The Tribune

By TENAJH SWEETING

Tribune Sports Reporter

tsweeting@tribunemedia.net

Four teams remain in the 40th Hugh Campbell Classic basketball tourney but only one team can hoist the trophy tonight at the Kendal GL Isaacs Gymnasium.

The CI Gibson Rattlers, Sunland Baptist Academy Stingers, Tabernacle Baptist Academy Falcons and Anatol Rodgers Timberwolves all remain in contention for the coveted Hugh Campbell Basketball championship.

The final four games begin at 9am today in the morning session and the finals will be played at 9pm in session two.

Timberwolves vs Cobras

The Timberwolves demoralised the CC Sweeting Cobras 70-51 to advance to the final four. The Government Secondary Schools Sports Association (GSSSA) basketball runners-up opened the first quarter 20-12.

Going into the second period, they kept up the momentum and advanced by 12 with 5:00 on the clock and concluded the first half 36-24. Anatol Rodgers then outscored the Cobras 18-12 in the final period to send CC Sweeting home.

Jasmen Rock and Derek Francis took over for the victors. Rock powered his way to a game-high 23 points, four assists and four steals. Francis amassed 21 points while shooting 50 per cent from the field.

The Timberwolves will look to seek revenge against the Rattlers in a GSSSA championship rematch this morning at the Kendal GL Isaacs Gymnasium.

Falcons vs Knights

The Falcons outmatched the CR Walker Knights 99-58 on Wednesday night. The Grand Bahama team had a game plan focused on fastbreaks and the three ball.

The plan of attack was in full gear from the opening tip and the team was up 22-5 at the 2:37 mark of the first quarter. They throttled ahead by 20 (27-7) and closed out the opening period 35-7.

The Falcons were not done punishing the Knights and flooded the scoreboard 44-14 with less than 5:00 in the second quarter. The game was a foregone conclusion after they went into the halftime break ahead 53-22.

Kevin Clarke, head coach of the Falcons, was impressed with the performance of his team going into today’s game against the Stingers.

“We played well and we were rolling tonight. This is probably the best we played all year and we are peaking at the right time and that is good. We have a game in the morning that we have to take care of and then we will go from there,” coach Clarke said.

The team displayed a balanced scoring effort with five players scoring in double digits. Noah Bain poured in a team-high 15 points, five rebounds and four assists.

Mckell Feaste was a one-man band for the Knights. He logged a game-high 39 points, five rebounds and four steals.

Stingers vs Cougars

The GBSSAA basketball champions routed the BAISS champions 68-47. The Stingers had one game plan - stop Nakero Brown of Charles W Saunders.

The team managed to hold the Cougars’ star player to a single point and six rebounds on 0/6 shooting in the contest.

The Cougars briefly had the upper hand after the first, leading 16-13.

However, in the following period, Sunland tied the game at 20 and went on an 8-2 run, propelling them to a 32-26 halftime lead. Jay Phillipe, head coach of the Stingers, said it was a good win but the job is not done yet.

“It was a really good game, hats off to CW Saunders. I think we were more determined and we know we are the more disciplined team. We came out with an attitude to repeat as back-to-back champions so I think we played a really good game.

“Defensively, my guys were able to get steals and transition points. It was a good game overall but the work is not done yet. We are looking forward to the matchup tomorrow morning against Tabernacle,” coach Phillipe said.

The Hugh Campbell defending champions blitzed the Cougars with an unanswered 13-0 run to gain a 45-26 advantage early in the third quarter and never looked back.

The Stingers outrebounded the Cougars 57 to 45. They dominated the paint with 48 points compared to 24.

Denage Kelly was phenomenal once again. He dropped a game-high 28 points and pulled down seven rebounds in the win.

Leroy Gray was the Cougar’s best option on offence with 10 points.

Rattlers vs Jaguars

The St George’s Jaguars put up a good fight against the GSSSA basketball champions in the first half but were unable to withstand the defensive pressure in the second half of the game.

The Rattlers sent them home with a 69-47 loss. The Jaguars were hot from behind the arc in the first half and were able to create a 23-19 separation in the second period. The Rattlers then climbed back into the game to hold a slim 35-32 lead heading into the locker rooms.

It was a tale of two halves for the Rattlers who rattled the Jaguars with some aggressive defence which translated to efficient offence. The team forced a shot clock violation at the 4:31 mark of the third quarter and canned a quick three from long range to pull away 40-34. They outscored the visiting team 34-15 in the second half of the ball game to quash their Hugh Campbell title chances.

Tashon Butler got it going late in the game but ended up with a game-high 22 points and shot 53 per cent from the field.

The team collectively shot 50 per cent on field goals.

On the opposite side, Deryl Williams went down swinging with a side-high 15 points for the Jaguars.

The Rattlers will face a familiar foe in the Timberwolves this morning at 9am. The final two Grand Bahama teams will follow with their game at 10am.

The championship game will be played later in the evening at 9pm.

Tickets are priced at $10 for adults and $5 for children 10 and under.