Tournament favourites Plaisance/Vryheid’s Lust edged Lodge/Meadowbrook 75-72 in their quarterfinal match when the Mackeson-sponsored Trinity Grid Holdings (TGH) Pacesetters Basketball Club Inter-ward tourney continued on Wednesday at the Cliff Anderson Sports Hall.
Shelroy Thomas led the East Coast side with 20 points while Enoch Matthews, Stefon Gillis and Nikkoloi Smith netted 17, 13 and 12 points correspondingly.
Leading the offensive charge for the Georgetown side was Hadayah Stewart who netted 21 points and picked up four steals. Contributing to the score line was Drunson McCaulay, Fabian Johnson and Mortimer Williams who recorded figures of 13 points and 12 rebounds, 13 points, eight rebounds and two steals and 13 points, six rebounds and two steals respectively.
Utilizing their superior size to take a 14-13 lead in the opening period, the Georgetown side would struggle to contain shooting guard Gillis in the final minutes of the stanza as he netted 11 of his 13 points in the opening salvo. Back-to-back three-point missiles highlighted his cameo, piloting an 11-3 run as the East Coast unit ended the period in front at 25-16.
Lodge/Meadowbrook would battle back in the second period as Williams and McCaulay combined to net 12 points. Through a combination of staunch defending and careless turnovers, the Georgetown unit restricted their opponents to a paltry nine points in the period.
With his side trailing 32-30, Williams who netted seven points in the phase, knocked down a clutch three-pointer at the top of the arc to push his team into the lead for the first time as the half eventually ended 36-34 in their favour.
In what would prove to be the lowest scoring period of the fixture, Enoch Matthews netted six points as Plaisance/Vryheid’s Lust levelled the score at 50-50 in a gritty third stanza.
Opening his account after receiving a brilliant pass from centre Ryan Guillen after making a back door cut, Matthews struck a timely three- pointer as the East Coast side outscored Lodge/Meadowbrook 14-12.
Plaisance/Vryheid’s Lust displayed their championship mettle when they survived an early nine-point onslaught by Stewart. Utilizing the pick and roll, the diminutive guard nailed consecutive midrange floaters to push the Georgetown side into the lead.
The offensive burden would prove a weight too heavy to shoulder as Thomas and Smith combined to net 21 points in the quarter. Down six points with less than five minutes on the clock, Smith would hit a clutch three- pointer to kick start the then stuttering offence. He would tie the scores on the very next possession, draining another three-point shot with 3:58 remaining in the quarter.
Not to be outdone, Thomas registered back-to-back three-point plays with less than two minutes left in the game as he penetrated the lane and finished at the rim while being fouled to put the outcome beyond doubt.
In the earlier quarterfinal encounter, Wortmanville/Werk-en-Rust squeaked past McDoom/Diamond 69-68.
Naylon Loncke led the victors with figures of 23 points, four rebounds and two blocks. He was assisted by Michael Turner and Randy Richardson who recorded figures of 14 points, six rebounds, three steals and 12 points respectively.
Travis Burnett was the top scorer for the losers with 20 points and four steals while Ryan Stephney contributed 14 points and five rebounds.
Quarterfinal action continues tomorrow with a double header. In the opening game at 8pm, Melanie will face off with Alberttown/Bourda. The feature contest at 9:30pm will see defending champions Albouystown/Charlestown battling Tucville/Guyhoc.
