GSSSA championships set for today

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Lions JG, Sharks JB, Knights SG and Timberwolves SB make finals

Simba FrenchSend an emailFebruary 15, 2023 174 3 minute readFacebookTwitterLinkedInShare via Email

The Government Secondary Schools Sports Association (GSSSA) wrapped up its sudden death basketball playoffs at the Kendal G.L. Isaacs National Gymnasium on Tuesday and will get its best-of-three championships underway today at the same venue. Games begin at 4 p.m.

Last night, the third seeded Anatol Rodgers Timberwolves took down the second seeded Doris Johnson Mystic Marlins, 62-45, to punch their ticket to the senior boys championship. They will play the pennant-winning C.I. Gibson Rattlers. The second seeded C.R. Walker Knights’ hot shooting helped them to get a win over the third seeded C.V. Bethel Stingrays, 48-34, and they will play the top seeded Rattlers in the senior girls title series.

In the junior boys division, the  second seeded S.C. McPherson Sharks took care of the third seeded C.H  Reeves Raptors, winning 48-29 to set up a championship series against the number one seeded D.W. Davis Royals. The second seeded H.O. Nash Lions junior girls defeated the third seeded Royals 26-23 to set up a meeting with the Raptors for that title.

Junior Girls

Lions 26, Royals 23

The Lions had to fight off the Royals who made a strong push in the fourth quarter to steal the game from them. The Royals’ Kenisha Capron outscored the Lions in the fourth quarter by herself with nine points. The five points that the Lions scored in the fourth kept them alive though.

Jada Frazer scored eight points for the Lions to help them record the victory. Half of those points came in the first quarter. Capron finished the game with 13 points for the Royals.

Junior Boys

Sharks 48, Raptors 29

There was nothing that the Raptors could do to stop the Sharks’ offensive barrage. The Sharks quickly jumped out to a double digit lead, taking a 17-7 cushion at the end of one, and they never looked back.

In the second half, it was the Sharks’ show as they went on to outscore the Raptors 20-9. They held them to just three points in the third quarter.

LaQuare Collins scored a game-high 15 points for the Sharks. Malachi Cadeam chipped in with 11 points.

Chaddie Rolle led the Raptors with seven points.

Senior Girls

Knights 48, Stingrays 34

Shamaraja Cummings had the hot hand for the Knights as she torched the Stingrays for a team-high 16 points. She got help from Shenell Stewart who poured in 12 points as the duo was too much for the Stingrays.

The Knights played a strong first quarter, jumping out to a 12-10 lead after one. They took it up a notch in the second quarter, scoring 17 points in that quarter and held the Stingrays to just seven points. They went into the intermission up 29-17.

Every time the Stingrays looked like they were going to get back into the game, the Knights’ offense responded with timely buckets. A 14-8 edge in the fourth quarter helped the Knights put away the Stingrays.

Geraniqua Bethel scored 16 points for the Stingrays and Danielle McCoy chipped in with 12 points.

Senior Boys

Timberwolves 62, Mystic Marlins 45

The Timberwolves used a strong second quarter to grab control of the game. In that quarter, the Mystic Marlins tried to rally around an injured player. Laterro Young suffered a severe leg injury that stopped the game at the 1:33 mark of the first quarter. Young, who scored two points, left the gym on a stretcher and in an ambulance as both teams looked on. The first quarter ended with the game tied at nine.

The Timberwolves controlled the boards and had some second chance points in the second quarter. The Mystic Marlins never got into a rhythm in the second quarter. The Timberwolves had a 19-11 advantage to take a 28-20 lead at the half.

Jefferson Bethel, who finished with a team-high 19 points for the Timberwolves, connected on a trio of three point shots in the third quarter. Those treys helped his team keep the Mystic Marlins at bay. The Mystic Marlins were getting in a rhythm, but the Timberwolves took their game up a notch.

In the fourth quarter, the Timberwolves continued to dominate on the glass. In the end, they outscored the Mystic Marlins in the fourth quarter, 17-9.

Apart from Bethel, three other Timberwolves scored in double figures. Kirkwood Rolle had 11 points and Lavardo Saunders and Stephano Farrington finished with 10 points apiece.

Torrien Marshall led the way for the Mystic Marlins with a game-high 21 points.

Timberwolves’ Head Coach Denycko Bowles is going after a third straight GSSSA title as he goes up against the Rattlers and veteran coach Kevin ‘KJ’ Johnson. Bowles got the better of Johnson the last time they faced in the finals, but this time Bowles is with a different school. He won the last two GSSSA titles with the Mystic Marlins, and now he is the head coach of the Timberwolves. He is focused on preparing his players for a quick turnaround as the first game of the best-of-three senior boys championship series is tonight.

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