By Treiston Joseph
Marian Academy will be a force in the upcoming National School Basketball Festival (NSBF) after they put the country on notice with two titles in the Georgetown/East Coast Regional Confernce on Friday evening at the Cliff Anderson Sports Hall.
Marian Academy took the premier title in the Under-19 category with a close 68-65 win that came down to the wire.
Plaisance came out firing especially with the pace of the game, however, Marian’s defence and steady offence kept the game close at pivitol junctures.
Andrew Johnson was dropping long range bombs all night for Plaisance, finishing with 19 points, however, Timothy Thompson was a beast for Marian, dropping 21 points and 12 rebounds in the win.
Jether Harris, playing in his second finals for the night, contributed 17 points, six rebounds, while Jahleel Young and Josiah Daniels also chipped in with 11 and nine points respectively in Marian’s win.
Tournament MVP and Best defensive player, Nigel Bowen, dropped 15 points, five rebounds and six steals in a loss, while Jared Sears had 16 points and eight rebounds for East Coast based school.
In the Under-14 championship game Marian Academy outlasted President’s College (PC) 64-56 to claim the title.
Harris balled out in the final for his second title with a game-high 38 points and 28 rebounds to win the Most Valuable Play award.
Gabriel Lin (best defender), had a big double-double for PC, with 35 points, 35 rebounds and seven steals.
Meanwhile, the female final was epic with PC coming from behind to win a nail-biter against Marian Academy 35-34 to claim the coveted Regional title.
With 1.9s left in the clock, Roshelle Campbell held her nerve and iced two clutch free throws to give PC their one point lead and the eventual win that got her the MVP award. Campbell ended the game with 19 points and 14 rebounds. Saffiya Greeen (best defense) had nine points and 17 rebounds as well in the win. Jada Mohan, struggling with cramps and foul trouble, had a game-high 21 points and 10 rebounds.
Finally in the Under-16 finals, St Roses High blew away PC with a 78-68 victory as Anthony Yansen picked up MVP honours 34 points and 13 rebounds. Kwesi Roberts’ 11 points, 16 rebounds and Atilla Williamson with 10 points were the other contributors in the game.
Rankin McDonald top scored with 22 points and 12 rebounds, while Lanon Friday and Ashriel Burnett chipped in with 11 and 10 points respectively. The NSBF championship week will tip off on Monday from 13:00h at the Cliff Anderson Sports Hall.
