The Tribune

By BRENT STUBBS

Senior Sports Reporter

bstubbs@tribunemedia.net

It was one of those moments that organiser Apostle Carlos Reid said every basketball player only dreams about.

Holding onto a wind and a prayer with the game on the line after Clay Sweeting sent it into overtime at 26-26 with a three-pointer, Reid responded with a pair of three-pointers in a 6-3 run to seal a 32-29 victory.

It was the marquee match-up on Family Night to bring the curtain down on the annual Peace on da Street Basketball Tournament on Sunday night inside the Kendal Isaacs Gymnasium.

“We live for big games and to be honest, last year I wanted the game to come down to the wire. This year it came down to the wire and all my life I’ve been waiting for this moment,” said Reid, a former basketball player turned pastor/preacher/teacher/motivator.

“I think it was the anointing that made the difference.”

Reid finished with a game high 13 points, while Pastor Don Clarke added 11 ; Jeffery Rolle had four for the Pastors, who was coached by Pastor Dave Burrows.

Leonardo Lightbourne scored nine; Opposition Deputy leader Shanendon Cartwright had seven and Quinton Lightbourne chipped in with six for the Politicians, who was coached by Prime Minister Philip ‘Brave’ Davis and also featured Minister of Youth, Sports and Culture Mario Bowleg, who didn’t score.

Sweeting, the Member of Parliament for Central and South Eleuthera and the Minister of Agriculture, Marine Resources and Family Island Affairs, scored his only three points on his big basket to go into overtime, but he admitted that he played his best.

“The goal was to win and also do my best. Pastor Reid played a good game and I had hoped we would be able to shut him down but we didn’t,” Sweeting said. “The Politicians brought their A game and left it all on the court.

“From last year our loss was so bad and indicative of a group of people who weren’t a team. This year, we showed the spectators and the nation that the Politicians are a team. While we didn’t win the game, we put up a great fight and showed Pastor Reid that we didn’t come to play. We are a force to be reckoned with and next year we’re coming for the whole hog.”

The game was tied 8-8 at the end of the first quarter before the Politicians took a slim 15-14 margin at the break. Coming out of the locker-room, the Pastors went up 20-19 at the3 end of the third before the Politicians tied it at the end of regulation.

Among those in attendance was National Basketball Association center DeAndre Ayton of the Phoenix Suns. Ayton is preparing to travel this week with the men’s national team to the Pre-Olympic Qualifying Tournament in Santiago de Estero, Argentina from August 14-20.

The Peace on da Street tournament got started on Monday night at the Michael “Scooter” Reid Basketball Courts at the Hope Center. But after being rained out the next three days, organizers were able to complete the games using three courts on Friday and Saturday.

“We had some challenges this week with the weather. That was God’s doing,” Reid said. “We can’t control that, but overall, I think we had an awesome experience. A lot of people enjoyed it.”

With the tournament now complete, Reid said their focus will be on putting together a softball tournament before the end of the year for high school teams that will conclude with another showdown between the Politicians and the Pastors.

“In our country, we are suffering in a lot of ways. Every other day, you are hearing about somebody getting killed,” said Reid, a long-time advocate for youth reform in the country through his Peace on da Street organization.

“We have to create enough outlets to give people light moments and we accomplished that in this basketball game, so we just have to continue doing that.”

While there’s a lot of work being done in the communities, Reid said there’s still a lot more to be done to fulfil God’s mandate in being one another’s brother’s keepers and looking out for each other.