By Floyd Christie
In their first game against the senior national basketball team since 2007, the Washington DC Jammers basketball team outclassed the locals in Game One of the three-game series for the Godwin McPherson Memorial Trophy, Thursday night at the Cliff Anderson Sports Hall.
The President’s XII went down to the visitors 73-84 in a match that satisfied the
craving for basketball action within the local basketball community.
From jump ball the `Jammers’ demanded support from the fans in attendance and they received it as the game progressed as they led for almost the entire game.
Stealing the show for the `Jammers’ from the inception was their 5’10 guard Joseph Flegler, whose swift ball handling theatrics reaped ‘Ohhh’s’ from the supporters as he whacked down defenders and penetrated the key for some crowd pleasing baskets and assists.
Flegler led his team’s scoring with a game-high 21 points.
With the likes of Flegler, who was an eventual fan favorite because of his craftiness with the ball and Andrew ‘Mr. Dunk’ Ifill on the opposing team, the game was exciting and a treat as Ifill lived up to his nickname with a two-hand breakaway jam in the opening minutes of the game.
Although the `Jammers’ led for most of the game, the locals kept it close throughout the first half with some long range baskets from Ryan Gullen and team captain Darcelle Harris.
Gullen didn’t hesitate to light the baskets up as soon as he entered the game and Harris was always ready to let loose shots if given room, some of which scored at the perfect time, like his three-pointer from the top of the arc which brought them back to within five points of the `Jammers’.
As the locals struggled to keep it close their shots were eventually bettered by DC Jammers’ Keron McKenzie, who demonstrated why he holds the United States’ Peach Belt Conference record for three-pointers made in one tournament by sinking two huge shots from beyond the arc.
Flegler too was fired up outside the arc and nailed one from long range which helped to give the DC Jammers a sizable 41-33 lead at the half-time buzzer.
Entering the third quarter, the national team was relying on their outside shots which cost them quite a few turnovers in the opening half and turned to their inside men like Ifill, Roystan Siland and Gullen to counter the `Jammers’ offense.
The sports hall then came alive once again, but this time it was the locals who garnered the crowd support.
The fans rallied behind the national team and after trailing for the entire game the locals snatched the lead for the first time in the fourth minute of the third quarter.
After another attempt to get into the paint Ifill drew the foul and gave the locals their first lead with two accurate shots from the free throw line.
It was anybody’s game as the teams traded baskets heading into the fourth quarter as three-pointers from Akeem Kanhai, who made his debut on the senior national team and Rondell Fortune threatened the then minimal DC Jammers lead.
The `Jammers’ lead was eventually extended when they gained possession as a result of more turnovers from the national team which came from inaccurate passing and missed opportunities.
On the other end of the court the `Jammers’ capitalized on their looks at the basket to eventually close out the locals and draw first blood in the international series.
Leading the national team’s scoring was Ifill with 18 points and Gullen with 12. Kanhai and Siland also played well for their 11 and 10 points respectively.
DC Jammers centre and former national player Lancelot Loncke scored 15, while McKenzie and Kelvin Bright were right up there with 13 points each.