Tournament hosts Victory Valley Royals were crowned the Linden Amateur Basketball Federation (LABA) sanctioned Victory Valley Royals 20th anniversary knockout champions, defeating Half Mile Bulls 73-54 on Saturday at the Mackenzie Sports Club (MSC) hardcourt.
The final’s most valuable player (MVP) Chris Williams led the scoring for the winners with 17 points. He was assisted by Marlon Pollydore and Orlando Glasgow who netted 15 and 14 points respectively. Registering a game-high 23 points in the loss was Terron Welch.
Taking a two-point lead (14-12) at the end of the opening period, Royals would net a healthy 26 points in the second quarter to go into the half leading 40-32. They would then extend their lead in the third stanza, outscoring Bulls 25-10 to go into the final quarter ahead 65-42.
With the matchup clearly under their control, Jets would score a paltry eight points in the period while restricting their opponents to the same amount to clinch the title.
With the win, the Royals walked away with the $70,000 first prize while Half Mile Bulls collected $30,000 for their showing. For being adjudged the finals MVP, Williams received a pair of sneakers donated by Linden Alphonso.
In the third place fixture, Amelia’s Ward Jets defeated Kings in a low scoring fixture by a 46-43 score line.
Parris Cadogan netted 16 points in the victory while Amoniki Archibald assisted with 10 points. Scoring 10 points each in the loss were Quincy Easton and Abdulla Hamid.
Locked at 13-13 upon the end of the first period, Amelia’s Ward Jets would take a two-point lead into the half-time period as the second stanza finished 26-24. Jets would then increase their advantage in the third quarter as they outscored the Kings 7-6.
Leading 33-30 upon the start of the final period, Jets would clinch the matchup as both sides scored 13 points each. For their efforts, the Jets collected the third place trophy while Kings received the fourth place accolade.
In the semi-final round on Friday at the same venue, Victory Valley Royals squeaked past Amelia’s Ward Jets 52-51. Glasgow led the winners with 15 points while Harold Archibald supported with 10 points. Netting a game-high 20 points in the loss was Cadogan.
The second semi-final match saw Bulls hammering Kings by a 76-46 margin. Welch led the assault with a whopping 40 points while Kevin Easton contributed 10 points. Curtis Gravesande and Hamid scored 12 points each while Q. Easton contributed 11 points.
