Defending champions Barbados Community College (BCC) will try to make it back-to-back titles in the Co-operators General Insurance National Sports Council (NSC) Under-19 Interschools basketball tournament.
However, standing in their way will be Harrison College (HC) on December 8 at the Gymnasium in Wildey.
Both teams secured their spots in the final with commanding victories in the semi-finals at the BCC’s gymnasium on Monday.
HC showcased its prowess by defeating last year’s finalist, Queen’s College (QC) 74-58, while the home team, BCC, delivered a resounding 73-45 thrashing to The Lodge School.
Although the final score in the HC/QC matchup reflects a 16-point win for the team from Crumpton Street, the St James-based school kept it close until their fourth-quarter collapse.
HC, led by their dynamic duo of Najiib Browne and Aaron Weatherhead, who combined for an impressive 44 points, held a narrow one-point lead, (21-20) at the end of the opening period.
The game kept spectators on the edge of their seats as QC’s talisman Zane Gaskin, who scored 21 points, rallied his team against the formidable pair.
Despite Gaskin’s efforts, Harrison College held a two-point lead at halftime.
Starting the penultimate quarter with a 36-34 advantage, Weatherhead contributed six of his 20 points in the third period, with Zane Cox adding nine points to the mix.
Gaskin’s nine points in the quarter kept QC in the game, and they trailed by just three (53- 50) heading into the final period.
In the crucial fourth quarter, Browne, with a game-high 24 points, turned into a defensive force, suffocating QC, especially Gaskin, who managed only three points during that span.
His performance allowed HC to finish strong and they outscored QC 21-8 in the fourth quarter to the delight of their enthusiastic supporters.
Khade Belgrave and Josiah Weekes contributed 10 and eight points respectively for QC, who now have to battle Lodge for third place.
In second encounter between BCC and Lodge, though trailing 23-12 at the end of the opening period, the St John-based school displayed competitiveness.
And even though they outscored BCC 12-9 in the second period, they still trailed 32-24 at halftime.
BCC’s all-round team performance, fueled by Nigel Jones (21 points) and Tristan Yarde (15 points), resulted in an 18-point surge in the third period, putting the game out of reach of Lodge.
Starting the final period with a comfortable 50-39 lead, BCC, led by Nathaniel Blackman (14 points), Jones, and Yarde, defensively shut out Lodge, while adding 23 points in the fourth quarter to secure the victory. rawletoney@barbadostoday.bb
