in the main division with a dominant win over the BAISS champions.

The Eagles delivered a series of impressive performances at last month’s Hugh Campbell and continued that trend with the 2019 Nationals debut with the most lopsided game of the night.

In the Girls division, played simultaneously at the Jack Hayward Gymnasium; Bishop Michael Eldon defeated Anatol Rodgers 39-35, St. Augustine’s defeated Eight Mile Rock 51-35 and Tabernacle defeated CV Bethel 35-29.

Several late matchups were unavailable to press time in the Boys division. The top seeded Doris Johnson Mystic Marlins took on the Jack Hayward Wildcats, defending national champions Tabernacle Baptist took on Jordan Prince William and Sunland Baptist went against Teleos in the final game of the night.

The nationals are hosted by the Bahamas Basketball Federation, the Ministry of Education, Ministry of Youth, Sports and Culture and presented by the IL Cares Foundation.

The opening ceremony is slated for this morning at 9:30am at the St. George’s Gymnasium. “The IL Cares Foundation will present a special award to a courageous student athlete. Their story will be told in the upcoming days as we present them with the Sebastian Bastian courage award,” Evon Wisdom of the MOE’s Sports Unit said. “We hope the athletes have a wonderful stay and the general public will be pleased with this event. We are thankful to the people of Grand Bahama. Your hospitality has been very good to us and we foresee this tournament being able to remain in Grand Bahama.”