Monday 12, April-2004

by Barry Alleyne

It wasn’t pretty by a long shot, but Solar Dynamics Clapham Bulls will take wins anyway they come this season.

The Barbados Amateur Basketball Association’s Premier League leaders improved their competition-best record to 7-1 on Saturday night, defeating Passoa Station Hill Cavaliers 80-75 in a topsy turvy affair at the indoor gym of the Barbados Community College.

The reason the Bulls were able to come away with another hard-earned victory on a night they didn’t play very well, was because, like any veteran team, they took good shots down the stretch, and scored their free-throws.

Carlos Reid, Ryan Leacock and Mark Foster combined for six consecutive free-throws in the final 80 seconds, which were enough to keep the Cavs at bay.

Station Hill, one of the more inconsistent teams this season, did give the Bulls a scare at the end when forward Kelvin Patterson-Browne scored on a three-pointer, was fouled and made the free-throw to complete a four-point play, which are hardly seen. That reduced Clapham’s lead to two points, but Reid and Jeremy Gill added four more free-throws in the last 25 seconds.

Bulls, now odds-on favourites to take the 2004 league title, were on the back foot early in the match, as Station Hill’s Darvin Downes showed his immense improvement in the post, scoring 12 points. The Bulls front-court of Foster and Hally Franklin had no answer, and Station Hill looked great.

But then the Cavs bit the hand that was feeding them. Guards Jason Smith and Jeremy Hoyte looked for their own offense instead of keeping Downes involved, and the Bulls made their move.

In the night’s first game, Nation/Nico DC United led from wire-to-wire in their 82-71 win over the Tridents Combined Schools, but the youngsters continue to show gradual improvement.

Summaries:

Clapham Bulls 80 (40) (C. Reid 16, J. Gill 15, R. Leacock 14) Station Hill Cavaliers 75 (K. Patterson-Browne 22, D. Downes 13, K. Austin 13, J. Hoyte 12)

DC United 82 (38) (S. Rowe 25, H. Richards 20, T. Alexander 16) Tridents 71 (29) (M. Harding 16, O. Haynes 14, H. Turton 11)

Compliments of the Nation News

Endeavour have only themselves to blame for the loss, as complacency and 20 missed free-throws during regulation time contributed to their demise. Harrison College, however, have much to be proud of as their tenacity was rewarded with an historic win.

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