Most Valuable Player (MVP) of this year’s Pepsi National Schools’ Basketball Festival Shelroy Thomas scored a whopping 43 points for Kwakwani but his heroics were in vain as Linden Technical Institute (LTI) withstood their valiant comeback efforts to win the final 78-74.
LTI took control of the game just minutes after Thomas fell to the floor injured in the first half after colliding with an LTI player.
He remained on the bench for the remainder of the first half which ending with LTI ahead 29-25.
In his breakout offensive performance of the tournament, Orin Rose registered 21 points which was complemented by three daggers (three pointers) from behind the arch which helped his team to sustain their lead.
On such three-pointer came with three minutes 42 seconds remaining in the game which stretched LTI’s lead to seven (67-60).
However that deficit was chipped away by two clutch three-pointers from Thomas and Trevor Wilson who scored 14 points on the night.
After the game Rose said that he was motivated to take charge of the game after noticing that they were in control early.
“When I looked up and the score in the first half and saw that we were ahead, I just decided to go out there and play my best offense and defense combined so that we could get what we came here for, the win,” he said.
A very emotional Thomas said after the game said:” It doesn’t matter to me whether I scored five of 43 because at the end of the day all that we were plating for was the win.”
He did, however, say that his 43-point effort was a confidence booster and that he hoped that it would help him to be on the Inter Guiana team that will be playing in French Guiana this November.
Wismar/Christianburg won the third place match against President’s College (PC) 52-44.
Stravin Ettiene, who was later named Most Prolific Scorer of the tournament, scored 21 points while Richard Mohandatt, who was later given an invitation to join the junior national practice squad, added 17 for PC.
After the game, Minister of Culture, Youth and Sport Dr. Frank Anthony commended the participating teams for their discipline and fair-play. He also complimented organizers for a well-run tournament and urged them to have even more participants next year.
